No Ordinary Love (28 page)

“I'm not Dragon with you,” I said.

“You will be from now on, being that I've been answering to Tora.” She placed her hands on her hips. It didn't matter how many diamonds I dangled along that flesh. She would always be the girl in sneakers and jeans that ran the Brooklyn streets. “What are we doing?”

“I rented the theater. I have a troupe doing several Kabuki dance performances from famous Japanese—”

“No, Kenji.” She pointed to the ground in front of me. “What are you and I doing? What is this? Why have me stay with you?”

“I told you last night.”

She waved that statement away. “No, you gave me ill-conceived riddles that were covered in infatuation.”

I glided my gaze along her form. “Infatuation is a good term, but doesn’t really cover it all.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Everything.”

We held each other’s gazes before she looked away.

“I like being single and free,” she said.

“We should work on that.”

She sucked her teeth. “At the end of these two weeks, I leave. I go home and you don't stop me.”

I had to contain a hiss or even a growl. “If this is true, if you can just leave whenever you want, then why stay for two weeks?”

“I know I can't leave now.”

Tension left my shoulders. “Why?”

“Because you would stop me.”

Now it was my turn to look away. “Then why would you stay for two weeks without a struggle?”

“Because I'm hoping that you're right, that I can somehow help you in these few weeks that I'd already planned on being here.” Slowly, she closed the distance between us and rested her hand on my chest. “I believe that you're better than your hard image. That the monster has the humanity breathing inside him to not try and trap me against my will. I'm staying because when you're not the Dragon, you're intriguing and very sexy.” She dragged her fingers up to my chin and traced the tips around my lips.

A wave of desire rippled through me. My head clouded with lust. All other thoughts shattered to the floor as I imagined myself lifting her up and taking her somewhere to make love.

“Two weeks.” She looked me in my eyes. “That's it. We spend time together and I write. Fine. Not what I planned, but,” she scanned the amazing lobby, “I could think of worse ways to spend my time. However, when those two weeks end, I leave and you don't stop me. I need to know that you understand that.”

There was an edge to the last sentence.

“I understand.” How true that statement was. So much that I wasn’t ready to deal with it.

“I want my computer back.” She dropped her hand from my chin and clutched my groin, encasing her fingers around my very hard dick. I tensed and held my breath.

“Don't ever take my writing.” She gripped my erection harder. “I think it's disrespectful.”

“And now I’m talking to the tiger?”

“Yes, this is her.”

“You were writing about me.”

“Doesn't matter.”

“That book can't be published.”

“I hadn't planned on it.” She loosened her grip a little. “I want my computer back in my room tonight.”

I directed my view to that devilish hand. If anything, my body drummed even more with horniness. “Or what?”

“We get to see the war between a tiger and dragon. One would say a dragon is the sure win. Those creatures do have wings and flames.” She rubbed her fingertips on my length.

“My money would be on the tiger.” I licked my lips. “Dragons have horrible eyesight and aren't as good with traveling on earth.”

She paused and quirked her eyebrows. “What?”

“There’s this one story of a village that loved a dragon so much that he would swoop down from the heavens to protect them from anyone who bothered them. One time they cried for the dragon to help. He soared down and blew out flames, but because he couldn't see, he killed some of the villagers, and due to not being able to walk as well on earth, he trampled over livestock and houses. It seemed everything would be doomed for the dragon and villagers.”

Still holding my dick, she moved in closer to me and licked her lips. “And then came the tiger?”

“Yes.” I nipped at her bottom lip and pressed my groin into her hand. She let out a tiny moan. I grabbed her hips and brought her closer to me. “The tiger needed a home, too.”

“Oh, of course.” She rolled her eyes. “Because apparently the tiger is lost.”

“What?”

“Never mind, go ahead with your story.”

