Chapter Fourteen
The days of shooting went sailing by. At least, the scenes with Anna seemed as if they flew past. Then every night, Jacob would arrive home to the penthouse and stand in the foyer to look around. He wanted to have her here. He envisioned taking her in the steam room, on a warming bench, in the huge triple spray shower, in the garden tub. The thoughts of having her grew with each passing day.
They had just wrapped the scene where Dade had lost his brother to another cave in and he’d come forward with what he found out about the company not putting in the safety features in that coal pit. Dade lost his job and spiraled down to where he was a drunken mess, he’d lost a brother and his career in one fell swoop. His father hated him and the town did too. He’d gotten beat up three days ago by a gang of coal miners.
It had been rigorous to do and the scenes took five days to shoot. He’d done all the others before Anna arrived on the set. They had their last scene together tomorrow. It was the ending, where they had a tender moment and he realized she’d stood by him for all that time. He was a man bare of all he’d built, yet he realized he could make a family if he could just convince her to move, so they could have a family together out of the coal mining sphere.
Then it should be a wrap. There would be a wrap party tomorrow night.
Then Jacob had plans of his own as Jacob. He intended to convince Anna to go out with him. Or in with him if she was afraid of the paparazzi. At this point, he didn’t care. Let them make a field day of it. He’d found a woman he could talk to, joke with, share their love of the craft and woman made for him sex wise. The hell, he would let that walk away.
He headed to the steam room, as he needed it today. He was more than done in. Jacob halted and looked around. Where was Airi? He wondered. Was this her day off? He couldn’t be sure as the last three weeks had been rough and the days melded into a week, then two, then three. Shrugging, he headed into the relax room.
There stood a woman.
She was Asian. She looked to be older than Airi. Bowing, she lowered her gaze. Then she rose up.
“What are you doing here?” he asked outright. “And who the hell are you?”
She smiled and he could tell by the knowing look in her eyes that she understood English.
“I came here to see Airi.”
“Okay and why are you here in my house?”
“You have lots of money.” She looked around.
His eyes narrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”
She kept smiling. “Airi is my daughter.”
His eyes widened. “I thought she had no family?”
“I am her mother.”
“Then you know what happened to her.”
She nodded.
“So, you show up now? Years after it happened?”
Remaining silent, she didn’t give him an answer.
Sighing in frustration, he asked, “So where is she? Why aren’t you visiting with her?”
She walked around and touched this or that. “She had to go out and get some how you say, groceries?”
“Okay and I ask again…Why are you wandering around in my house? Her apartment is—”
“You mean the one you pay for?” she asked.
Again, his gaze narrowed. “What do you want?”
She sidled up to him. “You are this big star, yes?”
His body stiffened. This was not going well, it was headed to a place he didn’t want to go, at all.
“You were keeping her here to please you.”
He shook his head. “Hell no. She is my housekeeper.”
“And your personal masseuse?” She motioned around with her hands and pointed at the massage table.
Now he felt angry. “Nothing like what you are insinuating ever happened between us.”
Shrugging, she looked around. “No matter. People will believe it is so.”
Shit! This woman was here to blackmail him. “I won’t pay you a dime, bitch!”
She took a step back. “You gonna attack me?”
He clenched his hands. Oh yes, he sure would like to. “Of course not.”
“It would be what a man like you would do.” Her eyes narrowed. “If you do not pay me recompense for what you have done to my family, the world will know.”
“Know what?” he yelled. “Get the hell out of my house!”
Now she showed her teeth so to speak, as she didn’t smile but looked cold as steel. She strolled to the door. “If I no hear from you in two days…” She set her card down on the warming bench. “I go to the press.” She went out the door.
Jacob let out a frustrated breath. What the fuck was going on? He followed her to make sure she didn’t lift his silver or whatever the hell she could get her greedy hands on.
She went out the front door.
Jacob was shaking. He couldn’t let this woman…damn it, the press would eat it up. But no, he would not pay someone blackmail money. He went over to the table by the door and grabbed his cell. He dialed the number. “What the hell did you get me into?”
“Whoa down there boy!” Steward responded. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?” Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke, “Some woman was here in my penthouse waiting for me tonight, saying she is Airi’s mother and she is threatening blackmail!”
“What?”
“I won’t repeat that again. Find out who this bitch is. She says I have two days and then she is going to the press. She is saying I owned Airi and had her here as a…sex slave or some shit like that!”
