Destination Wedding (4/6)
Destination Wedding, 4/6
Storm clouds rolled in on Monday morning, a clap of thunder waking Sho with a start. He frowned immediately, thinking of the file he'd created on his computer. They would have taken a cab or a bus back north to the Yanbaru Subtropical Park. Sho had planned the trip down to the minute. A change of scenery from the endless beaches, he'd had his heart set on perusing the botanical garden and enjoying the deep forest. His plans for the afternoon, depending on Keiko's wardrobe, had involved a hike to Hiji Falls, maybe a picnic.
Well, they'd be soaked and covered in mud if they tried to go to either place now, he thought sadly, watching the rain cascade down outside the sliding door glass. The forest and hiking were out, the beach was definitely out. He sighed, preparing more of the subpar miso he'd bought the previous morning.
As he made his way through yet another disappointing breakfast, he hurriedly went back through his search history from last night. Sho spent so much of his life indoors, whether at home, work, or the gym that an outdoor excursion had seemed to make perfect sense. Checking the weather report, however, had not been on the agenda - even the weather widget on his phone was still set to Tokyo.
There was the prefectural museum down in Naha. Keiko-san would probably be bored with something like that. There were shopping malls there too, but there wasn't much that was unique or interesting about that either, especially since they were both from Tokyo, which had everything.
He went to the hotel's website, desperately looking for any other ideas. Unlike the other guests, who were probably enjoying their personal time and would spend the day indoors doing god knows what, he and Keiko didn't have that option. Well, they did, Sho thought with a bitter smile, envisioning the basket of condoms still sitting unused on his kitchen counter. But that was being way too presumptuous.
He found himself getting lost, clicking absent-mindedly around the website, his thoughts drifting inappropriately to the woman just on the other side of the door. He itched to unlock that adjoining door, leave it unlocked for the rest of the week. If she wanted to come in, she'd only have to knock. Or just barge in. His fingers stalled on the laptop's trackpad, imagining Keiko starting her morning routine, Keiko padding around her room in bare feet. He couldn't help wondering how she dressed for bed, what her face looked like upon waking. Eventually she had to get in the shower...
There was another crack of thunder, jolting him from his daydreaming. If anything, Keiko was looking out the window in dismay, just like he was. And she probably wasn't picturing him walking around in his underwear or even less.
He blinked a few times, looking back at the screen. "Come enjoy our library! Read about Okinawan culture or sit and watch the beautiful sea!"
"Library," Sho murmured out loud. Sure enough, there was a small library on site at the resort for guests. They could get out of the building, away from the reminders that lingered in the other rooms on their floor. Did she like to read? Would she bring her own work to do? At the very least they could relax there until the weather cleared up (if it ever planned to).
He showered and dressed, full of energy again. Did it really matter where they went? He'd get to see her again, get to learn more about her. He'd wanted to from the moment he'd spotted her in the airline terminal, even if he hadn't realized it. So what if Yuriko-san probably had a hand in this whole thing? It had let him meet someone wonderful, someone he hoped might still be interested in him when the concrete and glass of Tokyo replaced the palm trees of Okinawa.
He knocked on her door late in the morning, having waited until he could hear her stirring in the other room, could hear the weather report coming from her TV. She was all dressed for the day in a lacy white blouse, a light blue skirt, and sandals. All ready for the open air, even now.
"I had all these plans," he admitted to her, leaning against the doorframe. "Unfortunately most of them have fallen through."
She shrugged. "We could reschedule? Tomorrow, before the parties?"
He gathered his courage. "Are you doing work? I still have some things to do, but I'm tired of being cooped up in here. There's actually a library on the resort grounds, might be a nice change of scenery. I was going to pack up my computer and head down there, if you want to come along?"
Her mood seemed to lighten at that. "Oh really? Well I do have work but..." He watched her cheeks turn pink. "It's mostly work for Yuriko, if you catch my drift."
He smiled. She'd filled him in on a few details of her quest to find "Puppy Play's perfect and as-of-yet untapped audience," and he had to admit that the thought of someone as proper and collected as Keiko browsing through porn sites and adult message boards amused him greatly. It also did a little bit more than amuse.
"I'm sure they have some other books to go through, if you're a reader?"
She smiled, seemingly grateful. "I'm a big reader."
He was relieved. Their entire day hadn't been ruined. She waited for him with an umbrella while he packed up his laptop bag, and they headed downstairs. From the lobby, it was a pretty short jaunt across the grounds to the library. Even now Sho could spy a small wooden building with a sloping tile roof.
Keiko put up the umbrella, and he got ready to run, laptop bag slung across him. "You can share, you know," she offered. "If you don't mind moving at my pace?"
He hunkered down under the umbrella with her, and they moved as quickly as they dared, dodging puddles and laughing when they didn't do such a good job of it. Even with the umbrella and huddling pleasantly close, the bottoms of Sho's jeans were pretty wet when they made it to the porch of the library. Nobody else had seemed to show an interest in venturing out here that day, and the place was empty. The door was shut and the lights were off inside, but a quick swipe of his room key granted them access.
It wasn't a large room, but there was a pair of old, dependable-looking leather lounge chairs in the center of the room, two walls lined with equally worn shelves packed to bursting with books, and a small work table with a wooden chair. He wondered if the shelves were populated by cast-offs from hotel guests over the years. He set his bag down in one of the chairs, following Keiko over.
