H – Miho & Jazz

MJS Client report rewind: Jazz x Alberto

“And give H my regards, too,” Jan just said and Jazz smiled. She was again very happy that she had found H in the first place.

“I will. And again, congratulations on your engagement. I know you will be very happy with each other.”

They said their goodbyes and Jazz hung up. This was a very good day so far. She quickly took her phone up again and dialed H’s number. According to the schedule she wasn’t on a date that day so Jazz didn’t hesitate to call her Of course she wouldn’t do that if there was a date simulation that day, she knew from firsthand experience that those days usually were completely occupied by preparations.

“Yes?” H’s voice sounded through the phone.

“It’s me, Jazz. I just had a very nice chat with your first client ever and I wanted to let you know that he has proposed to one of the ladies we have introduced to him. With that your first case is officially closed.” She smiled, it felt as if her little sister had just graduated from school or something.

“Oh wow, that’s great,” H happily replied. “He was a really nice first client. Good for him.”

“Yes, and he wants us to plan his wedding, too. And he has recommended us to butler friend who will contact us soon. I’m just giving you a heads-up because this might be another job on short notice. Butler schedules seem a bit difficult. Of course I will handle the profile and all before we spring this on you,” Jazz explained further. H was unusually quiet.

“H?” Jazz carefully asked. Was something wrong?

“Another butler, huh? No, it’s cool, it’s cool. I’ll handle that, no problem.” Jazz could tell her laughter was forced but didn’t want to pry. If there was a problem she hoped that H would simply tell her. Honesty was an important thing in this business, at least among the girls of MJS.

“Okay… oh, how about we celebrate your first closed case tonight? Drinks on me? We could also try some other place than Long Island, Kunihiko is on a business trip anyway,” Jazz suggested.

“Okie doki, sounds good. Lemme know what you have in mind and when, I’ll be there.” H sounded a bit more like her usual self and Jazz sighed slightly in relief.

“I will. See you later, then. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Now that was – strange. But Jazz only shrugged and returned her attention to the paperwork in front of her.

Several days later Izumi called Jazz in her office.

“Miss Mann, there was just a call from some butler. He asks if you have time this afternoon to see him.”

Jazz groaned inwardly. Not that she was completely swamped with work, it was more the very vague description of the caller.

“What butler, Izumi?”

“I haven’t gotten the name, something foreign sounding,” he mumbled and Jazz took a deep breath.

“Did he say whose butler he is?” There were only a handful of royal houses and she could already cross out some names of possible butlers calling her. It could be Yu, but he should be happily married by now and after all they had canceled his contract. And even Izumi should know Jan by now, they had met before after all.

“No, sorry. I gave him an appointment for 4 pm.”

Jazz made a quick note of that. “Okay. But before you send him up later, can you please ask for his name again and tell me? I like to know how to address my clients after all.” Izumi was a good kid and for someone who was only a part-timer he did a good job. But it was obvious that this wasn’t his dream job and he did make some mistakes every now and then.

But she was free around 4 so why shouldn’t she just wait and see what kind of butler would come? Much to Jazz’s enjoyment H dropped by and handed over another report. They chatted a bit when Izumi called again.

“Yes?”

“Miss Mann, your client is here.” He sounded nervous.

“You forgot to ask for his name again, am I right?” she asked, slightly annoyed.

“N-no, he did tell me, but it was so fast and I hardly understood him. He didn’t even speak Japanese…”

“Izumi, I thought you can speak English. What’s wrong?” She frowned. Until now he didn’t have much trouble with English speaking clients. Why now?

“I can, but his accent and… anyway, he’s on his way already.” With that Izumi apologized again and hung up. Jazz stared at H.

“Okay, we have a mysterious butler coming here right now. But that’s good, this way you can meet him and we can see if the chemistry is right.” Trying to see the bright side of things Jazz smiled at H who slumped down a bit.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just – remember I told you about that friend of Jan I keep running into? He’s a butler, too… what if it’s him? He hates me! And I can’t stand him either! I mean he’s a complete jerk, very pretentious and judging! I couldn’t – never – ugh…” She was talking faster and faster and Jazz stared at her with wide eyes.

“He’s such a conceited dick, really, I mean, it’s kinda cute that he’s so protective and looking out for a friend, but then again, how dare he making assumptions about me based on two times we met for only some seconds?!” Now H was really agitated and Jazz had to calm her down again.

“H, relax. Don’t worry, just breathe. If it’s really your butler arch enemy, we can pass this case over to Miho and Rose. That’s the good thing about having partners.” She gave the younger woman an encouraging nod and got up when she heard the knock on her door.

H sat up straight, wringing her hands in her lap. This could be bad. This could be really, really bad…

“Come in,” Jazz said but when the door opened it wasn’t H whose heart sank. It was Jazz’s.

“Alberto…” she muttered and stared into the equally surprised face of the Altarian butler.

“Perdinci… Jazz? Is that you?”

She quickly shook off her shock and smiled weakly. “Uhm, yeah, in the flesh. Sorry, our receptionist got something mixed up, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Oh, come in, take a seat.” She ushered the bewildered man inside and motioned towards the seat next to H.

“Oh, this is H… whose service won’t be needed here. Sorry, H, this is… I’m going to explain that later, okay?”

“Okie dokie,” H simply said, eying Alberto and Jazz carefully. There was something up but Jazz didn’t seem in trouble, so H took the cue and left.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Jazz remembered her duties as a good hostess and offered Alberto refreshments.

“The coffee isn’t as good as Altarian but – well, it’s okay. Or would you like some water? Tea?”

“Coffee is fine, thank you. So, you are a marriage matchmaker now?” He shifted in his seat a bit, trying to get comfortable in this strange situation.

“Actually I’m just switched jobs to wedding planner, I only got a few marriage matchmaking clients left. Mostly I wrap up the cases I still have from before I changed jobs here. And special exceptions. I guess you are a very special exception.” She chuckled, a bit desperate sounding.

“Jan – he said you found him the love of his life and I think Yu told me about your agency before, but he was rather vague.” Alberto’s sharp mind was showing again.

“I worked with both of them although Mr. Kujo and I canceled the contract eventually. But I am glad that he still considers our service recommendable.” She smiled at him, not trying to say too much. Instead she grabbed the phone.

“Izumi? Could you bring us some coffee? Thank you.”

Usually she wouldn’t order him around like this but this time he deserved it. Definitely. After sitting down behind her desk again she took a deep breath.

“Okay, how about we push through the awkwardness and get to the point. I bet you haven’t much time.”

He tilted his head in agreement, his bangs falling into his eyes a bit. Jazz remembered those eyes. Jazz remembered a lot.

“I would be grateful if we could get the most pressing matters out of the way,” he agreed. It was strange, she had seen him in this formal role but she had also seen him in a lot more private, intimate setting and having him acting all businesslike again was a bit sobering.

“Of course. Let me explain to you how we are working and if you are still interested to sign a contract afterwards we could have most of the remaining exchange via emails and calls. I know your schedule is rather tight.”

The way his eyes widened at her remark showed her that her choice of words was a bit off but she simply ignored it for now.

“Besides the usual profiling we offer a date simulation although I think we can skip that in your case. You would still have to sign a confidentiality agreement, probably a slightly modified one. If you want me to tell you more you will have to sign a preliminary NDA.” She slid the document over to him and nodded when he signed after giving it a read.

“Okay, thank you.” Before she could explain more Izumi knocked and entered with the coffee. Jazz waited until he was out again and got back to the topic.

“So, the date simulation includes a sexual encounter to complete your profile in these regards, but we could also use our – private encounter back then as a base and I write up my report without another date simulation. Whatever you prefer.” She could tell the exact moment when her words sank in, when he remembered their ‘encounter’ as she had called it.

Jazz was sitting at the bar of a very classy, fancy hotel and ordered her third glass of red wine. She knew she better stopped soon, but dammit, this day had been torture. All she wanted now was a nice buzz and a cab back home, where no one was waiting for her anyway. Ai had moved out some weeks ago and now – well, now Jazz might be losing her job. She took a swig from her wine.

“Miss Kujoro? Sorry, have you seen His Highness?”

The man who just talked to her – that butler, wasn’t he? – looked around the bar and Jazz shook her head.

“Nope… not since he crashed this stupid event that my bosses wanted to go flawlessly so much…” That much that they even made it Jazz’s most important mission for weeks.

‘You are European, you might know better what he wants. He’s a prince after all. It’s of utmost importance that he is satisfied in the end.’

And what happened? The prince ditched after an hour or so, leaving the officials and his entourage behind. Although none of them seemed very surprised. The butler was annoyed, but in an almost resigned way. Jazz’s bosses would be furious when they heard about this – this disaster.

“This might not be a real comfort, but believe me, he already sneaked out from much better events.” The butler took a seat next to Jazz who glared at him.

“Really? SOOOO much better events? Now, that’s no comfort for me,” she sarcastically said.

“That wasn’t what I wanted to say,” he hurried to make clear but she only scoffed.

“But it is what you said nonetheless.” She shrugged, not that it mattered. Her marriage had been a scam and her bosses treated her like – like she was exchangeable. Everyone did. Another swig of her wine.

“Miss Kujoro-“ the butler began once more but she cut him off.

“It’s Jazz.” She had to get rid of this name, had to get her maiden name back. She would do that, first thing tomorrow.

“Alberto.” He bowed his head slightly.

“Piacere.” She raised her glass slightly and Alberto raised his eyebrow in return. He had nice eyebrows. Nice eyes.

“Parla Alteriano? Benissimo,” he praised her.

“Parlo solo poco,” she admitted and chuckled. “That was about all.”

“It was very good. I’m impressed.” He motioned for the barkeeper and ordered a glass of wine.

“You drink? Shouldn’t you run around and try to find that little prince of yours?” she smugly asked and batted her lashes. The whole day he had been keeping a keen eye on the prince, she had noticed how adamant he was about going everywhere the prince went.

He huffed a short laugh. “I think I’m done for today. If he doesn’t want to be found he won’t be found. That’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way.” He raised his glass. “Salute.”

With a smile she clinked glasses with him.

“Or does it bother you to drink here with me?” Suddenly his confidence vanished and he frowned slightly, eyebrows drawn together. They hadn’t talked that much, mostly in a very professional, businesslike tone. They had been both working after all.

