Shaking Off the Dust (14 page)

He let me go and jumped out of bed, hunting for something to wear while I gazed appreciatively at his muscular nakedness. I clamped my hanging jaw shut and was up again.

He noticed what I was wearing. “Almost as good as the Goth outfit.” He spotted his jeans and walked over to put them on. I started to take off his sweater to hand to him, but he shook his head. “Wear it.”

And he walked out of the room.

I took time to dress and take my meds before I went back to the living room. It gave me a moment to get over how jealous I had been. The doorbell rang as I came out.

Takeshi was putting on another tight-fitting sweater. He answered the door, but his voice was far from friendly. In fact, I’d never heard him sound so brusque. “What do you want?”

“To talk to you.” It was a female voice, high pitched and breathy.

“Why? We never talk. We have nothing to say. We haven’t in a long time.” He started to close the door.

“Wait, can’t I come in?” she asked, shocked.

“I have company.”

“Yes, Melissa informed me you had a new subject for your research.”

“Melissa can tell you anything you want to hear, Kim. You keep dangling a job in your practice in front of her. But my personal life is none of your business. Go away. Nothing you might say is important enough to interfere with my day.”

“Please, just for a few minutes. Give me two minutes of your time.”

I shrugged. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

Takeshi reached out, pulling me closer until I was in the crook of his arm, before he stepped back and opened the door.

So this was Kim. She appeared younger than I expected. She had to be midthirties, maybe more, but

with her long straight black hair and Barbie-doll figure, she could pass for late twenties. Where I was soft and curved, with extra padding, she was all sharp angles and planes. Her eyes were cool and indifferent, as she scrutinized me from head to toe. I could tell she wasn’t at all impressed. I could also tell the instant she realized I was wearing his sweater. An ugly light came into her eyes.

“Hannah, this is Dr. Kim Ling, an associate of mine.” But he didn’t introduce me to her.

She frowned. “You only did half the introductions, Takeshi. Very rude and you’re not usually rude.”

“I would never be rude to Hannah,” he spoke softly.

Her eyes glinted at me.

“I need to check my messages. I’ll be in the back room.” I gave a little hug as I walked away from Takeshi.

“You’re sleeping with her!” she accused him as the door closed. I was tempted to listen in, but didn't.

Instead I checked my messages and called Vicki back, we talked for a while. I finally heard the front door slam shut. My guess was Kim did the slamming. I didn’t think Takeshi would, even if he was mad.

I found him in the kitchen, pulling out the Chinese containers from last night.

“Want to talk about it?” I leaned against the counter.

He placed the food in the microwave and then set all of them on a tray, with plates, silverware and chopsticks. I followed him out to the dining room where he fell in his graceful slouch to the floor table like some agile cat.

I got down on the opposite cushion and believe me it was not anywhere near as graceful, but I planned to work on it when he wasn’t around.

He put food on our plates, then considered me for long seconds. “I’ve always been a quiet, reserved man, especially after my family died. I think I was trying to make up for being the bad boy that fateful night. I was popular in college. I slept with a lot of women who wanted to know what it was like with an Asian man. I was okay with that. I was careful to use protection and earned a reputation, but I only wanted the sex. Kim liked that about me. She liked that I could take her or leave her, and I never made demands. We were friends when we met in med school, then we dated during residency. In retrospect, I don’t know that we really did much dating. We had dispassionate, almost mechanical sex at somewhat regular intervals. We both used it as a release from the stress of school and working long hours. There was no emotional component to our relationship. I thought for a while that I could marry her and be content with my life.”

I ate slowly, watching his face as he spoke. I nodded as he paused to take a bite.

“I never heard music with her. I never resonated to her, to anyone until I met you. As soon as I found you laughing on the doorstep, I’ve been smiling. I find myself working hard to keep my face passive and somber around you. And, Hannah, there’s nothing mechanical about our lovemaking.”

I smiled at him. “So why did she come?” I considered my question, and held up my hand to stop him.

“That’s really none of my business, and you don’t have to answer that question.”

