Tempting the Billionaire Read online

  Hearing a ding, she opened up the window that she and Achoo had been typing in privately. Toggling between the screens was a little annoying, but it was really nice that someone was about her age and was dealing with family pressures and stress too.

  Okay- I asked. Mom said yes, my father said no.

  You are kidding?

  No. He is very old fashioned.

  Tell him you will need it to study.

  I mean that my father is REALLY, REALLY old fashioned.

  Like how?

  He doesn’t want anything modern in the house. The computer was an argument between us. I want to try new things and he pushes the old ways on me all the time. He insists that we live in a traditional home with very traditional values.

  Okay- the values thing I get… but the home? Define traditional – you mean like everyone else?

  Sure.

  Sure? It’s a yes or no question, Achoo!

  No.

  ???

  I live outside of town near an area that has a lot of old buildings, shrines, and preserved forests.

  Sooooo?

  So, we live in a traditional house and my father helps preserve the history in the area. He is the head of the house and as my parent- it is my duty to respect his wishes… or so my mother says. Our family name is well known and being weird just brings shame on him.

  Tell him you’ll be taking the modern computer with you – helping to preserve the history in the area. Use his words and turn them around so we can chat online again.

  Great idea! Thank you. This is fun.

  Yeah, it is.

  Will you be online for a while?

  Yeah – at least until I have to go wash the dishes or do my homework.

  I have about ten minutes left of time allowed before I need to catch the bus. I don’t want to be late for school. My father gets really upset if I do.

  Curious, Jemma glanced at the clock and frowned. It was bright outside and getting close to six in the evening. Her mother would be home from work in about thirty minutes, which meant the computer would have to wait for a bit. The sun wouldn’t set for another hour or two – and he was just now going to school? Her dad was outside mowing the lawn. Jemma sat there staring at the screen, horribly curious and tempted beyond belief to ask where he was from. Rebelliously, she typed.

  Where are you at, Achoo?

  Japan – where are you?

  Indiana.

  Indiana? – like in the United States?

  Yes. Wow – this is super cool to be talking with someone in Japan.

  I was just thinking the same thing.

  That it was cool to talk to someone in Japan? LOL

  No- LOL- that it was nice to have a friend in the USA.

  That you do, Achoo – it is very nice to meet you.

  See you online tomorrow?

  Absolutely.

  Have a good day in class.

  Have a good night in Indiana.

  Thanks.

  Jemma was still smiling happily when she heard the animatronic door shut indicating that he’d logged out. Clicking on the other chat window, she scrolled her cursor to catch up on what had been going on with her other online friends. The lawnmower turned off outside and she knew her time was up online. Her father would be coming in any moment. Closing the chat window, she deleted the history and quickly moved to the kitchen to start the dishes. Last thing she wanted to do was get busted by her parents disobeying rule number one.

  Achoo was a goofy chat name, but she was utterly fascinated with the fact that he was from halfway around the world. How cool was the internet? It could make the world feel so small sometimes.

  Aaron sat back on his heels staring at his computer screen and smiling for the first time in a long while. He’d felt such an extreme amount of pressure from his family to be a part of the town where he lived. Amanohashidate was a small village on the outskirts of the Kyoto prefecture that faced the sea. His village was steeped in tradition and looked like something out of a storybook – something people just dreamed about.

  Small buildings lined the streets of town; some of those streets were still stone and hadn’t been repaved. Shrines nearby were used by the local folk to offer up prayers. He had grown up feeling like an outcast because he dreamed of living in the larger cities with all the bright lights. It had taken several arguments and pleading to order his computer almost a year ago. They didn’t even have a phone in the house until almost two years ago when he suggested it would increase traffic to the hotel that his family owned.

  His family lived in an outbuilding belonging to one of the oldest hotels in town. It was opened in 1736 and not much had changed since then. It was a traditional Ryokan with onsens – a folk style house with hot spring baths. When you walked in the front door, there was a large genkan complete with a shoe closet. No one wore shoes inside his mother’s house – regardless of who you were. It was considered extremely rude and all shoes were immediately removed upon arrival. The tatami floors were kept up and smelled almost sweet when they were replaced, bringing a sense of nature into the house.

  Aaron’s bedroom still had some of the hand painted screens that his great-grandmother had made for the home to instill privacy between the rooms. He used this screen to change behind due to the sliding fusama panels that made up the walls of his bedroom.

  Everything in the home was like stepping back well over a hundred years or more and he yearned for modern things. Even his computer was set up on a small chabudai with a special phone outlet nearby to connect him with the rest of the world. He sat on his knees on a zabuton and typed almost daily, enjoying that he could truly be himself online… instead of who his parents wanted him to be.

  He knew his family would demand that he run the hotel when he got older – but that just wasn’t him. He wanted so much more. He was dealing with the constant guilt and feeling of disappointment he sensed from his parents… but this young American girl seemed to sum up easily what he couldn’t say aloud.

