Ready Or Not - CITRUS

Three

The day could not have been more perfect for the party if Mei had ordered it up herself. The sky was a brilliant blue that would soon be swirling into a mixture of purples and oranges as dusk fell. She shook her head in appreciation at the thought. She could never seem to get enough of those East Hampton sunsets. She'd slipped upstairs to shower and change after an afternoon of beach volleyball with her friends in which her team won every game they played, no matter who her partner happened to be at any given moment. The elite prep school she'd attended in upstate New York happened to have one of the best volleyball teams in the state, and she happened to have been their star player.

It felt good to win. Damn good.

Stepping out of the shower, she selected a simple white cocktail dress with three-quarter sleeves for the party. The neckline was a little lower than she usually sported, but they were at the beach after all, and she didn't mind showing off the tan she'd just snagged. Subtle strappy black heels completed her look, which she could always take off and carry if she ventured off the deck and into the sand. "Well, how do I look?" she asked Elvis, who had followed her to her room. He whined quietly when she scratched his ears, which surely meant he approved. A little bit of fruit-punch lip gloss later and she descended the stairs to the crisscrossing movements of the wait staff readying the space for her guests.

"Anything I can do, Satoshi?" she asked the chef, who was her father's favorite.

Satoshi kissed her cheek and placed a glass in her hand. "We have it all under control, my darling. Get ready to greet your guests."

That she could do.

One of the many requirements of carrying the Aihara name was knowing how to play hostess, and Mei happened to rock in that department. Promptly at six, she got to do just that as guests trickled in. Most of them were friends from the city who'd steal any chance to break free of the cement jungle when a Hamptons' invitation presented itself. Mei could identify. The city had a way of swallowing you up if you weren't careful, as much as she loved it with all her heart.

She turned to greet her newest arrival. "Banri!" Mei said, kissing the cheek of Suzuran's assistant and accepting the bottle of wine he presented in the token.

"This place is killer," he said, taking in the house. "And meet Koko."

"A pleasure," she said to the rather serious but gorgeous woman attached to Banri's arm. Mei played nice but reminded herself not to get too attached to Koko. Banri was a good-looking guy of about six-two with chiseled features, but his stats also included a revolving door of women. She'd yet to see him with the same girl twice. "Please grab a cocktail and something to eat. I think Suzuran and Himeko are just outside enjoying the weather."

Thirty minutes later and the large deck was full of guests mingling and sipping, some standing and chatting, others lounging on the plush arrangement of outdoor couches. Mei turned out to the water and her breath caught. Right on schedule, the sky had put together a beautiful show for them.

"You're right about the sunsets here," Matsuri said. She'd pulled her dark-as-night hair back on one side and outfitted herself in dark denim capris and a light denim halter top that showed off her flawless figure. Mei had to hate her a little bit sometimes for looking the way she did.

"Told you. Never gets old."

"Oh, and I hope I didn't overstep my bounds, but I invited a friend to join us tonight," Matsuri said.

Mei smiled. "Of course not. The more the merrier."

"I thought you might say that," Matsuri said, her eyes settling somewhere behind Mei. "Because she's here. I'll grab her."