“Except professionally, I’ve had no relationship with her, so it was a surprise to find her here today.

Apparently, all these years she’s convinced herself that I’ve held a torch for her. I don’t date openly and when I do, I am very discreet. My number-one rule is to never date my students. She convinced herself it was because I was still in love with her. I suppose she never understood that I was never in love with her, until one day I didn’t like her either. She thought that I broke up with her because of Marvin and her infidelity. But I’d already told her I didn’t want to see her anymore when she threw the Marvin relationship at me, trying to taunt me, I suppose.”

He shook his head at the memory. “She came here to tell me she would take me back and into her practice. She insisted we were well suited.”

I laughed. “And what did you say to all that?”

He smiled back. “I was astonished. I told her I’d already found someone who suited me.” He waited to see what I’d say.

“That would be your girlfriend in Asia. Your best friend says you go every summer, that you like Asian women.” It was none of my business, but I wanted to know.

He frowned. “I go to Asia to learn new homeopathic interventions, like the acupressure and acupuncture, herbs, other techniques in medical practice. I have been with women while I was there. I learned ways to increase sexual pleasure, ways I hope to share, but I learned technique. You know what I mean when I say that I found someone who suits me.”

“And that would be that pretty so-called cleaning lady?”

“Hannah, it’s not a joke to me. We have something between us, something amazing.” He used chopsticks to pick food from containers and eat. “I’m starving.”

“Yes, you were quite energetic last night. Used up all those reserves,” I said matter-of-factly.

“We both did.” His eyes filled with need. “Did you check your messages?”

“Listen to this. Vicki called me twice so I called her back. She made an appointment with her doctor because she’s afraid she’s got some vascular problems or a neuropathy. She keeps getting a cold sensation in her right arm. She noticed it first when she got in her car, so she checked all the vents, and found the bag of my clothes from the memorial service. Which means it’s the clothes covered in ash and dust. We need to go pick it up today, now.”

He stopped eating. “I have no desire to bring him back here. We are doing fine alone and if twenty-four hours is all the time I have with you until the FBI steps in, I’m not about to give up a minute of it.”

“Look, Takeshi, this is serious. We need our friendly ghost to be with us at all times when they are questioning. I need to have him on me, touching me so that I can see and hear him, and in such a way that I won’t have to worry about dropping a hair. I thought you and that genius IQ could contrive a keepsake for me.” I gave him my puppy-dog eyes.

“Don’t try that face on me, Hannah. I’m not a selfish man, but I am today. Don’t make me share you.

You finally called me by my first name, that means something and you know it.” His expression matched mine in the stubborn category.

“And you don’t make that look. We’ll leave”—I mouthed
Tom
—“here, after we give him a reasonable explanation and make the trip to my house to pick up his ashes. We can drive back in the morning or tonight. Depends on what takes our fancy.” I leaned over the table and took one of his chopsticks and licked it very slowly. “And I plan to accept your fancy as often as it is proffered my way.”

“Woman, don’t do that to me unless you want me to take you right now.”

“Okay, let’s get going. The sooner my mind is at rest over that, the sooner I can get taken, and taken and taken.”

“All I heard was okay.” He crawled over to my side of the table and took my plate, fork and the chopstick I still held, and set them down.

I started to laugh, but he rolled me on my back and his hand was already under my sweater and tee shirt. In one smooth move my bra unsnapped.

“You have so many hidden talents,” I said before his mouth was on mine.

Under my shirt, his hand pushed away everything between his touch and my flesh as he caressed me. He stopped his kiss and moved his mouth to where I was now exposed and took little nips along my chest. It was turning me on, making me so hot.

My skin seemed to be more sensitive. I couldn’t think of anything but the need for him and I fumbled for his belt. My hands were shaking so badly it took me forever to get his pants undone.

“Patience, Hannah.” He growled as his fingers repeated a rhythm and pressure on my abdomen and wrist.

“Takeshi, what are you doing to me? I’m coming out of my skin. This can’t be normal. I usually require a little more foreplay.” I took short breaths grinding myself into his pelvis. “Don’t make me wait. I shouldn’t be so…” I couldn’t control myself, the need getting larger and larger.

