I Only Have Eyes For You Read online

  “No, it’s a joke. But trust me. I’ll think of something,” Jake promised and rested a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Bro, I always do.”

  Hiroshi nodded, trusting in Jake’s reassurance. This was where they worked so well together. When Hiroshi couldn’t see a clear plan, or around an obstacle, Jake was right there with an answer.

  It took another two hours to get home as the traffic was gridlocked, weaving compactly down the road. While they were irritable, Savannah seemed content to observe the city and surroundings as they moved through it.

  He hadn’t been home for a few weeks now so it would be great to see everyone. He supposed his mother and Sakiko would be waiting with a feast like always.

  The minute he stepped out of the car, he could smell the food, all his favorites from the aroma. He looked to Savannah, who stood beside the car completely mesmerized as she gazed ahead, observing the Manor house and their surroundings. Her whole face spread into a fascinated smile that captivated him.

  “I know, it’s amazing isn’t it?” Jake said walking over to her. She nodded and smiled.

  “It’s like a postcard.” Savannah’s eyes shone in the subtle light of the moon as she looked over to the lake, which was adorned with cherry blossoms and wisteria on either side. His gaze caught and held hers as she looked over to him and offered a small smile.

  “Wait till you see it in the daytime,” Hiroshi said.

  He only looked away when he saw his mother appear on the other side of the glazed glass doors. She waved excitedly and he waved back. She and Sakiko greeted them as soon as they stepped inside the house. They both looked ecstatic to see them. His father didn’t seem to be there yet.

  “Oh my gosh, I love your style,” Sakiko complimented Savannah. “The whole outfit’s from the Tom Ford Jade collection.”

  Savannah gasped and looked impressed. “Yes, it is.”

  “And the jacket?” Sakiko asked, looking at the soft white jacket slung over Savannah’s arm.

  “Is from Dior. Silhouette number…”

  “One hundred and fourteen,” Sakiko filled in. Both girls started giggling.

  “Oh Lord, what have I done?” Jake remarked shaking his head. Hiroshi found it quite amusing. So did his mother.

  “Savannah my dear, you’re going to love it here. I am Yumi, and this is my daughter Sakiko.” His mother gave her a welcoming smile. Hiroshi had always loved the warmth that radiated from her. It made coming home feel all the more revitalizing.

  “It’s so great to meet you both.” Savannah broke into an open, friendly smile that made her eyes gleam.

  “We must go shopping sometime this week.”

  And probably buy the shop. He didn’t know who was worse, Sakiko or his mother.

  “I’d absolutely love that,” Savannah beamed.

  “Good evening,” came an emotionless, still voice from the end of the corridor.

  Hiroshi turned to see his father approaching them. He was still wearing his shirt and tie, so probably hadn’t too long arrived. His face was stern, his expression taut, but there was something in the way he carried himself that told Hiroshi he was trying his best to look composed. A dead giveaway that he was mad. Most likely because Hiroshi never went back to the meeting.

  “Mr. Fujita, how nice to see you in person,” Jake said on edge with a phony-as-hell smile.

  “Nice to see you, too, Jake.”

  “Dad this is Savannah, Jake’s sister,” Hiroshi introduced her. Now this was weird, his father actually offered a hint of a smile before he shook her dainty outstretched hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. You have a beautiful home.”

  “Thank you. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here.” As far as pleasantries went that was the most pleasant he’d ever seen his father. Even Jake seemed to note it and glance at Hiroshi out of the corner of his eye.

  “Thank you. I’m certain I will.”

  “I’ll give you a tour of the manor and the grounds tomorrow,” his father offered. He liked doing those tours with their guests so that part was no surprise.

  Savannah’s face lit up. “Thank you so much. I’d love that.”

  He should probably warn her that the tour was likely to be an all-day thing.Although his grandfather had passed down the house to his father. They’d done a lot of outstanding work and design on it together.