“Nah, it’s fine. But let me warn you, I’m not exactly good company right now. I’ve got – issues.” She emphasized the last word by opening her eyes wider.

“We all got issues, so don’t worry.” There was a hint of a smile on his lips when he tried the first sip of his wine only for him to practically scowl at the glass.

“This is awful,” he growled and for a moment she feared he would spit it out, but instead he turned towards her. “How can you even drink this?”

“It’s hard to get a good wine around here,” she confessed. “Usually I hardly even notice after the second glass anymore.”

“Miss, this is outrageous. This might sound bold, but may I invite you to a decent glass of wine? We brought some from Altaria and I would gladly share a bottle with you.” He got up from his seat and waited for her answer.

“Really? You are inviting me to a glass of wine? Into your room? I hope you’re not having ulterior motives.” She giggled lightly, not that she would mind that. She hadn’t had good sex in a while. Not ever since she had met Ai. Definitely too long already.

“I assure you, I only want to replace the foul taste of this – this so called wine with something more pleasant.”

“Ulterior motives, like I said.” She grinned cheekily at him, tongue darting out briefly to wet her lips. His eyes widened. His pupils, too.

And suddenly they couldn’t get out of that bar fast enough. He ushered her towards the elevators with his hand in the small of her back. They kissed when the elevators door slid close behind them, hiding them from prying eyes. There was no sweet, testing kiss at first, it was all hunger and lust, slight desperation from her side. If she was losing it all she could just as well get lost in this for now. Take her mind off things. Take her clothes off, too.

They barely made it into his room without tripping, both not wanting to part from each other for even a second. She pushed his uniform jacket from his shoulders the moment the door was closed behind them, frantically working on his vest with slightly clumsy fingers next.

“What about… that wine…?” he panted against her lips only to make her giggle again.

“I’m already tipsy… you don’t need… to make me drunk…”

“That was… not my intention… but…”

Once she managed to open his shirt he started on the buttons of her blouse.

“But?” she asked breathlessly.

“I’m glad… that you’re not… drunk yet… not completely…” He sucked in a harsh breath when her blouse fell to the floor, leaving her in a simple black bra.

“Not drunk, don’t worry… just tipsy enough to… get rid of those pesky inhibitions…”

He growled lowly in his throat when she snapped her bra open and let it join her blouse on the floor. His hands were on her hips before she could process it, his lips on hers again, kissing, sucking, tasting. He shoved her against the wall, trapping her there and she didn’t mind at all. She wanted it a bit rough, impatient. Fuck, she needed to feel his desire, after all the rejections lately she wanted to feel how much she affected him, this stranger. This man.

“Muaviti,” she breathed, trying to urge him on. It worked. Sucking a mark into the crook of her neck his hands found the zipper of her skirt and pulled it down. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of skirt and panties and pushed both down until gravity took care of the rest. She simply stepped out of the fabric and past him towards the bed, giving him a sultry look over her shoulder.

Impatiently he almost ripped his own pants off, toeing off shoes and socks.

“Stop right there,” he told her when she reached the bed, but before she could actually get on it. She just waited for him, with bated breath, her skin tingling in anticipation. She wasn’t good at obeying orders, not the submissive type, but hell, tonight she would do everything he told her to. She was in one of THAT moods obviously. He had treated her like a lady all day, the perfect butler. Said: “Yes, Miss,” and “Of course, Miss,” but now she wanted him to fuck her like the dirty girl she was.

She could feel the heat of his skin when he stepped behind her, not touching her at all, just breathing down her neck – literally. It sent shivers down her spine and she wondered how in the world he could still hold back after the passionate and incredible arousing foreplay. When his fingertips slightly touched her neck, down her spine and actually to her buttcrack her breath hitched. Okay, maybe they should have talked about some things. But he didn’t linger, instead his hand now rested on her hip, the other one between her shoulder blades pushed her upper body towards the bed.

“Put your hands down,” he instructed and she did, braced herself on the bed and ignored the way her legs trembled. Anticipation and arousal mixed with her intoxication and when he suddenly stepped away, breaking every form of physical contact she almost whined. But when she looked over her shoulder and saw him ripping a condom package open she regained some of her patience. Obviously he was trying to prolong the waiting time; she wouldn’t have been able to wait much longer anyway.

“Get onto the bed with one knee,” he instructed and stepped behind her again, hands running up and down her legs. She knelt on the bed on her right knee, the other foot still on the floor. It was strange but he seemed to like it, groaned in appreciation of the display in front of him. She gasped when his fingertips suddenly danced over her folds, stroking and spreading her wetness.

“You like that? Getting ordered around?” he growled and she shook her head.

“Usually not… but you… you are pretty… commanding… for a butler…” She yelped when he suddenly slapped her ass once.

“And you are pretty submissive for such an independent woman,” he said in casual tone. Had he been watching her during the day? Giving orders to caterers and staff, taking care of the small catastrophes that inevitably occurred at important events like that day – she probably had looked as if she was in command. And used to it.

“Like I said… usually not…”

“So you’re making an exception for me?” There was some teasing, a promise in his voice that made her look over her shoulder again. Only to see him standing there, naked, with his rock hard cock covered in a condom, his dark eyes catching her gaze.

“Blame it on the bad wine, but yes, I’m making an exception for you. Now you better make sure it’s worth it…”

With a grin and a raised eyebrow he suddenly lined up and pushed into her, slowly, unhurried. Jazz groaned and clawed at the sheets under her hands, arched her back slightly.

“You won’t… regret it…” he promised hoarsely and Jazz was inclined to believe him. The position was strange but it was easier than actually standing, and the angle felt incredible. She dropped her head onto the mattress, eyes closed, focusing of the sensation of his cock inside of her, the push and pull, the rhythm he created, slow but deep strokes. His hands on her hips he controlled the whole situation and she didn’t mind at all.

They were both grunting and moaning, gasping and panting. The soundtrack of sex. She loved it, got completely lost in it. Giving up control was really nice every once in a while. Just feeling, not thinking. And then he changed the angle slightly, started to fuck her faster, harder, making her scream and sob at the intensity of the pleasure he caused her.

“That’s… how you… like it…?” he panted and she whimpered, trying to nod. It had been too long that she had been desired like this, that a man had simply taken her.

Suddenly he moved, shoved her further onto the bed, on her stomach. With her hips still raised he continued to fuck her, but now one of his hands snaked around her, between her thighs, searching for her clit and rubbing it. Jazz was glad that her face was already buried in the mattress, it muffled her screams and she could grip the sheets tightly. She needed something to anchor her to the ground while she was flying high. The pleasure coursed through her, stars exploded behind her eyes when she reached her climax, shuddered and trembled beneath him.

Alberto slowed down, waited for her to catch her breath before he pulled out and flopped down next to her, gently pushing away some strands of hair sticking to her forehead. She needed a moment before she leaned in and kissed him again.

“How – how do you want to go on?”

“Are you okay to go on?” he asked, still panting. She nodded. Not only okay, she wanted to continue.

“We could also do something else, less tiring for you…” he suggested but she only grinned and straddled him, kissed him deeply and grabbed his cock to sink down on him. He groaned, his hands gripping her thighs tightly.

“You want to be in charge now?” he almost moaned. She grinned cheekily.

“Baby, I’m always in charge, even when I let you think it’s otherwise.” She leaned back, her hands on his legs, her breasts on display for him while she rolled her hips. He pushed himself up, mirroring her position, his hands propped up behind his back. Jazz was almost grinding against him, kept his cock deep inside of her. He wrapped one arm around her, pulled her closer towards him. It was harder to move like this but it felt incredible. Her still swollen and sensitive clit dragged against his pubic bone so she started moving up and down on his cock, eventually slamming down on him so he could hit all her sweet spots.

Jazz was sweating, panting, her legs trembled from the strain, but she felt better than she had in ages, felt alive, soaring, like a goddess. Alberto had his head thrown back, eyes closed, his whole body taut and she knew he was close. So Jazz focused on her own pleasure. Usually it was difficult for her to come a second time, that short after the first climax, but this time it was surprisingly easy.

“Oh my… I… sooo close…” she whimpered and he started bucking his hips, thrusting upwards, pushing her over the edge again before he roared out his own release.

The plopped down on the bed, tired and spent, but incredibly relaxed. After a moment to detangle from each other and for him to get rid of the condom they simply laid there, breathing, enjoying the afterglow. When she cooled off a bit Jazz sat up and smiled tiredly.

“Thanks, that was – definitely necessary.”

“It was my pleasure – and yours, I hope.” He bowed his head slightly, making her chuckle.

“That it was.” With a sigh she got up and started picking up her clothes.

“You don’t want to stay?” He didn’t sound disappointed, just seeking confirmation.

“I have to work tomorrow morning. And so do you, I assume. But you really helped giving this rather annoying day a very satisfying ending.” While she got dressed her got up, kissed her again before he put on some clothes, too.

“It was the same for me.” He took some cigarettes out of the drawer of his bedside table and Jazz raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, sorry. Would you like one, too?” he offered her the box.

“No, thank you. I’m not smoking.” Instead she cupped his cheek and smiled at him. “Your job must be tough. You should try to find something else to help you relax after a hard day.”

He nodded slowly. “I’ll try. Thank you, Miss – Jazz.”

She chuckled lightly. “Thank you, Alberto. Ciao, alla prossima volta.” They both knew there wouldn’t be a next time but he smiled at her, took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“Arrivederci, Jazz.”

He stared at her. “A pretended date? With sex?” he asked, just to make sure.

“Indeed. That is part of the profiling, although you can of course go without this part. It just helps up to find the perfect match for you.” She nodded and smiled slightly.

He cleared his throat, took hi coffee and a sip before he looked at her again with a serious expression.

“If you would write that report, what would you write?”

Her smile widened. “Don’t worry, it would be very good. Do you still smoke?”

He was startled by her sudden change of topic but nodded. Jazz made a note.

“And do you still like to use sex to get rid of the stress of your job?”

He kept his poise, a perfect butler after all. “It is a good way to decrease some pressure, yes.”

Another note, another smile. “In that case your report could be ready in a few days. You can read it and make comments, but ultimately I am the one to write it, so it will contain what I think about our one night stand back then. You still can schedule another date scenario afterwards if you’re not happy with the report, though.”

