Tag: MJS interns

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 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.