“I won’t make you wait.” He drew a condom out of his pocket. I grabbed it as he pushed his pants down and I put it on him.

My pants were still on and I was squirming so bad I didn’t know if I was going to scream or try to rip them off. Once they were down to my knees, Takeshi started tapping my wrist. I urged him to hurry.

Pressing his fully aroused sex against my entrance, I ground myself against him. He covered my mouth with his and came into where the heat and wetness had pooled from only his brief touch.

I screamed into his mouth. Everywhere he touched was hypersensitive, like it was magnified a thousand times. The pleasure of his thick cock filling me, only to retreat and ram home again, sent me over the edge. His kiss grew deeper, drawing down my shriek. He continued to thrust inside me, reaching places that I don’t think should be touched. I was afraid for a moment I was going to die. Die happy, but definitely pass away.

I scratched at his back, using my burned hand to claw.

“It is supposed to make it amazing for you,” he gasped.

“More of your Japanese voodoo?” I couldn’t even move.

He nodded. “Pressure points can make pain diminish or they can increase sensation. But it should merely amplify
your
sensations. Somehow I am…I don’t know…receiving an echo of your feelings. It’s glorious.” He pushed up a little as he spoke.

That small movement made me pant. “It’s still incredible. Do me a favor, and don’t move a centimeter until I can control this need to scream out with every sensation.”

“My poor Hannah,” he whispered against my lips, slowly ravishing my mouth in a hot sucking invasion.

His knuckles rolled against my breast until I felt the need building again. My pelvis rocked, and I tightened around him, his sex so deep it filled every inch of me. “Hannah, it is glorious, isn’t it? You have me so hard.” He moaned as he started to move in a gentle, slow glide.

I kicked off the rest of my pants and wrapped my legs around him, pulling him as far into my body as possible. I made little whimpering noises, focusing on the sensation of his rigid cock as it created some larger pleasure.

His hands grabbed my bottom and he slammed into me, hitting that place again and again until I burst, my body convulsed against him. I was lost somewhere that rides pleasure. Some place beyond my body.

From a distance I heard him cry out. I think I even passed out for a minute.

My body was limp as a noodle. Takeshi stroked my spine, whispering Japanese to me.

“That was a good one,” I croaked.

Our harsh breathing filled the room for a time. It was quiet, except for the noises on the street. So it was a loud jingle as we heard the turning of the key. Takeshi moved until he blocked my body from view.

Nico stepped through the front door, stood stock-still taking in the scene we presented, and spun around facing the door, his back to us. “I’m sorry. Your car was gone. I thought you’d left.”

“Get out, Nico.” Takeshi ordered. “Check back tomorrow. I may be gone for a while.”

The door shut.

I burst out laughing. “Did you see his face?”

An hour later Tom sat in the living room. I held one of his hairs and he was furious. “Why are you avoiding me?”

I repeated his question to Takeshi. He nodded and did that elegant fall to sit next to me on the floor. He took my hand into both of his, spreading my fingers. “I wanted time alone with Hannah. I still want time alone with her. So, we’re going to pick up her clothes with your ashes and dust on it and try to be alone in the process.” Takeshi looked over to me, waiting to see Tom’s reaction on my face.

“Takeshi asked to have time alone with you to sort through the situation without my presence. I should have realized it was more than that. I knew he was more engaged than usual. He was laughing and joking, things that used to be rare for him. If he’s happy then I’m glad for him.” Tom had his eyes on me, not his friend, trying to gage my response. “It’s been obvious that you have been attracted to him since

the beginning. I hope it’s more than that? Because if you hurt him, I’ll stay and haunt you until the end of your days. He doesn’t give his friendship lightly and I’ve never seen him give his heart.”

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and gave Takeshi a thumbs-up with the hand he still held. “He wants to know if you’re sure this is what you want? And then he threatened to haunt me forever if I hurt you.”

Takeshi face went from concerned to relief. “I’m very certain this is what I want.”