He looked at her intently before a small smile played on his lips. “I am sure you will write an honest and convincing report.”

“And I am sure that we can find a potential wife for you in no time. You are a wonderful man.” With that she handed him some forms and the contract.

“Once you fill that out and sign it we can start. We can take care of most things via phone and email. Don’t worry, our security is top notch. If you have questions you can call me any time.”

It should be awkward, they had met during a job, had a one night stand afterwards and now they met again on the job. But Jazz couldn’t feel it, the awkwardness that would be expected. It was nice seeing him again and thinking back to the night they had spent together left her with a nice tingling in the panties, but he wasn’t the one she wanted to take care of it.

It was funny, she had slept with a lot of men and now she only ever wanted one. Her husband. Her smile must have given her away because Alberto stared at her intently before his expression softened.

“You are doing better now, aren’t you?”

Jazz nodded. “I am fantastic. And we will find you someone who makes you feel that way, too.”

“You know, when Jan gave me your number I would never have guessed to see you here.”

“Yeah, I took my maiden name back some time after we met.” And soon she would change her name again. After Miho’s wedding, when they could make it official. She couldn’t wait.

“Well, it was a pleasant surprise after all. Send me the forms and the contracts and I will take care of everything else.”

They said their goodbyes and Jazz sat back down at her desk, but instead of dwelling on her memories she was looking forward to later that night. When she would have a simple dinner with her husband in their shared home. And just like that the tingling in her panties was joined by the butterflies in her tummy.

Perdinci – Oh my god

Piacere – It’s a pleasure.

Parla Alteriano? Benissimo. – You speak Altarian? Very good!

Parlo solo poco. – I can speak only a little bit.

Ciao, alla prossima volta. – Bye. Until next time.

Arrivederci. – Goodbye.

MJS Out of office battle: Dance off!

After another long day Jazz was glad that Miho had agreed to go out for drinks, saying Goto wouldn’t be home after all since he was working and sitting alone on the couch wasn’t really what she wanted to do.

“How’s your intern? Is she what you have been looking for?” Jazz asked while waiting until Miho had gathered her things.

“She’s doing a good job, very good reports. She even adds sketches of some – uhm, special features.”

Jazz stared at Miho blankly for a second before she burst out into laughter. “Show me! I want to see!”

Miho grinned and grabbed a file, browsed through it until she found a quickly sketched drawing of a definitely male body part.

“Wow…” Jazz was impressed. “Now imagine what she could do with a brush and paint…” She waggled her eyebrows, prompting a chuckle from Miho.

“I know, but honestly, it’s a good idea. Helps me envision things.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Jazz handed the sketch back. “Hey, have you thought about maybe throwing a welcome party for Rose and H? I mean, shouldn’t we at least show them that we are grateful for having them?”

“We pay them, shouldn’t that be enough?” Miho brushed her off.

“Okay, let me rephrase that: Remember when we started the business? The one thing we all had in common?” Jazz smirked and waited for the coin to drop. “How we decided whether we were actually suitable for judging the client’s sexual skills?”

“Oh god… you are not saying we should all have a roll in the hay, do you? Because I’m not sure if I can sell Goto that as ‘girl’s night out’.” Miho seemed actually reluctant and Jazz laughed.

“No, no. Oh god, I mean, I’m sure Kunihiko would be less than pleased. He’s already jealous of every man that talks to me, I don’t want him to get suspicious of every girl, too. No, I’m talking about something else. We should have some rite of passage, if you catch my drift. Like that one time, in that bar that never again set a foot in afterwards?”

That had been a wild night but Jazz was sure that Miho remembered.

“I’m not so sure that we should do that,” Miho said and tilted her lightly.

“Not ‘we’,” Jazz pointed out. “’They’.”

After some quick calls Jazz and Miho made their way to Long Island, hoping Kunihiko wouldn’t kick them out after all. Well, even if he got mad Jazz was positive she could calm the waves somehow. When they arrived H was already there, talking to Saeki, but Rose was nowhere to be seen. Jazz kissed Kunihiko briefly but tried not to be too lovey-dovey to not annoy the others. She enjoyed rubbing their love into the faces of Yamato and Saeki, but tried to keep it fair for the rest.

“So, when will our judge appear? Does he plan a huge entrance?” Miho asked once they had settled around a table. By now Kunihiko knew pretty well what drinks they wanted so there was no need to actually order.

“I told him to drop by in around half an hour, so knowing him he will show up in an hour.” Jazz smiled at Kunihiko when he placed a cocktail in front of her.

“Did I tell you that I love you already today?” she asked, making him chuckle.

“Me or the cocktail!”

“Both,” she declared and took the straw between her lips, sucking once and letting it go again just to hum in pleasure. “Hmmm, soooo good.”

Miho snorted and took a sip of her whiskey and H thanked Kuni for the rum.

“What are we celebrating?” she asked and sniffed at the glass once before breaking out onto a contend smile.

“Basically just life. And you and Rose joining the agency,” Miho replied casually, looking up when he door opened and Rose came in. She motioned towards Kunihiko for a second glass of whiskey and once they were all sitting and holding a glass they raised them and cheered: “To MJS!”

A few rounds later the door opened again, a grin appeared on both Jazz’s and Miho’s face.

“Baba! Over here!” Jazz called and waved. Despite their ups and downs she usually didn’t hate him – much. With a smile Baba approached their table, only glancing briefly around the bar.

“So many pretty ladies at one table – lucky me.” He bowed slightly and tapped the rim of his hat briefly.

“Lucky indeed – now sit down, have a drink. I still have plans for you tonight,” Jazz said and motioned towards a free chair, unfortunately just in the moment when Kunihiko came with another round of drinks. He raised his eyebrow at her but she simply smiled at him, there was nothing wrong with what she had said after all.

Baba ordered a drink and Kunihiko reluctantly went back behind the bar. Saeki and Yamato were still sitting there, throwing him a curious glance.

“So, what are we having here?” Baba asked, looking around the table.

“Just a little agency party,” Jazz said with a shrug. “Since you are working for us – kind of at least – we thought you should meet our new interns. This is Rose and this is H.”

The girls nodded at the mention of their names, already a bit tipsy but still unaware of what Jazz and Miho had planned.

They chatted some more, drank some more until Miho vanished towards the bar and had a brief conversation with Kunihiko, giving Jazz a small nod when she came back. Good, Kuni was on board. Jazz didn’t want to ask him because she knew he wouldn’t say no to her, even if he didn’t like the idea. But since there were almost no other people there – Saeki and Yamato didn’t count – Kunihiko didn’t seem opposed to Miho asking for music.

“Say, Baba,” Jazz began and turned towards the only male at the table. “Think you could help us with something?”

After a quick explanation of their plan Miho and Jazz waited for the reaction of Baba, Rose and H. Well, the reaction of Rose and H, Baba was on board when he heard he would get a lapdance. Or better, two.

“Okay, but I need more rum,” H simply stated and motioned towards Kuni.

“Tell me again, why are we supposed to do this?” Rose asked and sipped from her glass.

“It’s some kind of initiation rite. In MJS all female associates have sat on Baba’s lap at least once,” Jazz chuckled. Miho rolled her eyes when Baba winked at her, obviously she didn’t really want to get reminded of that, but she was still smiling. Sort of.

“You have all given him a lapdance?” H asked and laughed loudly. “Well, that’s an interesting kind of bonus, huh?” She leaned back and let her eyes wander from Jazz to Miho to Baba.

“I can’t complain,” Baba stated almost humbly, earning a light slap on the arm from Miho.

“We were young and drunk,” Jazz said airily and shrugged. “There was music and I wanted to dance and I managed to get Miho to join me only by making it a competition.” Other than Jazz Miho wasn’t that fond of dancing, although she knew very well how to move her body. But when Jazz had practically challenged her, taunted her, she couldn’t say no. And she was fierce competition after all.

“Who won?” H wanted to know just for Miho and Jazz to exchange a gaze.

“Baba,” Miho dryly answered, just for Jazz to almost choke on her drink from laughter.

“Yep, definitely,” she agreed and laughed again, thinking back to the events AFTER that lapdance.

“We want to see how seductive you can be,” Miho steered the conversation back to the topic at hand. “I mean, we know that we ARE damned seductive and sexy, we know what we can do after all. And we have – experienced some things first hand.”

Completely unlike her usual self Jazz bush lightly at Miho’s comment. Well, that had been wild times after all.

“Yes, but now we won’t do that anymore, for obvious reasons.” Jazz flashed Kunihiko behind the bar a sweet smile. “All we have at this point are the things others have told us and although we are pretty sure you’re doing a good job, we just want to –“ She laughed suddenly. “Nah, to be honest we just want to make you do something embarrassing for our amusement. Bonding over shared embarrassment.”

Although Rose’s expression stayed serious she nodded. “I see. Well, in that case… who’s first?”

Jazz looked back and forth between H and Rose. “How about flipping a coin? Head, H goes first, tail, Rose begins.” When no one objected Jazz grabbed a coin and tossed it.

“Head. H, any song of choice?”

H got up, smoothed down her blouse and the short skirt and furrowed her brow briefly. “Talk dirty to me.”

“I gladly would,” Baba smoothly offered but Jazz shoot him a dirty look.

“Poison.”

“What? Isn’t that a bit drastic?” Baba asked, looking shocked.

“No, the song. Talk dirty to me by Poison. Good choice. I prefer some slower songs for that kind of dancing, but I’m sure you can make it work,” Jazz cheerfully said and nodded towards H. “Rose, think of a song, I’m just getting the music ready for H.” She got up and skipped over to Kunihiko who actually looked not very pleased.

“What’s wrong?” Jazz asked, mirroring the frown he wore in an exaggerated way.

“Nothing. Are you having fun?” His tone made clear that it wasn’t nothing, but also that he didn’t want to discuss it. Not there and then at least.

“Actually, I have. Are you sure you are okay with this? I swear, they won’t get naked so it should be no problem.”

He scoffed briefly but then sighed. “That’s not a problem, even if they did. I just close the door and it’s basically a private party in here.” He shrugged and Jazz nodded before she smiled teasingly.

