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Reiji could be quite the steamroller when he wanted to Takamiya thought with a smile as he walked back to his hotel. The translator had had no expectations other than drinks and casual conversation when he walked into the lounge, and never suspected that by the time he left the place, he'd have a blind date with one of the hosts from the Blue Boy Club. Takamiya found himself chuckling at some of the things Reiji had said. Still, hiring a prostitute--he had mixed feelings about paying for sex. It had been a long time since he'd done that and it seemed an unlikely first step at finding love, but Reiji had been absolutely right about the rut he was in.

Takamiya had tried to submerge the part of him that craved the intimacy of sex. He couldn't deny that the real reason he avoided it was because of the lingering anger over the breakup with Julian.

Maybe paying for sex with a host wasn't such a bad idea after all. There'd be no strings attached, so no shock when they were severed. Takamiya winced at the memory. Julian had been a mistake, there was no doubt, but it was time to move on. A soft breeze eased his frown After the long cold winter, there was the promise of spring in the air.

When he got back to his suite, the first thing he did was call the manager of the Blue Boy Club, and arrange the details of the date. He wrote the information on his calendar. He was to meet Izumi on Tuesday, two in the afternoon, by the Park Plaza Transportation Center.

He thought back to Reiji's parting words. Try to be on time. The minute Takamiya had responded, "When am I ever late?" he realized that he'd been late that very evening and blushed. Well, he'd make a special effort to be on time to meet Izumi.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday passed routinely, but finally Tuesday came. At noon, Takamiya was feeding the last pages of the chapter he had just finished translating into the fax machine. That should keep the Kodansha editor happy, he thought with some satisfaction as page after page cycled through.

Though the morning had been cloudy, now brilliant sunshine flooded through the window of his suite. He'd been stuck inside for far too long. What a case of cabin fever he had!

He'd loved the English countryside and found himself yearning for green open spaces. He found he was excited about the idea of getting to know someone new as well. Maybe he and Izumi could spend some time out of doors, take a walk in Yoyogi Park or something before coming back to the bedroom.

The bedroom. Thoughts about sex flitted through his mind setting the blood in his groin to pulsing. But what if he wasn't attracted? Then again, on the other hand, what if he was? He stroked his chin reflectively. He'd better shave. By the time he finished bathing and dressing, it was just one thirty. He went down to the lobby and the rental car he'd arranged for in advance was waiting for him. Reiji would have been proud.

Takamiya should have arrived fifteen minutes early for the rendezvous, but nobody could have anticipated the five-car accident that made a hopeless snarl of the traffic. It occurred to him several times over that he could have walked the distance from the hotel to the plaza and back again in the time it took for the work crew to remove the wreckage and get traffic moving again. He couldn't very well abandon the car though, so he schooled himself to patience and chuckled. Maybe Fate was trying to tell him something.

He pulled into a car park, locked up and walked briskly down the street. He was almost forty minutes late, but hoped that Izumi was still waiting for him.

As he neared the plaza, he scanned the crowd. His heart was racing from the exercise and he felt butterflies in his stomach. He never expected to be this excited. He looked left and right and back again. He saw girls, women, toddlers, elderly men, middle aged men, but no young men, and certainly no one remotely close to his image of a Blue Boy host.

Maybe he was so late that Izumi had given up and returned to the club. As Takamiya's head lowered in disappointment, it was then that he finally saw the young man sitting on the curb. That was why he had missed him the first time around. Eyes closed as if in prayer, Izumi, inhaling the perfume of a perfect red rose, reminded Takamiya of a young Siddartha. .Nearly breathless, Takamiya stepped to the curb and said, "I'm sorry I'm so late. I hope I didn't make you wait too long."

The boy looked up with shining eyes and a big smile.

"Oh, just a little."

"You're cuter than I expected," said Takamiya pleasantly surprised by those smiling eyes.

The young man seemed a little taken aback by the remark. The words had just slipped out and Takamiya hoped that Izumi hadn't taken any implied comparison as an insult. He certainly hadn't meant it that way.

Takamiya took the rose from Izumi's hand and turned to leave, in part to gloss over the slight awkwardness, and suggested, "Shall we go?"

"Are you sure you have the right person," the youth said.

Takamiya turned back with surprise at the challenge.

"But you are Izumi, aren't you? I've come to meet you," said Takamiya.

"Well, yes but," Izumi hesitated a moment. "Are you quite sure I'm the one?" the boy continued as he stood up.

"The date with you was scheduled for two o'clock, wasn't it? I would have been on time, but I got stuck in traffic. Takamiya Katsura is my name and I'm pleased to meet you."

Izumi still seemed a little confused or upset, about the lateness no doubt. Forty minutes was a long time to wait, after all. Still Takamiya hoped he hadn't prejudiced his chances because he was totally charmed by the young man and looking forward more than ever to their date, so he put his best face forward and asked, "Where do we go from here then? Did you have anything special planned?"

"Ah, no," Izumi responded in a doubtful tone.

"Well, I've been cooped up quite a bit lately and this is such a beautiful afternoon, how would it be if we went to look at some horses?"

"Horses? Why I'd love it!" The boy's clouded face lit up lit up, and Takamiya felt a burst of joy to see such open spontaneity. There was no trace of hesitancy left in the youth's demeanor.

"Would we be going to a horse track to see races?" continued Izumi.

"No, there's a stable nearby just fifteen minutes by car."

"Really? That close to Shinjuku?"

Takamiya assured him it was true.

The small talk on the way was about the weather, a little about baseball and the season prospects of the Yomiuri Giants, then they were there, at a lovely park with a tree-lined trail, fenced green paddocks, a training ring, and a variety of gorgeous horses, some black, some brown. There was a roan, a bay, even a palomino.

"This is the first time I've seen real horses up close," said Izumi.

"Maybe you'd like to try riding," Takamiya suggested.

"You'd let me ride?"

Izumi's excitement was palpable.

"Of course, but not on your own if it's your first time."

Once mounted on a brown gelding , the boy was good-humored and gentle as he marveled at the world viewed from horseback.

"I'm so high up. I feel like a giant!" he declared.

Takamiya held the lead and walked beside the horse, enjoying the soft spring breezes, the chirping of birds, the exercise and Izumi's comments.

When they returned to the stable, the horse got a little skittish as Izumi began to dismount.

"Do you need a hand down?" asked Takamiya.

"I can do it myself," said the boy, but when the horse pranced nervously, Izumi's foot caught in the stirrup. He almost fell trying to free his foot, but Takamiya caught him. In that protective embrace, as their eyes met, Takamiya felt an immediate sexual chemistry and the start of a fluttery sensation in his chest. He didn't want to let go.

"Are you okay?" he asked Izumi.

"I'm fine," the youth assured him as he pulled away. "He just surprised me is all."

Even when the contact was broken, Takamiya was startled to find that the fluttery feeling increased.

"It can't be," thought Takamiya. "I hardly know him. It's too early for anything like that."

And yet, there was an openness in Izumi that awakened that closed-off spot in Takamiya's heart. Finding such a feeling, and with a prostitute no less, was the last thing Takamiya had expected.