  Even his name was mispronounced by people that didn’t speak the language easily. Ichiyo had been twisted and butchered by several tongues to the point where one of them pronounced it like he imagined a sneeze would sound like… leading to his username. It was comical and a way for him to stay anonymous online.

  No one would ever guess that Achoo was the youngest son of the noble Ichiyo family of Kyoto prefecture. He had promised his father in return for getting the computer that no shame would be brought to their name. This way… he felt free to be who he wanted and distance himself from his surname.

  Chapter 3

  May 1998

  “C’mon Achoo – get online, will ya?” Jemma muttered nervously under her breath as she danced around anxiously in her room. She was beyond nervous and nothing seemed to be going right. Where was he?

  Tonight was her prom, and graduation being only three weeks away. She looked back on when she’d first met him online and how he’d mentioned that he was nervous… well, she understood now exactly what he meant. She felt like she was standing at top of a mountain waiting to fall into nothingness, the unknown waiting below.

  Prom was a hoity-toity get together of all the cool kids so they could show off, or so she felt. Jemma didn’t fit in to the crowd. She wasn’t a cool kid no matter how hard she tried. She was horribly independent, felt completely out of sorts, and stuck out like a sore thumb.

  The orange bleached tips on her long hair was long gone, in lieu of it being tinted purple now. She’d always wanted pink hair but when Blair took cosmetology, she found that while her coloring favored the primary hues – her hair seemed to look healthier and best with a deep eggplant rinse in it. Pink would require bleaching and a lot of maintenance.

  Even now- her prom outfit tonight was barely normal. She’d taken a cream sheath dress and added a black collar to it as well as bell sleeves. She wanted something different, something fun that seemed modern. She had glittery drop earrings and a crystal that she’d glued to the wid
ow’s peak on her forehead. Her mother had been appalled that she’d modified the gown and her father suggested that perhaps she study fashion design instead of business.

  Glancing at the computer, she saw the small flower on ICQ turn green indicating that he was online. They still got on the chat room with their other friends, but they now conversed using another different program. They always left each other messages or told each other about how their day went. She really liked having a friend she could pour her heart out to that was across the world. They’d never exchanged names nor did she want to – this way kept things impersonal and kept her promise to her parents.

  No names, no specific locations.

  Are you excited about tonight?

  No. I’m a nervous wreck!

  Why? I thought you said prom was going to be fun…?

  I changed my mind. Girls can do that ya know!

  What brought this on?

  I hate the idea of going into a room of people who dislike me.

  Why do you think they dislike you?

  I don’t fit in.

  I think everyone feels that way about high school.

  Ohhhhh the big, fancy, college boy is getting smart now – eh?

  No, I just remembered how I felt.

  Did you have something there like prom? Did you dress up and go to a dance? Did you set yourself up to be judged by others that really shouldn’t matter? Because that is what I feel like I am doing now… and it does matter to me.

  We have different celebrations.

  Well, this one is a biggie for me- and I think I might stay home instead.

  So American girls are chicken?

  NO!

  Are Japanese boys’ dorks?

  No – but it sounds like prom will be nothing but guys looking at brave girls and they are too young to realize that girls can be trouble.

  So, I’m trouble and I’m a chicken? You sure you want to start an argument ‘cause I can take you down, my friend.

  No, I don’t want to argue– and that is what makes you special. You are brave, real, and outgoing. Have fun and look at it for what it is… a life marker that you are almost done with high school. Your life starts in a few weeks when you graduate and it’s hard to realize that. I felt like my world was caving in on me, only to find out that it was just going to be a little similar for the next few years. FYI – College is hard!

  So, you are a smart college guy after all!

  Are you mad at me for calling you chicken?

  No – but I should be.

  Friends don’t hold grudges, and I’d like to consider you a friend.

  Jemma sat there for a moment biting her nails. She needed to leave in twenty minutes in order to get through traffic. She didn’t know why her school rented a room on the other side of town, but hopefully it was as nice as some of the people hinted it would be. They were on the decorating committee and claimed that ‘this would be the best prom ever thrown by the school district’.

  JemC? Are you still online?

  Sorry – yeah I am. Thank you BTW.

  Of course.

  How are you doing? How are finals going, Brainiac?

  Not good. I’ve got this weekend to study and then on Monday they start. I’m a nervous wreck and keep having an upset stomach. I’ve thrown up three times and restarted my term paper twice already. I can’t fail my parents or my family name. Father will not be happy with anything less than perfect.

  Have some mint tea – and quit stressing. What’s the worst that can happen?

  I fail, get C’s, or don’t graduate?

  C’s get degrees! You are a year ahead already – don’t push yourself so hard! Know what you call a doctor with a C? DOCTOR. You’ll be fine.

  My father already has announcements printed for my graduation party.

  Geezzzzz…. Are you kidding me? No pressure, right?

  I know. He means well though.

  You’ve got this, Achoo – you are the smartest guy I know.

  How do you know that?