“Are you afraid I will get mad when you watch them? Because I won’t, you watch as much as you like. But only looking, not touching, you got that?” She leaned in and kissed him softly but he didn’t respond to the kiss like he usually would. Okay, someone was a bit miffed.

“You sure you’re okay?”

Kunihiko sighed again but smiled wearily. “Yeah, it’s nothing, really. It has just been a hard week.”

“Why haven’t you told me? Instead of opening the bar we could have snuggled on the couch?” She touched his arm gently and smiled at him.

“And miss out on all this fun? No, it’s okay, really.”

Jazz kept looking at him intently but then nodded. “Okay. So, about the music…”

Two minutes later the song played through the bar, Baba was sitting on a chair in a hastily cleared area, Jazz had confiscated Saeki’s phone – “Hey, nothing I haven’t seen yet, at least with H. The other lovely lady though…” – and the rest of the audience was sitting at the bar, watching H start moving to the music. It was a rather upbeat song, but full of energy, and H was like a completely different person. Not that she usually was shy or insecure, but there was a confidence in her stride, grace in her movement that usually wasn’t that obvious. She swayed her hips, bent and twisted her slender body, showing off for the first few moments before she started moving towards Baba who was already eagerly waiting for the real show to begin. H dropped down on her knees and started crawling towards him, prompting Baba and Saeki to let their breath escape in a hiss. Jazz chuckled and Miho nodded appreciatively. Rose studied the moves of her contestant and Yamato as well as Kunihiko didn’t really know where to look.

Meanwhile H had reached Baba’s chair, ran her hands up his legs and rested them on his thighs, pushed her body up, face close to his body, and winked once when she was close to his own face. She whispered something that the others couldn’t hear over the music and Jazz figured that H had just allowed Baba to touch her since H got up and straddled his lap, both her knees balancing on the edges of the chair so she could keep her weight off him and her movements free. But his hands came to rest just above her knees, slowly skimmed over the bare skin up, just stopping shy before vanishing under the hem of her skirt, so whenever H moved the fabric touched Baba’s hands. She didn’t seem bothered by that, on the contrary seemed to make a sport of it to get his hands even further up her legs, deeper under her skirt with a daring grin on her face.

She kept moving her hips, swayed them, rolled them, leaned back with her hands on his knees to present him with a great view of her body until Baba had to swallow visibly, much to the delight of Miho who snickered and Jazz who cheered loudly and whistled. When H straightened up again, her hands resting against his chest and her whole body sinking further down on him, ass finally pressed against his thighs, she cheekily snatched his hat and put it on, earning herself a gasp from him, followed by a groan when she rolled her hips again. His hands were gripping her upper thighs now, already halfway under her skirt when the music faded and the song stopped.

There is a tension in the air, a wordless plea for more until Saeki started clapping and Yamato hissed a low ‘Jeez’. H slid from Baba’s lap and smoothed down her clothes, the skirt had ridden up to reveal more of her slender legs. She took Rose’s seat who now was preparing for her own performance. In a plaid shirt and jeans. Maybe it wasn’t fair that Miho and Jazz hadn’t warned them, prepared them so they could choose a fitting outfit, but hey, this was about fun and it was also about showing what they were capable of under circumstances less than stellar.

Jazz chuckled at the choice of song but “Naughty girl” was very fitting for this challenge and when the lyrics started Rose slowly made her way over to Baba who was now shifting in his chair, obviously already rather agitated by the first performance. But his eyes widened when he saw how Rose started to undo the buttons of her shirt, not taking it off but revealing the black lacy bra she wore underneath, connected with some intricate straps that ran all over her upper body, creating a suggestive pattern on her skin.

Jazz could hear all male attendants suck in a harsh breath and H mutter ‘Holy shit’ under her breath. She looked over to Miho who grinned, her imagination probably running wild by now. Jazz doubted that Rose wore this kind of underwear on a daily basis, maybe she had been on a date or was on her way to one. From Miho she knew that Rose was one of Kyobashi’s – let’s call it ‘girlfriends’ and Jazz remembered her own brief encounter with Kyobashi. He would definitely approve of this choice of underwear.

The song was softer than the one H had picked but Rose let the music carry her, her movements less powerful, but smooth and catlike. Jazz had to admit, both girls were really good.

Rose reached Baba but unlike H she didn’t straddle his lap, instead she turned around and sank onto him, placed his hands on her ribcage, right under her breasts, and pressed her ass against his crotch. And then she moved. Yamato cleared his throat awkwardly and Kunihiko got up and cleared away some glasses, Jazz spotted a tinge of pink on his cheeks. She quickly watched Rose and Baba again, this was what was important right now after all. And amusing.

Rose had changed her position, had turned and now one knee between Baba’s legs on the chair, her upper body leaned towards him. There were fleeting and lingering touches, less hips and more body movements, completely different to the first performance but no less seductive. Hell, even Jazz started squirming in her seat a bit. Baba would have a hard time picking a winner. Or simply a hard time. With emphasize on ‘hard’.

The song ended and somehow everyone was longing for a drink, only Rose seemed rather unfazed when she buttoned up again. Baba needed a moment to catch his breath but he had definitely enjoyed this and Jazz’s mind flashed back to the time she and Miho had taken on this challenge. He hadn’t been able to actually determine a winner back then, not that anyone had complained. They had all won in the end…

“So, Baba, what will it be? Leg or breast?” Miho smirked and handed Rose her glass who took with a small nod.

“You both were really good,” Jazz added and grinned at Baba. “Weren’t they?”

“You never did that for me,” Saeki sulked a bit into H’s direction but she only poked her tongue out at him.

“Can’t decide again, huh?” Jazz teased Baba who finally managed to get up and join the others.

“Could you? I mean, two pretty ladies and they were giving their all, how should I decide?” He seemed crestfallen at the task before him and Jazz gently nudged his shoulder.

“I never said it was an easy job,” she said and Miho raised an eyebrow.

“You still owe us a decision for our little competition back then,” she said sweetly, but there was an edge in her voice that made Jazz laugh. Miho was competitive. Very competitive.

“How about a dance off?” Saeki suddenly suggested. “You all get up on a stage and dance for the title. ‘The boy is mine’ would be a good song. And if that doesn’t help I would offer myself as a judge.” All eyes suddenly were on Saeki, but they all frowned rather than welcoming his idea.

“My girlfriend won’t shake her hips for you, Saeki,” Kunihiko almost growled, making Jazz blink against the buzz in her head created by the alcohol and the hormones. She was only human after all, seeing pretty girls dance like that didn’t leave her unimpressed.

“Well, Baba, how do you decide?” Miho pressed on, demanding an answer. Baba sighed, this would be a long night – and probably not of the good kind.

Back at home Jazz plopped down on the couch, still pleasantly buzzed and giggling when she thought about the way Baba had been unable to decide. Well, no matter which of the girls had won in the end, they all had fun that night and now a memory that bound them together. From her point of view it had been a successful night, but Kunihiko didn’t seem very happy.

“Hey, loverboy, is there anything I can do to turn that frown into a smile?” She smiled up at him, waiting for him to answer.

“Not really, but thanks. I’m just a bit tired.” He made a face to show her it wasn’t serious. Jazz got up from the couch.

“Maybe you are a bit sad because you weren’t part of the fun tonight?” she half inquired, half prompted an explanation.

“Well, at least you seemed to have fun,” he said wryly.

“Ohhh,” Jazz cooed happily, “I know a way for you to have some fun, too.”

She gently pushed him down so he sat on the couch and grabbed the remote to turn on the music. Three clicks later the sounds of “Lady Marmalade” started filling the room and Jazz shot Kunihiko a smoldering glance before she turned around and swayed her hips slowly, seductively. Looking over her shoulder she gauged his reaction but he didn’t meet her gaze, instead he seemed rather uncomfortable. Well, in that case she just had to try harder. Jazz turned around and straddled his lap. Slowly rolling her hips against him she leaned closer and brushed her lip against his, breathing the softest kiss on his mouth.

His hands found her hips and she smiled, finally he seemed to play along. But instead of enjoying what she offered him Kunihiko stilled the movements of her hips and pushed her off him.

“Don’t you like that?” she asked, a bit confused at his obvious annoyance.

“I think you like that too much,” he stated and ran hand through his hair, obviously agitated.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You said you were ‘sitting in his lap once, too’,” Kunihiko pointed out and Jazz frowned.

“Whose? Baba’s?” She needed a moment to follow his train of thought.

“Yes, Baba’s.” Kunihiko almost spat his name out.

“I did and it’s true. But it was exactly what I said: I sat in his lap. I never slept with him!” She got up, not wanting to sit next to him anymore, and paced the floor. “Is this another jealousy thing? Because I have to admit, it’s getting old.”

“Sorry it’s annoying for you, but I’m not very happy when my girlfriend is getting all cozy with other men!”

Wow. She stared at him. This was the first time he really raised his voice. But she was right here and he was not. She had barely touched Baba all night, not even hugged him as a greeting.

“I wasn’t getting ‘cozy’ with him, especially not in your presence,” she hissed and glared at him. “I know him forever, okay? And he has seen some of my worst times AND he was really kind to me back then.”

It was true. When Jazz was broken after finding out about Ai she had done something stupid and it could have ended with a really huge mistake but it didn’t because Baba has actually been a gentleman back then. When she was looking for some ego boost, for someone to tell her that she was indeed a beautiful woman, sexy and desirable, unfortunately completely drunk, he had stopped her and made sure that she could cry on his shoulder and get back home afterwards. It had been a bit awkward the day after, especially since she did have tried to seduce him, but they quickly got over this weird tension and Jazz had accepted that night as a proof of his friendship. Not sleeping with a woman who practically threw herself at him was almost heroic for a guy after all. There had been some kissing and making out, but in the end he had not taken this opportunity. And Jazz was grateful, after all there had been something between Baba and Selina, whatever it was, and Jazz didn’t want to hurt either of them just because she was hurt.

“Then what about this whole lapdance battle?” Kunihiko dragged her thoughts back to the present.

“It was some kind of joke, okay? It’s harmless, just some teasing. And yes, if you really want to know, it’s exactly what it looked like: Miho and I have done the same, ages ago, and yes, with Baba.” But it wasn’t as if Jazz wanted anything from Baba, or as if she had been the one grinding down on him earlier.