  “Okay great. Come, you have to see the wardrobe floor before dinner,” Sakiko said, linking her arm with Savannah’s.

  “Wardrobe floor?” Savannah asked.

  “We have a floor dedicated to just clothes.”

  “It sounds a little like heaven.” Savannah looked back to him and smiled before Sakiko carried her off. His mother followed beside them.

  “I’m gonna unpack and see you both at dinner.” Jake was already walking away before Hiroshi could say anything. It was perhaps payback for earlier when he left him to deal with his father.

  “And we need to talk,” his father said. A line etched between his brows, and his mouth tightened.

  “Sure, let’s go,” Hiroshi replied, gearing himself up for what he knew would be one hell of a lecture.

  Chapter 5

  Savannah was giddy with excitement.

  She didn’t want to wait. She wanted to run outside and start her adventure right now.

  But, it was only two am. Maybe if she wished hard enough, God would turn the night into day.

  She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t sit down, couldn’t read her books, couldn’t unpack, couldn’t contain herself. Her mind was like a butterfly fluttering to every idea that flittered through her head. Fluttering to the prospect of the many things she could do on the adventure that lay ahead.

  Her lack of sleep was something that was surely going to come down on her heavily tomorrow, and the time difference of the country was going to be a sting. But, Savannah didn’t care. She was buzzing with energy and excitement from just being here, and it was keeping her wide awake.

  She couldn’t believe she was actually here, and to add to it all she was practically immersed in fashion. There was everything she loved all under one roof. Except for the mall, Savannah had never seen so many clothes in her life, and Yumi and Sakiko acted like it was nothing to have a whole floor of the house dedicated to just clothes.

  There were beautiful dresses for every occasion you could think of, skirts, tops, and blouses, every kind of trousers cut known to man, and every other type of clothing you could think of.

  And the styles. And the shoes. Heavens, the shoes were a sight to behold. They had room for shoes that could have been a shop, and as it was revealed to her, her knees had wobbled. Savannah had seen a gorgeous pair of brown-and-gold pumps that she wanted to hug they were so beautiful. She put her hand to her cheek and sighed in wonder as she imagined them on her feet.

  She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Yumi and Sakiko. They’d been so nice to her and treated her to no end, telling her that she could just come back and pick whatever she wanted when she was ready. Her ears had nearly popped when she heard that, and she was overcome with gratitude.

  Her eyes had hurt by the time they were done with her, and except for breaking for dinner, they only ended their bonding session because they felt for sure that at midnight she must have been tired and ready for bed.

  Honestly, Savannah could have stayed with them for a whole lot longer, but she didn’t want to seem impolite, especially since they probably wanted to go to bed, too.

  And now…she was in this exceptionally beautiful, mesmerizing room—her exceptionally beautiful, mesmerizing room. She couldn’t resist taking pictures of the room’s decor to send to her friends. Laura would especially appreciate it as she was really into furniture.

  The room had been furnished to have a Romantic Victorian feel and the cream satin wallpaper that covered the walls complimented it perfectly. A luxurious king-size bed covered in peach and piled with fluffy lace pillows sat in one corner. Beautiful hand-crafted wardrobes w
ith a matching dressing table were placed at the opposite corner. Next to that was the en-suite bathroom that held a bath fit for a goddess.

  The best thing of all, however, was the way they’d set up a little work area for her with a desk, shelves and storage space. It was right next to the slide-in doors that led out onto the balcony. She’d placed her laptop in the center of the desk. It was the only thing she’d managed to unpack, mainly because it was in her hand luggage. She couldn’t wait to delve in and get busy writing.

  There was so much to write about. Goodness, there was so much, even just here on the manor grounds. She couldn’t wait for her tour with Mr. Fujita tomorrow. The closest she’d ever come to visiting a stately home was going to the White House on a school trip.

  It might have been dark when they first arrived, but that didn’t stop her from seeing the astounding beauty that emitted from the house itself, the surrounding landscape that seemed to stretch far and beyond, and the lake.