Steward let out a long sigh over the phone. “I thought Airi had no family.”
“You thought!”
“Yes, I will look into it. Are you going to pay?”
Jacob pulled the cell from his ear and stared at it, like he could not believe what he just heard. He put the phone to his ear. “How does FUCK NO! Sound?”
Steward was laughing. “That’s my boy!”
Jacob growled and hung up. He walked around in a complete circle. Like he didn’t know what to do, where to go for answers. Where the fuck was Airi? Why would she let that woman in here? Then leave? Then what the hell would happen if this woman made good on her threat? How could he prove that none of this was true?
The door opened and Airi came in. She smiled then caught his angry expression as she halted in her tracks.
Yoshi came in behind her with grocery bags in his arms he too was smiling until he caught sight of Jacob. Stepping forward he asked, “Is something wrong?”
Jacob fought for calm. Airi looked like she had no idea of any of this. He instantly seemed calm. His control at least was still in place. “Please come in, both of you.”
They all went into his spacious kitchen.
Yoshi set the bags down and Airi put the food stuff away.
“There was a woman in my relax room waiting for me when I got home.”
They both swung wide eyes over to him.
“What?” Yoshi asked.
Nodding his head he continued, “She said she is Airi’s mother.”
Airi gasped and dropped the jar of pickles she had been holding. It hit the floor and splattered everywhere.
Yoshi jumped back.
Airi bent down to pick up the glass pieces, then immediately cut her finger.
Yoshi grabbed her up and took her to the sink. He then turned on the water and rinsed her finger off.
“Is it bad?” Jacob loomed over his shoulder.
“No, it looks okay,” Yoshi replied and grabbed a paper towel. “Are you okay Airi?” he asked her.
She started crying.
“Oh, baby. It will be okay. It doesn’t look like it will need stitches.”
She swiped at her tears. “Jacob. I do not have a mother, she die.”
Yoshi grabbed paper towels and bent down to mop up the pickle mess.
Jacob felt confused. “You mean you didn’t let a woman into my penthouse today?”
She shook her head looking confused.
Yoshi repeated what Jacob had said in Japanese.
Her eyes widened as she put her hands over her mouth. “No! I never do that!”
Jacob pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Then how the hell did she get in? And who the hell is she?”
Yoshi and Airi shook their heads.
“What did she want?” Yoshi asked as he deposited the glass and pile of vinegar soaked paper towels into the covered trash bin.
Jacob sat on the stool at his counter bar. “She is blackmailing me.”
Yoshi’s eyes widened. “What?”
Nodding, Jacob continued, “She accuses me of keeping Airi as…well, as a sex slave I suppose?”
Yoshi’s eyes narrowed.
“She says I have two days and then she will go to the press.”
“Oh, fuck!” was Yoshi’s only reply.
Airi looked confused.
Yoshi turned to her and spoke in his fast Japanese.
Her eyes rounded and she put her hand to her chest. “No!” She shook her head. “No, he never!”
Yoshi nodded. “We know this, Airi, but…” He started into Japanese again.
Gasping, she started to cry. “No. Jacob good man. He help me!”
Jacob sighed.
“What are you going to do?” Yoshi asked. “I mean I know it is not my business, but Airi is.”
Jacob shrugged. “I am not paying her. If I do, that is admitting my guilt and once blackmail starts, it never ends. At least that’s what happens in the movies.” He wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this all was, but he couldn’t. “Old fifty style movies that is, like Ray Milland or Humphrey Bogart.” He glanced up.
The couple stared at him with blank expressions as if he just spoke in some foreign language that wasn’t English or Japanese.
Jacob almost smiled, despite the situation. Nobody liked the old black and white noir movies like he did. He shook his head. “If she goes to the press. It will blow up on me. But I will just have to state my side.”
“No, no. You will be-be…” Airi stopped to think of the word. “Dishonored!”
Jacob shrugged. “I don’t see that I have a choice Airi. I won’t pay.”
“All my fault!” Airi got up and ran out of the kitchen weeping.
Yoshi got up from the other stool. “I will take care of her. Damn, Mr. Cooper, I am so sorry.” He turned and went out.
Jacob sighed as tore off his jacket and tossed it down. He slipped his shoes off and threw them at the wall. He wanted to yell, or break something. He could not deal with anger well either. He needed a work out a face to punch. Instead, he walked naked into his relax room. HA! There would be no relaxing while facing this shit.