“I start to think that Miho isn’t exactly a good influence,” he said and Jazz sucked in a harsh breath.

“You better watch your words before you say something you are going to regret and I’m not going to forgive,” she warned him and turned on her heel to storm into the bathroom, hissing a last sentence over her shoulder.

“And just so you know, you can cool off your fiery temper on the couch tonight.”

MJS Client report rewind: Jazz x Soryu Oh

“Have I ever told you about my first client?” Jazz asked after reading the report H had given her. It was a very good report, detailed with great descriptions.

“No, can’t say you have,” H answered and looked at Jazz expectantly.

“Yeah, well, that isn’t a story I’m proud of to be honest. The first client ever and I lost him, just like that. It wasn’t my fault, of course not, but still… it kinda bugs me, even today.” She made a face to show her annoyance with the whole matter.

“Now I’m intrigued,” H said with a laugh. Of course she was. Jazz smiled and leaned back in her chair.

“Okay, I’ll tell you. So back then when we had first started MJS, most of our clients came after getting recommended by friends or acquaintances…”

Jazz double checked the address again, trying her best not to mess this whole thing up. She was a bit nervous although it wasn’t the sex part that made her uneasy. No, it was the acting. Her client had made clear that he didn’t like chatty women, found them loud and annoying. During their few meetings Jazz had soon realized that he was looking for a quiet, simple woman. A ‘stay at home and make dinner’ kind of woman. Someone who would take care of him after a long day in the company that he led, who would listen to his problems without judging, who would wait for him even if he had to work odd hours.

Someone just the opposite of Jazz who was used to stand on her own two feet, who liked having someone special in her life, liked being in love but wasn’t willing to make that special someone the center of her universe. She wanted someone on par with her, who supported her just as much as she did with them. But of course she didn’t judge, it wasn’t her place to do so. If that was what the client wanted she would find a suitable match for him. But for now Jazz had to act all coy and quiet, a role she didn’t like at all. It was one thing not to flirt with a client; she could do that, although he was really handsome. But it was another thing to act as if she wasn’t strong and independent.

She sighed. All because Baba had to recommend this guy. Unfortunately this client was also not easy to approach, he was a bit cold and intimidating. When she had asked him why he was looking for a wife through a matchmaking agency he had told her that his family would set him up in an arranged marriage if he wouldn’t marry soon. Something about the family business. He hadn’t elaborated that part any further and she hadn’t asked. It was enough for her to know that he indeed wanted to have a say in his partner, so that was a good thing.

Jazz smoothed down her simple, navy blue dress. She had opted for an almost plain look, nothing fancy. Dress, flats, hair in a braid. The girl from next door look without looking cheap.

As soon as she entered his place she smelled food and smiled at him.

“Good evening, Mr. Oh. You are cooking?” she asked, genuinely surprised, and he nodded sheepishly.

“I try.”

She was still amazed how tight lipped he could be, but she didn’t mind. She had most of his profile already done, this now was more about her observing than actually communicating verbally. But a man who could cook? That was a plus.

She waited for him to invite her in fully or do anything, but he only stood there, obviously unsure how to start. Jazz frowned slightly.

“Wait, is that…? Something smells burnt…”

Mr. Oh paled and rushed towards the kitchen and Jazz followed him, just in time to see him dragging a pan off the stove. Black smoke was billowing out if it and Jazz immediately rushed over, threw a pot lid on the pan and took it out of his hand to throw the pan with its charcoaled content into the sink. The hot metal hissed when she turned on the water and soaked the whole pan.

“When you said you tried to cook you really meant it, huh?” Jazz had to hold in her laughter, she didn’t want him to think she was laughing at him, but the way he looked was just too much. As if he really had no idea how this could have happened. Jazz turned the stove off and asked him to open a window.

“So, Mr. Oh,” she said, cringing the unintentional rhyme, “what were you planning to cook?”

“Fish,” he said in a small voice. Well, it did smell like burnt fish, so Jazz trusted him in this.

“Have you ever tried to make fish before?” She was rummaging through his cabinets and was amazed at the emptiness of them. Obviously not a passionate cook, that Mr. Oh.

“No. But I thought a home cooked meal would be something nice for a first date.”

“You are right, it’s a good idea. Ah.” With a wide grin she pulled some soda powder out of a cabinet. “But I think we should rescue your pan first and then we decided what to do about dinner, okay?” She scraped the remaining, black and crispy fish out of the pan and poured some water into it, added some soda and placed the pan back on the stove.

“Okay, that should work.” She turned around and smiled at her client who watched her carefully. “I like what you did with your hair, by the way. Makes you look much easier to approach.” She motioned towards his bangs that now fell into his face instead of being slacked back like on their earlier meetings.

“Thank you,” he mumbled and looked to the side, faintly blushing. So far Jazz had seen him as cold, controlled, almost intimidating. But now there was something about him, something different that put her at ease a bit. This evening could work out just fine.

“So, now that we have taken care of your pan, let’s see if we can improvise some dinner. What do you have in your fridge?” She was still smiling but her smile dropped when she opened the fridge. Almost as empty as the rest of the kitchen.

“I have rice,” he said, almost apologetically. “It’s already in the cooker.” Jazz quickly checked the rice, it still had time. Obviously he was at least able to follow the instructions for a rice cooker.

“So, you have rice and some eggs… are they fresh?”

He stared at her blankly so she sighed and grabbed a bowl, filled it with water and put an egg into it. It sank.

“Okay, so they are fresh. Rice and eggs – omelets?”

“What are you doing?” he asked suspiciously.

“A home cooked meal. Nothing fancy, but I guess that’s all I can whip up with the things you’re having at home. Or do you want to go grocery shopping first, Mr. Oh?” She waited for his answer, the still dripping egg in her hand.

“Oh, uhm, no, that’s fine. Omelets. Okay.” He scratched the back of his neck and Jazz smiled at the unexpectedly cute gesture. “And it’s Soryu.”

“Okay, Soryu. Would you like to help me?”

He nodded shyly and Jazz handed him the bowl, now without the water.

“Can you crack the eggs open without getting the shell into the bowl?” she asked, not sure how to estimate his cooking skills just yet.

“I can try,” he answered and every alarm bell in her head started ringing.

“Well, maybe I should do that myself. How about you get another pan and some oil?” She started opening the eggs with practiced ease and scrambled them with a fork, not even bothering getting a whisk. Salt, pepper, a dash of milk.

“I’m not really used to Japanese cooking yet, so I hope you are okay when it turns out more European than anything else,” she casually said and looked up just to find him staring at her.

“Put the pan on the stove, but only mild heat. Then pour a dash of oil into the pan. It has to heat up first,” she instructed and he did as he was told. At least he wanted to learn, that was something Jazz could respect.

When the pan was hot enough Jazz poured the eggs into it and turned down the heat further.

“The secret is to just let it rest. Don’t stir, don’t shake the pan. Just wait until the edges curl up a bit, that’s the sign it’s done.” She inspected the rice cooker and turned it off, scooped some of the rice out and tried it.

“Do you have salad? Or veggies? Or did you plan a meal of rice and fish only?” She looked around in the kitchen and he shrugged.

“I had thought some salad would be okay.”

“Great, let’s prepare that next.”

Soryu handed her the lettuce and Jazz quickly washed it and shook it dry over the sink.

“Can you cut this?” she asked, not sure if she should trust him with the kitchen knife.

“I can,” he confidentially answered. She watched him and when she was sure that he wouldn’t cut off his fingertips she turned back towards the pan.

“See? It’s almost done. The surface isn’t liquid anymore, and it looks nice and fluffy. But we have to get it out before it gets too dry.”

Soryu handed her a spatula but Jazz only clicked her tongue.

“Not like this. Give me a plate, please.” She took the plate and set it down on the counter before she took the pan, shook it gently so the omelet slid towards the rim of the pan before she let it glide on the plate. She quickly prepared a second omelet, filled the first one with the rice and flipped one half of it over the rice.

“Do you want ketchup?” she asked before she added: “Do you HAVE ketchup?” He nodded and Jazz took the bottle he handed her before she decorated the omelet with a heart of tomato sauce.

“Here you are. You can already set the table and take the salad out, I quickly whip up some dressing and finish the other omelet.”

Jazz practically ushered him out of his own kitchen but was done five minutes later.

Once they were sitting at the table, a glass of wine in front of them, Soryu looked at her.

“I didn’t expect you to know how to cook.”

“A girl has to eat,” she said with a shrug. “Just because I’m a working woman doesn’t mean I can’t do domestic. I can, I just don’t see it as my purpose in life. People aren’t all black and white, after all. I can be everything I want and I’m definitely more than what meets the eye.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to offend you,” he quietly said but Jazz shook her head.

“You haven’t. I just wanted to say that people can surprise you every now and then. And sometimes it’s a pleasant surprise.” She smiled at him before she took a first bite of her omelet. It was okay. Nothing fancy, but okay.

Soryu seemed to think differently. He smiled at the first bite, and at the second one. Jazz was surprised, she had expected him to be used to fancy cuisine, not that something simple like omelets made him happy like this. But he also was a man full of surprises.

After their meal Jazz looked around his living room, drawn towards his book shelf.

“You like books?” He was standing behind her, their wine glasses refilled in his hands. Jazz turned around and took her glass, smiled gratefully and nodded.

“I love books. Half of my apartment is full with books. Fantasy, fiction, science. I love reading, it’s a nice way to relax after a hard day.”

“Yes, I feel the same.” They shared a smile and Jazz raised an eyebrow.

“So, you have a lot of detective’s novels. I have some friends that are cops, they say some of those stories are really good.” She took a sip of her wine.

“Oh, you are friends with cops? I’m also acquainted with a detective, but I guess he’s the anti thesis to the detectives in these books.”

Jazz chuckled, thinking about Kyobashi who wasn’t the image of a proper cop either. The conversation ran dry and she wasn’t sure how straight forward she should be with him. Was it okay for her to initiate the first kiss? Or would he want to do that? He wasn’t into aggressive women but as shy as he appeared sometimes it could take ages before he made a move.

“How about we take a seat?” she asked and motioned towards the couch. Soryu nodded and followed her.

“This evening isn’t going as I have expected,” he suddenly confessed and she raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“Is that so? What had you expected?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought it would be so – nice.” He shrugged.

