Chapter 2
IfGenevieveLiuknew one thing about her fellow gay women, it was that they always gave themselves away. Always.
Some took more work than others. Some were so deeply in the closet that it required a degree in social engineering to discover if they had any love for the female form. The kind of love that can get us both in trouble. Except she always found out. Sometimes, in record time.
In the case of Ms. Aya Sugiya, it took Genevieve about ten minutes, and she was not trying that hard.
How curious. Genevieve had no idea who to expect when she arrived at the bar in the broad daylight, her bodyguard lurking in the shadows and ready to whisk her away to her hotel at any moment. While women with short hair were a dime a dozen throughout the world, she had a feeling the moment she first saw Aya. The off-white pantsuit was a nice touch, but it was that sharp haircut and that soft yet deep voice that pricked Genevieve’s finely tuned gaydar.
Well, that and the fact they were in a gay bar. Closed or not, the whole building was dedicated to LGBT hangouts, and Atsukatta knew exactly what Genevieve wanted to do with it. Her lifelong ambition of creating women-only hangout spaces across Asia was supplemented by the men’s clubs and multigender BDSM parlors she also owned, but it was the “ladies’ bars“ as the Japanese subtly put it, that excited her. Genevieve liked to imagine the kind of place she’d want to go to had she not been born into Singaporean royalty.
All of her plans, questions, and concerns for this place went right out the window when she first saw Aya.
“The owner is asking for…” Poor Aya had to double-check the figure when she looked at Genevieve again. When she finally spat out the figure, Genevieve could hardly be bothered to care. “We can negotiate this, of course. He is keen to sell for a decent price.”
“This building will need many repairs to keep it up to code and to make it a nice place to entice both locals and foreigners. That’s half the special sauce to keeping these exclusive places open.” Her shoulder brushed against Aya as Genevieve rounded the bar and stared at the dusty shelves. “Don’t make them too exclusive. Giant neon signs in English do the trick. I daresay an ad in the subway station would be helpful.”
“You’d be one of the first to afford it.”
“I’ve got something many of my contemporaries in this neighborhood don’t have.” Genevieve spared Aya another flirtatious look. “Deep pockets, and a lot of experience being successful in the industry, if I do say so myself. This isn’t my first ladies’ only venture, never mind my first bar.”
Aya didn’t say anything, but Genevieve anticipated the thoughts rolling in that head. “It’s your first in Japan.”
Yes, Genevieve was aware. There was a reason she had expanded her talents and honed her skills through the Chinese-speaking world first. A fortune’s worth of money awaited her in Japan, but the culture was different enough that she might make a misstep without realizing it. People here were more reticent. They were not as forthright. While Genevieve was familiar with such cultural peculiarities, she was far from an expert on Japanese business. This wouldn’t be as easy as opening the doors and telling the local Lesbian & Bi Network to get to work hustling the word of mouth as she had done in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
“Here is the current revenue from the other active rentals.” Aya handed Genevieve another piece of paper. Leave it to Japan to still print everything out. Genevieve humored them, but only because she didn’t want to offend her best shot at cheap real estate in a prime neighborhood. “Currently, three out of five units are occupied with active businesses.”
Yes, Genevieve had already seen this. Hell, she had done her own research without Atsukatta’s help. Once again, living in the digital age has its advantages. Nevertheless, Genevieve took the opportunity to sidle up next to Aya and look over the figures. While Aya stood upright with perfect posture, Genevieve leaned down, hand on her hip and hair brushed away from her neck.
It may have been on purpose.
“There’s, um…” Aya swallowed hard enough for Genevieve to hear it. If this were a regular night in this bar, she’d be putty in my hands. Genevieve would seal the deal and secure Aya back to her hotel room by doing nothing more than flirting – that’s how strong the attraction already was between them. “There’s the bar on the first floor and a staffing agency above. You also have a regular office rented on the top floor. They are the most consistent renter.”
“I like that there’s another empty space. Makes the case for me to buy the building instead of merely renting the unit.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“You know what I’d like to do with the other empty space, Ms. Sugiya?”
Genevieve had lowered her voice, but it was still no surprise Mr. Ishida glanced in their direction. Stay out of this, sir. Genevieve knew what to do with him. She merely had to wait to play her hand.
“Perhaps I’ll tell you over drinks.”
Aya’s sharp movements placed the papers near Genevieve before promptly conferring something with her boss. With a slight huff, Genevieve looked at one of the papers and attempted to imagine her brand in the humble square footage provided. It wasn’t easy when all she could think about was what she’d like to do to the woman nearby.
What use was her spacious hotel room if she couldn’t make love in it?
”Ms. Liu.” That was Mr. Ishida, the man who, like so many of the professionals Genevieve dealt with in this country, was self-conscious of his English abilities. “There is much for you to think about, I’m sure. This place has countless potential, both in passive income, as well as exerting your own visions. You are a professional in the hospitality industry – you don’t need us to tell you how to run a bar or club. If you are interested, though, we can begin negotiations with the owner immediately. We can also procure the answers to any questions you may have.”
“I have many questions you can answer right now.” First thing Genevieve wanted to know was Aya’s phone number, but she knew better than to ask.
“We thought so.” Mr. Ishida nodded to Aya, who squared her shoulders and inhaled a deep breath through her face mask. “Which is why we would love to entertain you tonight. Show you some of the best hospitality that Tokyo has to offer. Perhaps to ignite your imagination about what you’d like to do…”
“Sounds wonderful.” Genevieve leaned up against the bar, paper sliding between her fingers as she leveled her unyielding gaze on Aya. Look at that posture. Absolutely impeccable. That fit of her jacket and pants were also something Genevieve could write home about. I’m used to a woman who can carry herself, but meow. What she wouldn’t share with the woman before her, however, was that most of her fantasies featured Aya on top. Wild and unrelenting. Exactly how Genevieve liked it at this point in her life. “Do you know a good place around here?”
“You are staying in Shibuya, yes?” Aya asked. “There’s a good place near your hotel. We can meet you there after hours.”
“What a lovely way to spend a Thursday evening.”
Aya turned away. Mr. Ishida approached with his business card. “If you think of any questions in the meantime, do not hesitate to call or email me, Ms. Liu.”
“Like I said…” Genevieve was entranced with the back of Aya’s head and the way her short hair spiraled like a soul-sucking whirlpool. “I have plenty of questions I’d love to ask later. In a more relaxed space.”
Mr. Ishida curtly nodded. When Aya turned back around, it was with stiff brows and clenched hands. Bless her. She did her best to not fall for the bare minimum of Genevieve’s finely-tuned seduction technique.
I’ll get you yet, Ms. Sugiya. Genevieve had all night.