Shaking Off the Dust Page 11

  He was right about sex noises, they are erotic. The texture and taste of him on my tongue was worth savoring and the sounds of his erratic breathing amplified the sensation. Sliding him deep into my mouth, he rocked against my teeth, making a small gasping noise. My finger at the base of his cock slid in rhythm to each rocking motion. He filled my mouth completely, and my hand held the last few inches while I used intense suction until he rose off the ledge.

  His hands were in my hair, holding me back from plunging him into my mouth again. “No, I want to be inside you,” he said gruffly.

  He drew himself from my mouth and came forward on the ledge of the tub, guiding me out of the water. I fumbled to open the condom with wet hands and he impatiently took it from me, tearing it open with his teeth and putting it on.

  I straddled him, lowering myself slowly onto his shaft, still slick from the climax he’d given me. His eyes blazed with desire as he watched his body enter mine. He pulled me down hard against him, using my hips as his handhold until he gasped and I sighed. I lifted off him and he brought me back down, a ballet of building sound and sensation. I watched his expression as he plunged into me. I squeezed down with each stroke.

  Takeshi showed his growing pleasure as our bodies connected in this primal dance. He leaned my upper body back and his head came down as his wide mouth took as much of my breast as he could and started sucking until it was a continuous pull, making my groin tighten and twitch in response. I had to hold onto his neck as we slammed against each other. I moaned in a building crescendo, the pleasure growing, my climax so close. I screamed and fell helpless against him, unable to control my body. His orgasm joined mine in seconds. His head fell against my neck as he pulled me up against him with no space between us.

  “Do you hear the music, Hannah?”

  He laughed and it was a joyful sound. He used his long leg to reach the drain and pushed it with his toes so the water emptied. With me still in his lap, he leaned over and turned on the water again. I started to move off him, but he held me in place.

  He slid down the edge of the tub until we were once again in warm water. I squeezed my groin against him and he laughed. “I’m a selfish man, but I’ll let you rest for a while.”

  The water was still running into the bath as he reached up and pulled a spray handle out of the faucet. This man was amazing. He began to shampoo my hair, his fingers tracing the scar from my surgery. He slowly washed me as if he were performing a ceremony. He spent an inordinate amount of time at my breast. I was bountifully endowed and pleased to know he appreciated that. By the time he finished, I suspected he knew every scar, curve, dent and extra ounce of fat on my body.

  I followed him back into the bedroom and watched him pull the cover off. I crawled in between the sheets, feeling limp and exquisitely tired. I was happy in this moment and that terrified me. So I pushed away all thoughts of what the future might hold and let my body soak in his heat. I reveled in the awareness of him lying naked against me, his scent enveloping me in spicy musk.

  Chapter Eight

  I woke up warm and tender in odd places with someone curled against me. I gazed down at Takeshi’s arm lying across my hip and abdomen, hand still at my breast. I moved back far enough to face him. His features were completely relaxed and I knew I needed to imprint that look forever in my mind.

  I pushed away the morning recriminations that rushed into my head. Reminding myself it was these twenty-four hours and then it was gone. Enjoy each moment and hold them for the rest of my life. I could do that. He was a gifted lover and it had been all pleasure.

  Sliding out of the bed as quietly as possible, I glanced around and smiled at the various blankets and clothing strewn about. I found his sweater, discarded in the middle of the room, so I slipped it on and decided I’d go to the other bathroom so I wouldn’t disturb his slumber.

  It was nine a.m. and I was thirsty and hungry. I stared in the mirror at my hair, which had escaped from any normal shape, and wet it down before I padded into the kitchen in search of food and drink. Opening a container of Chinese food, I heard a key in the back door. Surprised, I turned to watch as a young woman let herself in, obviously knowing her way around. She flipped on the lights, then stared at me.

  She was tall, blonde and in her early twenties. I hated her.

  “Well isn’t this awkward.” I raised my hand and decided I didn’t want to talk with the girlfriend, ex or otherwise. I ran to the bedroom and tried not to cry.

  I shook Takeshi as hard as I could. “Wake up, Shimodo. Your girlfriend’s in the kitchen.”

  He rolled me over until he was on top and tried to kiss me. I covered my mouth with the back of my hand and tried to push away from him.

  “I’m serious. There’s a girl in the kitchen. She let herself in.”

  “And she told you she was my girlfriend?”

  “Tall, twenty, blonde and cute as hell. No, I figured that one out all on my own. How many keys do you have out?” I asked bitterly.

  “The one to my cleaning lady and Nico. Tom had one of course.” He smiled at me. “You were so jealous you were ready to scratch my eyes out.” He leaned down and this time I allowed him to kiss me.

  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 c
an 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?”