“You thought I would waltz in here and push you down on your bed?” she teasingly asked.

“Something like that, yes.” The faint blush was back.

“And would you like me to do that?” She already knew the answer to that but asked anyway.

“Not really. But somehow I find it difficult to get from the dinner table or the couch to – well, to the bedroom.” He was blushing deeper and Jazz found herself liking him even more.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want. You know this is part of my evaluation process, my profiling. That doesn’t mean it has to be like some business transaction. We can start with easy things. Like kissing.”

Jazz turned a bit to face him, lips slightly parted and curled up a bit into a faint smile. He still hesitated so she took his hand and pressed his palm against her lips before she put it against her cheek. She was a bit surprised when she felt his thumb gently brushing her lips before he leaned in and kissed her softly, just testing at first.

Soon he cupped her face with both hands while she was sitting in his lap, exchanging kiss after kiss after kiss. Playful kisses, hot and dirty kisses, sweet and light kisses – the whole range. Jazz was grinding down on him, and although she enjoyed the kissing she was wondering if that would be all they would do. But then his hands slid down and cupped her ass, pressed her closer against him and Jazz smiled into the kiss.

“You… we don’t… have to…” he panted but Jazz cut him off with another kiss.

“I want to,” she whispered back and it was true. She was more than willing to sleep with him, not as part of her job – she didn’t even see it that way – but because he was surprisingly sweet and a great kisser. She had already slept with guys that had to offer less than this.

Still panting she rested her forehead against his, trying to catch her breath, staring into his eyes as good as possible in this position. “I wouldn’t do anything I don’t want to.”

He exhaled deeply, struggling with a decision. She wouldn’t make him, her own pride prevented her from pointing out the contract they had. She wanted him to want her. That simple. He didn’t have to fall in love with her – god forbid! – but she was confident about her looks and her body and wanted him to lust after her at least. Some ego boost.

“But… not here.” He gently pushed her off a bit and Jazz scrambled off his lap, waiting for him to take the lead. He took her hand instead. It was funny, kissing, making out, having sex – all that was totally fine for her. But when he took her hand… well, she tried not to let those sweet gestures affect her too much.

Once in the bedroom he kissed her again and started tugging at the hem of her dress until she raised her arms and let him pull it off her. She wore simple underwear, a matching bra and panties, but no lace, not satin, simple black cotton. But the way his eyes lit up told her that she had picked the right style.

“I’m glad you’re not wearing your suit,” she said and slid her hands under his dark sweater. No t-shirt underneath. And he felt all firm and toned under her fingertips. Soryu took the cue and the sweater off, letting it drop on the floor without a care.

“You said you wanted to get to know the private me,” he explained and pulled her closer again. She snuggled into his broad chest, sighing slightly at the warmth of his skin.

“I did. And I like what I see,” she cheekily said, making him blush slightly. “Working for a security company demands you to stay in shape, huh?” She could feel him tense under her touch and assumed he was being shy again.

When her hands lightly rested on the waistband of his pants, her eyes fixed on his face to gauge his reaction, he exhaled deeply.

“May I?” It was only a whisper, more for her to gather the courage than actually get permission, but he nodded and she opened his pants, slid her fingertips under the waistband and brushed against the sensitive skin of his lower stomach, making him gasp.

Slow. Jazz took it slow. There was no mad rush, no passion driven yanking the clothes off each other. It was slow and sweet, the lust and hunger steadily increasing. Once they were naked, standing bare in front of each other, touching and kissing wherever they could reach, his hesitation seemed to have vanished. He walked her backwards towards the bed until her legs hit the cool wood, pushed her down into a sitting position and motioned for her to scoot further onto the bed while he quickly opened a drawer and got a condom.

Jazz waited for him, lying on her side in the middle of the bed. His gaze roamed her body, from the toes up to her face, and he smiled.

“You are-“

She shook her head. “I know. Don’t say anything, please.” Jazz didn’t want him to create any more intimacy between them, it already felt a bit awkward. He nodded, getting what she meant. Instead he simply got on the bed and into her waiting arms.

They kissed some more, hands roaming each other’s bodies. When she cupped his balls he hissed and Jazz watched him intently while letting her fingers wander upwards to curl around his cock, slowly stroking him although he was already rock hard. She just wanted to feel him in her hand, hot and heavy, slightly twitching.

“Shouldn’t I… take care of you… first?” He had his eyes closed, lips parted and Jazz chuckled.

“The night is still young. Don’t worry, you will get your chance.”

Although Selina, Miho and Jazz had agreed that they would only make their report based on one sexual encounter, only one round, there was no rule against having more than one time sex with a client after all. As long as it happened all in one night. No repeat visits allowed. So Jazz was sure that she would get to enjoy this, no matter how.

“No,” he growled and rolled her on her back, making her squeak lightly. She laughed but stopped the moment he covered her body with his, his cock pressed against her thigh, mouth firmly on hers. She simply wrapped her arms around his neck and let him go on, after all she was there to find out how he was in bed. She knew that she was good after all.

His lips traveled down her body, from her mouth to her jaw line, down her neck, kissing and licking until he reached her breasts. He sucked a nipple into his mouth while brushing the other with his fingertips into stiffness, making her squirm under him. Once he had made his way between her thighs he hesitated and Jazz wondered just how much experience he had. He had said that he had sex before and he had filled in the form with the sex related questions, but still. The way he treated her didn’t speak of a very experienced lover. Although there was nothing wrong with that.

She relaxed and just waited, almost missed the first, feather light touch of his tongue on her sex. The next lick was already firmer and soon he was flicking her clit, licking her folds and nibbling at the insides of her thighs. When she came on his tongue, toes curled and fingers digging into the sheets, he gave her a moment to come down again and rolled the condom over his cock.

Back on top of her he kissed her slowly, sweetly, and Jazz sighed, completely contented. Until she felt his cock slowly pushing into her. She was still sensitive from her orgasm and instantly clenched around him, making him stop and groan lowly. A deep breath later he moved again, in and out, deeper with every new thrust. He kissed her, only pulled back when he needed air and Jazz leaned up a bit, her face close to his, sharing a breath, sharing a kiss.

Soryu had started slow and seemed determined to keep it that way. He wasn’t slamming into her, hard and fast as she liked it, but sweet and gentle, rocking their bodies with deep thrusts but stayed close as much as possible. Sweat pooled where their bodies touched, the heat and pressure inside of her kept building again.

Soryu changed his pattern, from long and deep thrusts he went to a deep and dirty grind, barely pulling out but continuously hitting against a sweet spot he had found earlier. Especially when he slid a hand under her ass so that she tilted her hips a bit. Jazz gasped and moaned, unable to form coherent words, just wanting to savor this feeling.

“Can you… come again…?” He was already so close, she could feel the tension in his body. Could she come again? Probably not.

“N-no… it’s… okay… just… come for… me…”

With his lips almost devouring hers he increased his pace, slammed into her harder now, faster, until he tensed, his thrusts faltered and he panted against her lips, his hand under her ass grabbing her hard.

Soryu slumped down on her a bit, still careful not to crush her, and kissed her softly. After he had pulled out and cleaned up a bit he lay down on his back and Jazz snuggled close to his side. Her hand lazily drew random patterns on his skin, just lying there and enjoying the slightly sore but thoroughly satisfied afterglow.

“Do you want to leave?” he asked and Jazz sighed. They had to talk about that sooner or later. Obviously it was sooner.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked back. “I can go or I can stay a bit. Whatever you want. I’m fine either way.” It was a lie, she’d rather stay a bit but would do what he preferred. He was the client after all.

“I have hoped you would stay a bit,” he quietly said.

“Then I’m staying.” She smiled into the dark room. There was nothing wrong about staying, she wasn’t falling for him. Just enjoying this night so far.

“You don’t happen to have some ice cream or something?” The hope in her voice made him smile this time.

“Actually I do. Feel free to raid my freezer.”

Jazz chuckled and slowly got up.

“Do you have a robe I could borrow? Or something like that?” She was comfortable being naked but it was getting chilly.

“You can take my shirt if you want to,” he offered, turned on the bedside lamp and pointed towards a chair where his dress jacket and shirt hung. Jazz padded over to the chair and picked up his jacket to get to his shirt that was underneath. She froze. Blinked once. Slowly let his jacket sink back on the chair.

“I just remembered I need to get back… early appointment tomorrow,” she stammered and started picking up her clothes. She quickly put in her bra and threw over her dress, still looking for her panties. Whatever, forget the panties!

“Is everything alright?” he asked, a bit puzzled. “Did I do anything wrong?”

Jazz flashed him a tense smile. “N-no, nothing, just – I really have to go. No need to see me to the door.” She practically fled the room when he got up, grabbing her purse and her shoes on the way out.

Soryu hurried over to the chair to see what had changed her mind and behavior like that. Shit. There it was, his gun and holster. He had completely forgotten that it was still with his jacket! Shit!

“Jazz! Wait!” Stark naked he chased after her, only catching her at the door. It was locked of course, for safety reasons.

She stared at him with wide eyes, still trying to control her panic. She had to think. Focus!

“Jazz! I can explain-“ he started but she shook her head.

“Are you a cop?” she asked, voice slightly shaking.

He shook his head.

“Do you even have a license to carry that thing?”

Another shake of his head.

“Will – will you kill me now?” Her voice was tiny, her heart raced for a completely different reason than just half an hour ago.

“Of course not! I would never – listen, this is…”

“Do you need that thing for work? Security and stuff?” Her mind was racing, trying to come up with a logical reason.

“I – need it for my job, yes.” He seemed harder now, scarier. Sadder.

“You lied to me,” she stated, still shaking and hoping to get out of there as fast as possible.

“I did,” he admitted calmly.

“Under – under these circumstances I have to revoke our contract…”

He nodded once. “I understand.”

Slowly he reached out towards her and Jazz closed her eyes tightly until she heard the lock being opened.

“I – the confidentiality agreement is still valid,” she timidly said and he nodded again.

“Of course.”

As soon as the door was open she ran outside, bare footed, her shoes and purse tightly pressed against her chest.

The next day she had calmed down a bit. She wasn’t scared anymore. She was angry. So when she ran into Baba the next time she took her anger out on him – she couldn’t possibly do that with Soryu.