  They had an actual lake.

  One might wonder what she expected, especially with all that she’d known about the family. The Fujita’s were one of the richest families in the world. Of course they would have a lake. She supposed it was more amazement than surprise that she was experiencing.

  She glanced at the silver clock on the wall. It was a quarter past two now. Maybe she should try and go to bed. But how was she to sleep if she wasn’t even close to tiredness? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried to sleep. Savannah had showered and gotten into her pajamas over an hour ago hoping that would mellow her out, but it didn’t. She did her whole night ritual with her skin and hair, and even painted her nails.

  That usually helped her relax, but not tonight.

  Maybe she needed a snack of some kind. Like milk and cookies.

  She gasped. What kind of cookies would they have in their kitchen? This was Japan, they could have any number of goodies. Without further thought, Savannah whipped her hair up into a loose, messy bun and skipped out of the room.

  The manor had different wings. She was on the east, which was at the front of the house. She’d been told that there was a central point where each wing met and led straight to the main kitchen, lounge and dining area. Yumi had pointed it out on the way to her room. That was where she had to get to now.

  Her mind drifted to Hiroshi as she wandered along the corridor. It was so nice to actually speak to him earlier on the plane. To have a conversation without getting stuck on how gorgeous he was, or think about those shirtless pictures she’d seen of him—and yes, the other things she saw online, too.

  None of that extravagant stuff had seemed like him at all, and she couldn’t imagine him going around the place driving fast cars and saying all he cared about was fast cars and beautiful women. The media could make up all sorts of things.

  After talking to him properly she thought he was well put together, and sophisticated. Obviously the kind of guy that liked adventure if he’d climbed Mt. Fuji seven times, and she liked that he listened to her babble on about what she wanted to do while she was in Japan. She’d probably given him an earache with the way she’d talked his ears off. But he’d listened and didn’t seem to mind.

  Usually, she could tell when people looked bored. Like that time when Laura fell asleep, although to be fair Savannah had been talking about her ex-boyfriend and his stupid ant obsession.

  Wait a minute. Where was she? She stopped in the corridor and looked down the length of the dimly lit passage. She should have reached the turning by now that led to the main staircase. Had she missed it? Or, wasn’t she there yet? Earlier when Yumi and Sakiko brought her up, they’d all been talking so much that she hadn’t really taken enough notice. She thought it was up the stairs, turn left, and then down the corridor, which should be this.

  A smile crept along her lips. How fascinating was it to be in a house so grand you could get lost?

  She should just keep going and see where the corridor took her. It could only either lead her to the main staircase or somewhere else, and if worse came to worse she would just go back the way she’d come and hopefully end up back in her room. Or, she could wander around till daylight when someone would eventually find her. It wasn’t like she was tired.

  So, happily, she continued feeling a little like Alice in Wonderland going down the rabbit hole. Except this was an amazingly extravagant manor in Japan.

  Five minutes later revealed that this was definitely not the corridor she’d been in earlier; she worked out that instead of turning right when she’d left her room she must have turned left.

  Now she stood by the entrance to a hall. The lights brightened on approach, beckoning her to continue, and continue she did with fascination to see that the hall was filled with a variety of art and antiquities. The ceiling must have been at least twenty-feet high with astute designs of flowers carved into the molding and plaster coving.

  Vases of white long-stem roses mingled with fuchsia-colored dahlias at the door on either side of the entrance, greeting her. Both were two of her favorites. Yumi had mentioned this room earlier but said she’d leave it for Mr. Fujita to show her as she thought Savannah was tired. She’d told her it was her collection room. Yumi ran a small gallery in the summer, and enjoyed collecting art and anything usual.

  Savannah would never have categorized this as a room. This was a museum-sized hall and, from where Savannah stood, this was no mere collection.