“The tiger took the dragon to the side and begged him to introduce her to the villagers. Other times in the past the furry beast would come around and they tried to kill her. The dragon listened to her plea, but asked with a bored expression, 'What do I get in return?' She roared and proclaimed, 'I'll help you see. I'll guide you in the roughest times and dig out a path on earth.'”

She slanted her lips to the side. “The tiger just happened to be a female?”

“This is my story. Leave me alone.”

“You said it was a myth.”

“For an author, you have no respect for storytelling.”

“Fine.” She rubbed my length, massaging each inch and staying longer on the tip. “Finish, please.”

By the time she’d gotten to the point of my cock, I’d closed my eyes. “Finish what?”

“Your story.”

Noise sounded behind me. I checked over my shoulder. My men walked into the lobby. They'd been instructed to wait until Tora and I entered the first ballroom, but we'd taken longer than expected. I didn't think Tora would enjoy so many guards around her. Things like that tended to remind women that danger always lurked within the shadows.

Not wanting my men to catch me with my erection trapped in her hands, I backed away. “Let's go somewhere private.”

“No way. You’re not getting off this easy. I want to see the performances.” She winked and walked off to where my men were heading. “Besides, you never told me how the tiger and dragon worked out.”

I trailed behind her. “Well, the tiger helped him see.”

“And you think I could do that for you?” she asked.

“Yes, sometimes I think I can’t see things clearly.”

“I doubt that’s true.”

“Do you remember the place we visited last night?” I asked.

She stopped walking and looked over her shoulders. “Yes, how could I forget that place?”

“You can forget about it now. It will no longer exist when midnight arrives. I'm having that whole area destroyed.”

Quiet settled between us.

“You can do that?” She faced me.

“I'm doing it now.”

“That's not an answer, Kenji. That place looked like it made a huge amount of money. Wicked wrong money, but still.”

“People will definitely be mad.”

Distress crept around her eyes.

You're worried for me, Tora?

“Can you handle these people?” she asked.

“If you're with me, I could.”

“Kenji, what does that even mean? I-I don’t even—”

“You help me see the things I can’t. Sometimes people are clouded with so many other things—loyalty to family, honor for tradition, fear of consequences. When that happens, I need someone like you to be able to point the correct path out and be bold enough to say, Kenji, this is wrong.”

“But you know wrong from right,” she countered.

“No, Tora. I told you my story. From the very beginning my father showed me a different world, and in this place, there is no wrong and right. You, Tora, can see things in black and white, sometimes. For me, there are many various shades of gray. Anyone can be killed for the right reason. Any person, even the one you love. That’s my father’s way. You, my Tora, are showing me what’s black and white.”

“I-I can’t—”

“You can.”

“But—”

“Two weeks.” I extended my hand to her. “Let’s just focus on these two weeks for now.”

“So apparently I’m now going to be teaching you the damn color spectrum,” she said with a smile, yet her fingers shook in my hand.

Who are you scared for, Tora? Me or you?

“Don’t worry. You help me see.”

“Then maybe we should spend these two weeks getting you some glasses.” She walked off without me, those hips swayed back and forth, and I chuckled.

Chapter 30

NYOMI

We sat in the third row. No one else was in the audience. That spoke volumes of Kenji's wealth and power.

What type of name and money did you need to rent out a theater and troupe on short notice? Was it even short notice? How long had he planned this night? Stop. Now you're just being paranoid.

“Tora?” Kenji touched my wrist. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm just talking to myself.” I clasped my free fingers on the armrest. “I do that sometimes when I'm on edge.”

“Why are you on edge?”

“How could I not be? Would I be the type of woman that you wanted if I wasn't a bit scared of you or this new situation you’ve gotten yourself into with destroying the businesses in that area?”

“Everything should be fine.”

“You don’t think anyone will retaliate?” I asked.

“You watch a lot of crime movies.”

“That’s still not an answer. And what about your father, would he care?”

He furrowed his brows and turned back to the stage in front of us as all the lights darkened. “Put on your headphones, please. The performance is about to begin.”