  You picked me as your friend, remember?

  That’s true

  Rest. Relax… and I mean REALLY, REALLY RELAX… and just study as much as you can. You will be amazing. I know it and have complete faith in you.

  Jemma sat there staring at the screen, picking her nail polish off of the nail she’d just bitten off completely. Usually he was pretty quick to reply but this time he was just sitting there. It was funny that she’d been so anxious and now she was the voice of reason calming him down. Her father always teased her that if she was the voice of reason with purple hair, they were in trouble. She rested her chin on her palm and tapped her nails on the little computer desk impatiently.

  Are you still there?

  Helloooooo? Did your computer lock up? If you restart the computer, it helps sometimes. Mine’s been acting screwy. Shoot – maybe it’s on my side? Achoo? I gotta go soon- remember? Prom?

  My name is Aaron.

  Jemma nearly fell out of her small computer chair onto the floor as the arm that she had her head resting upon gave way under her chin. She very nearly punched herself in the nose. Boy that would have been a story to tell!

  Why was Achoo telling her his name?

  They’d only used log in names for the last three years they’d chatted. They’d made a pact to keep it impersonal for a reason. Had she said something wrong? Why was he now making this real by telling her his name? Now he was a guy, not some nameless face across the world – and he was waiting for her to respond.

  Achoo– why in the bloomin’ world are you telling me your name?

  You have been a good friend to me. I’m sorry. You can go back to calling me Achoo. Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have told you without seeing if you were okay with it.

  It’s not that I’m not your friend – but you are my Achoo, my online friend. Faceless, nameless, and safely across the world. If I call you Aaron… then you are real. Legit! Does that make sense?

  Yes.

  I am not ready to tell you my name.

  I know – and you never have to. I shouldn’t have said anything. Do you want me to go?

  The problem is that it’s time for me to go this evening and I need to think.

  Don’t be mad.

  Don’t be Aaron – just be Achoo. My long-distance friend…

  Always.

  Even when we grow old – no names, just faceless friends – please.

  Achoo and JemC1995

  Yep – ttyl

  Have a good time, JemC

  Study, sleep, and relax, Achoo.

  Jemma got to her feet and took a deep breath. He was right. This was a momentous occasion, a marker that she was almost done with school and ready to move on to the next phase of her life. Who cared if they thought she was strange? Who would remember this several years from now? No one but her – and she could live with the memories if she was happy with herself. Her dress was fantastic in her opinion… and that was all that mattered.

  Walking tall into the living room, she saw the pleased look on her father’s face and the concerned look on her mothers. Jemma knew she worried about her daughter growing too wild for her own good but this too, would be a phase, and Jemma knew it.

  Suddenly, she felt like she finally understood what Achoo was trying to say. It didn’t matter if the other students accepted her, she had to accept herself and how she was now. They might not be ready for her, but then again – she might not be ready for them either. Time had a way of working things out and she’d made a friend when she needed one the most. Achoo was turning out to be the best friend in her small world.

  Smiling happily, Jemma took photos with her parents in her prom gown. Her mother was teary-eyed as her father pinned a corsage on the shoulder of her dress. He’d winked at her when Jemma gasped at the flower arrangement. Somehow her father always knew what she wanted – and her corsage was made with purple orchids, some greenery, and black ribbons to match the sleeves she’d put on the dress.
/>   Jemma made it through the evening knowing that when she got home, she was going to tell Achoo all about the event. She brought home a napkin, a package of mints emblazoned with the theme, and a mock cocktail glass that was etched with the date. Carefully hanging her dress back up, she placed it in the back of her closet and set the corsage atop her monitor so she could stare at the flowers a little while longer. She loved orchids – they were beautiful and exotic… just like her. His ICQ flower was dim, showing that he wasn’t online. Logging in, she smiled as she began to type.

  Achoo, I have to admit you were so right. I was so worried about what others would think that I didn’t stop to think that they didn’t matter – just what I thought mattered. I am so happy you messaged me for the first time a few years ago and relieved that we are friends. I am sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier – I didn’t mean to.

  I had a great time at the dance – simply knowing that I looked great, in my opinion, and I will never see some of these people again in a few weeks when school is out. My life and my happiness- it will all start now. I want to see everything, do everything, and I can’t if I am worried about others. Thank you for that freedom, my friend.

  I hope you do well on your tests this next week and I am so proud of you graduating a year early. We’ll have to have an online celebration chat to discuss what you are going to do next! LOL!! The unstoppable Achoo! (Okay- that is funnier than it should be…. an unstoppable Achoo is spelled out ACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO – isn’t it?)

  So maybe I should just say ‘the unstoppable Aaron’ – my best friend.

  Goodnight – and I will talk to you later.

  Aaron stared at the computer screen, unsure of what to say. He marveled again at how simple life was to JemC and how she could sum it up so easily, while he struggled to come to terms with his own pre-destined life. She was proud of him for finishing his schooling a year early?