  Her eyes met with a row of paintings dotted across the wall on the far side of the hall that depicted images from nearly every era. She was no art major but knew a thing or two from where art crossed over with her literature studies. There was A Vase of Flowers by Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt’s Night Watch, and Lady Godiva riding through the town on her magnificent horse.

  There were romantic medieval paintings showing beautiful princesses and their chivalrous knights, post-romantic paintings, Renaissance, Victorian and tons of Japanese paintings and artwork. You needed a whole day just to look at each one and take in their beauty.

  Sculptures of all sorts took up most of the center of the hall. All arranged in a very tasteful way.

  Savannah moved around, browsing in complete wonder at the culture and creativity that surrounded her. It was perhaps the first time in her life, aside from when she was studying and doing her internship, that she felt like she was in the company of like-minded people, who she knew she was going to get on very well with.

  She turned to go down one of the display rows, and her feet pulled her to an abrupt stop. Her eyes widened, and she had to put her hand on her chest as her heart skipped a beat. What lay before her was a large display unit showing a collection of dazzling jewels.

  Her feet released her, and she drifted towards the first collection. It held a galore of diamonds splashed over a blue velvet background. There were different shapes and sizes, and different variations, all sparkling so brightly she had to blink to ease the sparkle on her eyes. The next display which ran down to the end of the row held rubies, emeralds, rhinestones, topaz, and other stones she couldn’t name. It reminded her of being in Tiffany’s.

  Savannah sucked in a breath and pressed her hand on the clear glass; she had no doubts now that she was in heaven.

  And…

  She pulled in another breath. At the end of the jewel encasement was a display of geisha kimonos, three of them, with fine-looking fans to match.

  Lipstick red and sunset yellow stood out against the black satin one in an eye-popping way. Turquoise blue and emerald green graced another. It was the pink one, though, that Savannah liked the most. She could see herself wearing it, with its colorful extra-long sleeves that were intricately adorned with embroidery and hand-painted flowers.

  Across from the kimonos were a display of Okame masks. Savannah had read about them in one of her books. They were funny faces, but Okame was believed to be a goddess who spread good fortune.

  Savannah’s curiosity peaked as a wicked little idea crossed her mind.

 
What if she tried it on?

  She could be super quick, and while she was at it she could put on the pink kimono, too.

  Yes, she should do it.

  Of course, she would absolutely be certain to put it all back exactly as she found it, and no one would ever know she’d been in here. It was too tempting to resist, and the new daring, adventurous woman she’d unleashed was eager to explore.

  Everything told her to go for it, so she reached out for the nearest mask and placed it over her head, fitting the elastic over her bun and adjusting it just under her hair band so she could see through its eyes.

  She needed to find a mirror to see how cool she looked. As she turned to go back down the jewel display, she found herself crashing into Hiroshi.

  Again.

  She yelped from the shock of seeing him and jumped backwards, grabbing at her chest to keep her heart from leaping out.

  “Really? I frightened you?” He pointed to the mask and laughed. “You’re the one wearing the death mask.”

  Death mask? She shrieked and yanked it off her face, practically throwing it back on the display unit. Her reaction seemed to amuse him.

  “I didn’t know. I thought it was an Okame.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, that one is.” He pointed to the pale white mask of a woman’s face with huge round rosy cheeks. But the one she put on looked similar. Except the eyes were slightly rounder.

  “Isn’t it the same?” she winced.

  He grimaced and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “No, my great aunt was very eccentric, she loved Okame and wanted her death mask to look exactly like it.”

  She stared at him hoping he was joking but saw no trace of humor in his eyes.

  “Oh no. My face.” She rubbed her face and wished she could run away and wash it. God, why did she have to put on the mask? She shouldn’t have given into temptation.

  He laughed at her rubbing her face.

  “It’s not funny.”

  “No, and neither is wandering around the house all by yourself.” He looked at her pointedly, and an unwelcomed blush crept into her cheeks as embarrassment washed over her.