Fine. We’ll discuss this more later.

I stuck the small black plugs into my ears. Kenji had explained that the headphones would give me English audio that not only translated all of the words for me but explained things relating to the stories, music, dance, and actors in the performance.

“Good evening.” A voice with a thick English accent filled my ears. “The following dance is called Orochi, meaning ‘great serpent.’ It is based on the final act of a long puppet play … ”

I crossed my legs. The gown's long slit opened and exposed my leg and the curve of my thigh. Kenji stirred in his seat. I turned to him. His gaze targeted that thigh. It dripped with desire, so much that I squeezed my legs together to shut away the heat that was now searing that space.

How does he get me from scared to horny within seconds?

All of the lights turned off to pitch darkness.

The high note of a flute sliced through the black view before my eyes. A drum pounded in the distance. A man chanted a word with each cut of the flute and thump of the drum.

“The shoulder drum and flute are instruments used to create a solemn mood,” the English man said in my headphones. “The narrator's first line is given in a style that's based on Buddhist chanting. The vocal delivery helps remove our scene from the everyday world. For the tale that is about to unfold is based on ancient myth.”

Pale, golden light materialized in the center of the stage. In the background, a huge, bright screen appeared with black and white trees drawn high and towering over the people on the stage. There were only five performers. Four sat in the right corner, all dressed in blue. Instruments sat on the ground in front of them. Except for the flute player who remained with his legs crossed and the tiny instrument pressed against his lips.

But what stole my attention away was the woman in the middle of the stage. Darkness shaded her. Light continued to brighten. The more the stage illuminated, the more I could see her.

Wow.

She wore a shiny, silk robe that fell down to the floor and trailed out a few feet behind her. The sleeves hung down low at the bottom also touching the stage. Near her knees, the robe opened into black fabric with dots of gold. A big black and gold belt tied around her waist made this massive bow in the front. Her face remained hidden in the shadows.

Incredible.

Her skin was pale white. Her black hair was draped over her shoulders and fell past her knees. A gold and red crown decorated her head. She stood still, frozen, yet in an elegant pose with her hands twisted in the air above her. A closed black fan sat between her fingers.

I opened my mouth in awe, thrilled by the scene around me.

Meanwhile, two of the musicians chanted in deep voices.

“We now hear a description of our surroundings,” the English man in my headphones said. “We are deep among the mountains. The valleys plunge to great depths. It is a landscape of mighty rocks and sharp cliffs.”

With her hands, the captivating woman formed a rugged mountain around her and then twisted from side to side as if to suggest that going down the mountain would be difficult and take a long time.

“The character is of royal linage which can be seen by her immaculate robe and crown,” the man continued. “At the top of the cliff is a pointy ledge … ”

Kenji grasped my exposed thigh. I jumped in my seat, missing the rest of the English man's dialogue. The narrator’s voice shifted to scattered words in my head as my leg burned with lust from Kenji’s hold. Like the performer on the stage, shadows hid the Dragon’s face.

Be good, Mr. Sato.

All I could see were his full lips within the hints of light. He darted his tongue out of his mouth and clutched my thigh tighter.

I cleared my throat and went back to the stage.

The woman was now fully revealed. Her skin was stark white as if she'd fell in a bathtub of paint. Everything was that bright color, except for her lips. Ruby makeup coated them and gave a spilled-blood effect. The flute shifted into a long tune and she swayed from side to side, meeting each note with movements of her own, yet they remained stiff and artistic in some ways.

It was amazing, but not enough to get my mind off of Kenji's hand as it slipped higher around my thigh and dipped further under my dress. Anticipation hit my core. How could it not? I'd had this man before, hard and rough in his business in front of several guards. He'd taken me, lifted my body up against the wall, and pounded into my center so good I'd lost all control and let him choke me.

At least be real with yourself, Nyomi. You're infatuated with him. You're just a bit shallower about it. These two weeks are not just about the book. You really want to fuck him a few times.