“Hey, pretty-“ he started but Jazz cut him off.

“Are you completely nuts?! How can you send me a client like that?!” She was furious, jabbed her index finger into his chest and drove him backwards against a wall.

“What do you mean?” Baba played the clueless guy. Perfect.

“I mean that gun-wielding criminal you sent to MJS! Do you really think I could match him up with some nice, normal woman?! I have some responsibility towards my female clients after all!”

“Hey, hey, calm down a bit. What did he tell you?” Baba was serious now but Jazz only snorted once.

“Nothing. I found his gun. Baba, this is not America. It’s not common to have a gun. And he has admitted that it’s not a legal one. So you better think of a way to make it up to me because I’m really pissed at you,” she hissed.

“So you won’t find him a nice wife?”

“Are you stupid? No!” She glared at him, ready to rip him a new one.

“That’s a shame. He’s a decent guy for a mobster,” Baba casually said. Jazz paled.

“M-mobster? I thought he was just some criminal…” she stammered. “You set me up with a fucking mobster?!”

“Oh. Oops.” He shrugged and Jazz just lost it. She yanked Baba down at his tie.

“You. Owe. Me. Big time.” She pressed the words out between gritted teeth and Baba suddenly realized that she wasn’t joking. At all.

She pushed him back against the wall and stepped back. Her head spun. Soryu had been so sweet after she had gotten a glimpse behind the cold façade. Fuck, she had really liked him! For a moment Jazz considered kicking Baba in the balls, just to feel better, but she didn’t. It was better if he owed her a favor. A huge one.

She turned around and stomped away, in the mood to shatter some cups and dishes.

“And that was the moment we decided to get a police report of every client.”

She grinned at H, having left out some of the more intimate and especially scary facts.

“Wow… the first client messed up like that and you still didn’t throw in the towel? Respect,” H said with a slow nod.

Jazz sighed. “Well, to his defense, he was really good…” She shook her head slightly.

“Anyway, here’s the profile of your next client. A cop. Tennoji. I know his coworker and he says it’s a decent guy. Call me if you have questions, okay?” She slid a folder over the desk and smiled at H.

In the end everything had worked out for her after all. Baba was test driving female clients without pay, Soryu had sent a check with a dizzying sum of money written on it – something Jazz knew was meant as apology as well as redemption, but she couldn’t help feeling betrayed and humiliated by it. Her next client had been perfectly nice and pleasant, not a criminal or mobster, and she had soon forgotten about Soryu. Although Miho and Selina still teased her for losing her first client ever.

But sometimes, when she was alone at home, reading a book, she remembered him. His gentle touch, the rare, kind smile. The sadness in his eyes when she told him she wanted to revoke the contract. He had been lonely deep inside and Jazz had seen it. It was a shame that no one would see him for who he was, not what his job was. But Jazz did. And she would remember him.

MJS Job interview: Jazz x H

Jazz really came to like Long Island. She could never set a foot inside without thinking about Kunihiko hoisting her up and pressing her against the wall, kissing and touching, but that was only another perk of this place. But it was also homey, had a relaxed atmosphere and friendly regulars. A couple of days after coming back to Japan Jazz had already met most of Kunihiko’s friends.

Tonight the bar was almost empty, though. Jazz sipped from a delicious cocktail Kuni had made for her and chatted with Takao and Yamato.

“I’m not staying long today,” the teacher just said. “We’re going on a trip with the students tomorrow. I have to be well rested and sharp to prevent them from doing stupid stuff.”

Jazz chuckled. “Being a teacher is hard, huh?”

Yamato rolled his eyes. “You have no idea.”

It was at that point that the infamous womanizer and script writer, Saeki, entered the bar. But, what drew his attention this time wasn’t exactly his aura, but the woman he brought in with him.

“So, this is the bar I was telling you about.”

“Ah, you’re right, very quiet and cozy,” the woman smiled.

“Is Saeki really bringing a date here?” Yamato whispered and Jazz turned around a bit to examine the couple that had just entered.

“That’s new,” Takao confirmed.

“Why not?” Kunihiko asked in a hushed whisper. “This is a nice bar after all. Perfect for dates.” The way he looked at Jazz would have made her blush if she still had an ounce of modesty left. But she didn’t so she simply smiled at him and winked.

“You are right. Perfect place for dates.” She turned even further on her bar stool. “Saeki, nice to see you again. And with company.” She hopped off the stool and nodded towards the other woman.

“Hi, I’m Jazz.”

“Always a pleasure, Jazz,” he winked, even if Kuni gave him a little glare.

“Nice to meet you. H.”

Saeki smiled as the girls introduced themselves.

“H is the woman who’s been helping me with my script ideas,” Saeki explained. “Plot holes can sometimes only be seen by others.”

“Yeah, and you suck at seeing them,” H laughed.

“Oh, so you are working together,” Yamato stated, almost a bit disappointed.

“Well, I’m glad that Saeki brings another girl here. It’s a bit lonely with all you guys around.” Jazz smiled at H and took a seat. Not that she was complaining, bantering and chatting with the guys was fun after all. And for girl talk she still had Miho and Selina. But it was indeed nice to see another girl in the bar.

“H, I hope Saeki is nice to you. If not just tell us, we give him a stern scolding then,” she teased.

“He can be a bit – inappropriate sometimes,” Takao admitted and Kuni snorted in laughter.

“Ah, don’t I know it! Don’t worry, been at the brunt of it for a little while now, I’m used it,” H grinned.

“I’m nice! I’m being nice to her, did date for a while after all,” he explained, but when he was met with a lot of confused and surprised looks he continued: “Yeah, we dated but decided it wasn’t going to work, right?” he asked H, who happily nodded in response.

“Yep, as per usual, I lost interest in dating, nothing wrong with him of course!” she defended him and added: “Sex was good.”

Takao blushed and almost chocked on his beer while Yamato cleared his throat. Jazz chuckled, this candor something she was used to, but in Japan it was still rare.

“You guys dated?” Kunihiko slid a glass of wine over the bar towards Saeki and gave H a questioning look.

“Dating? Doesn’t sound like Saeki at all,” Yamato chimed in.

“What’s wrong, Kougami-sensei? Jealous?” Jazz asked. “I mean, how is it possible that no one of you has a girlfriend? And now Saeki says he’s at least dating and you aren’t even happy for him? Shame on you.” She clicked her tongue and took another sip of her cocktail.

“See what I have to put up with? All the guys here are acting like high schoolers.”

“Hey!” Kunihiko feigned indignation just for Jazz to blow him a kiss.

Saeki thanked Kuni for the wine and took a sip, smirking at the reactions.

“Dated, mind you. We were not together or anything, both agreed to it.” Saeki explained.

H couldn’t help but laugh at the reaction, realizing she was in Japan so it was more conservative.

“Ah my bad, sorry, I keep forgetting how different Japan is. I mean, to me sex is sex, but I guess you guys don’t see it that way,” she said, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Don’t worry about it, honestly, as long as you enjoyed yourself,” Saeki said.

“Oh I did, don’t you worry, good sex is good after all.”

Saeki spat his drink out a little.

“Ok then,” he chuckled.

Jazz laughed. It was a happy, genuine laughter, something that bubbled out of her without the chance to hold it back.

“I like this girl,” she stated and handed H a menu. “Get what you like, drink’s on me.”

“You mean you will actually pay for your drink this time?” Yamato teased her.

“Nope. Gonna pay in kind. I have a good connection to the barkeeper after all.” She winked at Kunihiko who chuckled lowly and shook his head, slightly embarrassed but mostly amused.

Takao blushed even more. “Can you please not do this all the time?”

“What?” Jazz asked and looked at the lawyer.

“He’s talking about your shameless flirting. One of these days you will openly make out here, right in the bar.” Yamato furrowed his brow and glared at her.

Jazz snickered. If only he knew how close he was to the truth. “Okay, okay, I try to keep it down. But it’s not my fault that my boyfriend is such a hottie. You can’t blame a girl for enjoying the honeymoon stage of a relationship.” She turned back towards H and waited for her to decide on a drink.

“Wow thanks, but I don’t mind paying. Or Saeki can, he lost a bet on erm… our last time together,” H chuckled and happily asked for a rum and coke, Saeki spitting his drink again.

“Fine, I guess I do still owe you,” he sighed.

“So you guys are together? Oh that’s so awesome, you’re really cute together, honestly!” H said with genuine happiness for them. “Don’t hold back on my account, or theirs. If you guys are happy you should show it,” H said, thanking Kuni for the drink.

“Now I would love to hear about that bet but I guess the prudes over there won’t even let me ask,” Jazz said, looking back and forth between Saeki and H. “By the way, have you guys introduced yourselves already?”

Jazz clicked her tongue again. “So, the tall one is Takao, he’s a lawyer.” In a whisper/yell she added: “A sweetheart and gentleman. Just in case you’re interested.” She winked at Takao who blushed again.

“Kuni, I think your woman had enough to drink already.” Yamato glared disapprovingly.

“The redhead over there is Yamato. He’s a spoilsport obviously. And a teacher. Which is basically the same.” Again Jazz leaned closer to H. “But he can cook.”

She pointed at Kunihiko. “That’s the owner of this bar, Kunihiko. But as you already know he’s taken.”

“Yamato is right, maybe she really had enough,” Takao muttered, but Jazz ignored him.

“Pleasure to meet you all. I’m sure Takao is a lovely guy but I’m not interested in any relationships right now,” H smiled apologetically towards the lawyer. “No offence at all!”

“She’s only looking for sex,” Saeki said so H whacked his head, making him spill his drink.

“Oh look at that, such a shame…” she cooed but grinned.

“Anyway H!” Saeki changed the subject. “Found any jobs yet?”

“Nah, interview sucked yesterday so I declined the offer, the whole office seemed… clinical,” she explained, sipping her drink.

“So, you are looking for a job? That’s not that easy here, especially for Europeans. What kind of job?” Jazz couldn’t help but being curious.

“Anything really, as long as it’s a nice environment and nice people to work with, I’m not too bothered. I’ve done admin, retail and customer service roles so I’m up for anything,” she explained, casually giving Saeki a napkin as she talked since he was still cleaning himself up.

And she genuinely didn’t mind what she had, she wanted to try something new and since writing was out of the question here due to translation and her not really knowing the industry, she was more than happy to try something she’d never done before. Or maybe even something she had done before. End of the day, a job was a job.

Jazz hesitated. She couldn’t just ask H, could she? But she could talk a bit more to her and try to find out if she would really do ANYTHING. Ever since coming back to Japan she was thinking about her problem. She didn’t want to leave MJS but if she couldn’t provide the full service she couldn’t make client profiles. And without profiles no matchmaking. And without matchmaking no job.

Miho was engaged and Selina – well, Selina never tried the test driving anyway. She rather stayed in the office. For now they still had enough clients with finished profiles, but there were appointments for new clients and some older ones who still had to get tested.

Jazz needed a substitute. And Japanese women weren’t exactly the most sexually adventurous.

“H, how about we ditch the guys and have a nice girl talk? I’d love to know more about you. What part of Europe do you come from? How long are you here already?” She leaned closer and gave her a conspirative wink. “And how is Saeki between the sheets?”

“Hey!” Kuni and Saeki almost simultaneously cried out.

“You can keep talking about baseball, gentlemen. We are talking about other things.” She hopped from her stool and grabbed her drink, motioned towards a table in the back invitingly and waited for H to follow her.

Intrigued, H decided to follow Jazz, answering her questions as she went. She did laugh at Saeki’s reaction, always self conscious, he always asked how he was afterwards. Maybe should could tell Jazz that for a laugh.

“Britain, I’m come from Britain, been here for about a month now, or just under. Only a few weeks. As for Saeki…” she smirked and winked as she took a seat away from the guys. “He knows his way around a woman.”

“A few weeks? But you have a place to stay, right?” Jazz remembered her first weeks in Japan. Her company had taken care of housing and everything, she only had to board a plane. Still, it was a completely different country after all.

“Oh yeah, I have a place, used some of my savings to get a little flat, so I’m all good,” H smiled. Jazz seemed nice and genuine, well from what she has heard about Kuni from Saeki, she already believed he would pick someone good as his girlfriend.

“Britain sure is another world in comparison. I’ve been there a couple of times. I feel like unexpectedly running into a neighbor while being out of town,” Jazz laughed. Although she had been in Japan for a while now it was always nice meeting someone from Europe.

“So, you are not into relationships? Did I get that right? Sorry, I don’t want to pry, it’s just unusual.”

“Ah, no I’m not. I’ve come to the realization I can’t seem to get past the third date without losing interest, so I’ve decided not to date anymore. It’s easier that way, less arguments and drama from the men,” she explained.

Third date? Now that piqued Jazz’s interest. She bit her bottom lip and cursed the cocktail inwardly. Should she just ask?

“That is really unusual. But I can totally understand that. Actually before I met Kuni I was rather – flighty. It didn’t help that I am working in a marriage matchmaking agency. All the nice men you meet there – they can be a bit distracting.”

Jazz was simply putting this out there, waiting how H would react.

“Yeah, not sure why but never seem to keep interest, it’s annoying but what can you do?” H shrugged. “But wow, matchmaking, how does that work with Kuni? If you don’t mind asking, I mean, seeing eligible men day in and out, he must get jealous. But hey each to their own, think it’s cool you work in a place like that,” she sipped her drink happily.

Taking a sip from her own drink Jazz still observed H over the rim of her glass.

“Just between you and me? I met him there. He was – a client and when I noticed that I actually like him I asked my coworker to take over his case.”

She sighed and put her glass down. “But you know how it is, the heart wants what it wants. So here we are now. He’s actually fine with me doing the job, although there are some aspects he doesn’t really like. But we worked that out.” She glanced over to the counter and smiled.

“Loves never planned, always pops up when you least expect it,” H chuckled.

“I’m changing jobs now anyway. We are broadening our services and start offering planned weddings. I have been an event planner before, so that’s really close to my original job.” Jazz looked back at H.

“And that brings me back to you. I need someone to take over parts of my work. My coworkers and I have split up the responsibilities but when I start working as a wedding planner it will get tough. You seem like an open, dedicated woman. I can imagine you would fit right in with us. So, would you like to visit us some day? Get to know the others? Get to know more about the job? I can’t promise you anything yet, but if everything goes well…” She shrugged and smiled again.

H almost dropped her glass at the sudden job opportunity.

“Huh? I mean, yeah, I’ll come for a look around but…I mean….what does the job entail? I’ve not exactly worked in the matchmaking business before… I’m up for it but yeah, I need to know a bit more about what I’m meant to do.”

“Of course,” Jazz agreed and nodded. “But I hope you understand that we are working in field that requires confidentiality and discretion. Nothing I would want to discuss in a bar. But it’s not that complicated and I guess you would find it more than enjoyable. I surely did. Oh, and I guess you would have to sign a confidentiality agreement. We are having some very high class clients and we have to ensure the safety of their personal information.”

She took her purse and handed H a business card.

“Call me when you have time. We can make a spontaneous appointment, don’t worry. But the pay is good, it’s all completely legal and not shady at all. We are legit, not some rip-off. You can ask our lawyer, he’s standing over there.” Jazz pointed towards the bar. “Oh, or at least he had been standing there. Looks as if Takao has left already. Anyway, the pay is good and the other two members of the team are wonderful women. You would love it there.”

H looked at the business card, glancing at the place Takao used to stand, then back to the card. She knew it wasn’t shady, having a lawyer involved and Kunihiko even being involved too in some way, she kind of trusted what Jazz was saying. Even if H was a little reserved as to what was going on at that moment in time. To be suddenly offered something out of the blue was always a shock, but, hey, she wasn’t going to let this slide. She was willing to see what the job was at least.

“Sure, I’ll come check it out. And I can do confidential, I’ve done that before so I understand, especially if you have high class clients so not a problem. Thanks.”

______________________

Two days later Jazz opened the door of the office to invite H in.

“Great that you could make it. Take a seat. Can I offer you something? Water? Coffee? Tea?”

She had told Miho and Selina about H and even if the others were a bit reluctant they agreed that Jazz could at least have another talk with H about a possible job in MJS. And it wasn’t as if they could just place an advertisement somewhere.

“I’m ok actually, I had something on the way over, thanks for having me,” H said, perching herself on the chair Jazz had offered.

“Nice office, and I mean in general too, the buildings a nice building…sorry I’m rambling,” she chuckled. “So tell me more about the job.”

Jazz smiled. There was nothing wrong with the nervousness H was showing, after all she had no real idea yet of what Jazz was offering.

“Sure. So, actually we need someone who helps us with some – let’s call it background check. The actual matchmaking process is something that my coworker will do, so don’t worry about that. But to be able to find the perfect match we need a lot of personal information about our clients. We want to provide impeccable service after all.”

She slid a sheet of paper over her desk towards H. A confidentiality agreement.

“If you are interested so far I would like you to sign this so I can tell you a bit more about the job.”

“So, in essence I’d be finding out about the client, like what they like and dislike and so on? I’m guessing because of this agreement, the personal information can get quite… in depth?” H asked as she looked over the agreement.

Of course, everything was in check and completely legal. H had seen scamming documents before in one of her old jobs, never again, so her trust in this company increased slightly and she signed.

“I’m interested.”

“Great.” Jazz grinned and took the paper back before she took a deep breath.

“So… we would like you to go on some dates, to see how our male clients behave in that situation. There is no judging involved, just observation. You have to be able to give us an objective report afterwards. And… it’s not only a date. Actually it involves having sex, too. If you are not comfortable with that it’s okay, no hard feelings. But after our first meeting I had the impression you would enjoy sex and this way it would always be the first date – never the third. There are some rules of course and you can make clear what you are willing to do and what not. Everything is completely consensual. And I know how it sounds but this is not prostitution. It’s more…” Jazz sighed and leaned forwards, resting her hands on her desk.

“Have you ever had a really bad date? And wished someone had told you before that the guy sucked? Or really bad sex? We want to make sure that our clients don’t have to experience that. And we are very thorough.”

H couldn’t help but laugh a little. That was it? She had been nervous about absolutely nothing! She smiled at Jazz.

“Oh yeah I believe that. It kind of annoys me when people say: ‘no sex before marriage’. I mean, how do you know if you guys are compatible in bed? As long as it’s consensual and I can have ground rules and such… and of course the guy knows it means nothing, I’m completely fine with it,” she explained, visibly relaxing.

Jazz smiled widely, obviously relieved. That could have gone into the completely different direction and she was glad that H didn’t feel offended.

“Oh good. You can just make a list of things that are okay for you and some absolute dealbreakers. The most important thing for us is that you give a really objective report. Pay attention to the details, what he likes and what not, how he reacts in certain situations. You get to read their self-assessment so you already get an idea in what direction things might go. We need you to rate that self-assessment afterwards, to tell us how much of it is real and where he’s just off.”

Feeling better not that the most important thing was taken care of Jazz leaned back in her chair.

“Every single one of our clients gets checked by a physician. The medical report is part of the info we are giving you before you start. On the other hand we also need a medical report of you. Condoms are mandatory and not negotiable, but I think I don’t have to tell you. Clients are bound by a confidentiality agreement as well and you probably won’t even see them again afterwards, except for maybe coincidental run ins here in the office.” Jazz had considered some kind of trial run but since time was getting short she would rather grill Saeki for details about H in bed.

“To be honest, I never do it without a condom. I’m on the pill but even then I’d still say condom. But thank you for giving me that run down, I’m totally up for going ahead,” she grinned, feeling a lot more relaxed.

“I’m sure if there’s anything you need to know you’ll ask and I’m guessing we can work out contract and stuff soon. Thanks for the opportunity, I look forward to working with you, Jazz!”

Jazz smiled and offered H her hand. A typical European way of sealing a deal.

“I would like to introduce Miho and Selina to you so you all know each other. If they have no objections I would say you simply try it out. Afterwards you can still decided if it’s okay for you or not.”

She got up from her chair and motioned for H to follow her. Jazz had the feeling this would become a really great cooperation.

	BelXSar on The scent of smoke – par…
	BelXSar on The scent of smoke – Par…
	Jazz Mann on The Scent of Smoke – Par…
	BelXSar on The Scent of Smoke – Par…
	Jazz Mann on The scent of smoke – Par…