He watched her eyes as they perused the slapdash collection, some Okinawan folktales placed next to some English language novels with Dazai Osamu shelved beside them. She reached quickly for a Takarazuka reference guide, pulling it to her.
"Big fan?" he asked her.
"Huge fan," she replied, smiling happily as she brought it over to one of the chairs. "So I guess I'm going to read, and you're going to work? That's not too disappointing?"
As he settled down in the chair beside her, pulling his laptop out of the bag, he didn't find it disappointing at all. It wasn't a hike, it wasn't a garden, but here they were, all by themselves once more in this cozy room full of old paper. If he looked out, he could see the ocean, even as the storm kept blowing through, swaying the trees between the library building and the beach.
"It's nice and quiet here," he told her. "A vacation from my vacation, I guess."
She grinned, slipping off her sandals and curling up in the oversized chair. It nearly dwarfed her, and he resisted the urge to say "cute!" in her general direction. He stretched out his legs, to hell with decent posture, and he got working. But even as he got drawn in to file after file of Okada & Morita, he could hear her turning pages beside him, could watch the way she twisted bits of her long, dark hair around her fingers while she read. Before too long he was spending more time watching her enjoy her simple happiness than doing what he'd come to do.
Before she caught him staring, he offered to run over to the hotel and pick them up some sandwiches. She forced him to borrow her umbrella, pink though it happened to be, and he returned. They sat out on the library porch barefoot, the rain still falling, trickling down the overhanging roof and splattering against the deck just inches away. They watched people coming and going from the hotel, hurrying to their cars or a waiting taxi.
He hadn't felt so comfortable, so relaxed in a long time. Just her company, the gentleness of her presence at his side, made his heart ache the slightest bit. He told her about high school, meeting Okada and the odd path that took him to working for him. He explained warily about Nino's "friendship" and all the games that his voice was now a part of. She explained more about her job, about having grown up in Kobe. He'd gone to an all-boys school and she an all-girls school, which probably said a lot about their mutual difficulties in knowing just what to say to the opposite sex.
By the time dinner rolled around and he offered to do another sandwich or restaurant run, she grabbed hold of his sleeve when he made to get up.
"Just a few more minutes? Just a few more like this, Sho-san?"
He sat down again, a little closer this time, their thighs almost touching. A man with more confidence would have put an arm around her, maybe even kissed her when the sun finally started to break from behind the gray clouds after hours of rain. Instead they sat, long past dinner and then past sunset, sharing their lives.
When they finally could bear it no longer, stomachs rumbling, he put his bag back over his shoulder, and they put their shoes back on. People were still coming and going from the resort, but all he knew was Keiko with her shy smile.
He started walking down the mostly sodden path, turning and holding out his hand. "Don't want you to slip in the mud, especially with those shoes."
She took his hand easily, and even when they'd passed the worst of it, she didn't make a move to let go. He smiled, feeling her small, soft hand in his own. Together they crossed back to the lobby, and she only slipped away when the elevator arrived at their floor, Nino finding them with wry amusement in his eyes.
"Ah, there you are, Sho-chan," his friend said, absorbing the developing situation instantly. "You weren't swept out to sea."
"No," he replied, already missing her even though she was still beside him. "No, we're still fine."
"Great," Nino said. "I'm taking Aiba's car down to Naha. There's this hole in the wall soba shop I have to try. You're coming with me."
"What? Now?" he thought, panicking. Sho wasn't sure exactly what his plans with Keiko had entailed post-library, but they certainly did not include leaving her here so abruptly to drive an hour away for crappy food.
But she smiled, nodding at Nino. "You're on groom's rules this week, Sho-san. Be kind to your host."
"See, this girl gets me," his friend said, pulling out the familiar keys to the convertible. "Let's go, I'm hungry and I have an idea for a game, so let me bounce some ideas off of you."
"I'll talk to you later," she said, waving to them both. "Have a good time."
Then Nino led him away, away from the promise of Keiko and whatever the future held. Well, Sho decided, the future could be on hold at least for dinner.
--
She called up for room service, settling in for a long night in front of her laptop with nothing but Puppy Play on her mind. Puppy Play and Sho, Keiko corrected herself. It had been a calm, relaxing day despite the weather. She couldn't stop thinking about his strong, but gentle hand escorting her back. She'd decided that afternoon: the last thing she could do was let a guy like Sakurai Sho get away.
The hours passed, and there was still no noise coming from the room next to her. She was about to dress for bed when a call came up from the front desk just after midnight: "Yoshitaka-san has requested that you join her down by the indoor pool."
Keiko frowned. The last thing she wanted was to swim at this hour, but Yuriko was her hostess, and she couldn't turn her down. At the very least, she could get some confirmation about the real reason for her matchmaking habits.
She changed into her swimsuit, a little bit tamer than the one she'd seen Rola-san sporting the day before. It was a purple bikini top with matching boy shorts, and she put on a long t-shirt and another pair of shorts over it, heading down to the pool. The indoor pool officially closed at 11:00, but the staff member waiting outside the closed doors opened it for her.
"Yoshitaka-san is waiting."
The things money could buy! Even access to a pool after hours.
She didn't find Yuriko poolside, instead hearing a rather noisy "Keiko-chan!" from the hot tub area. It seemed that Yuriko liked both her food and her swimming time extra hot.
Keiko headed over, taking one of the towels from the rack and setting it down on one of the plastic lounger chairs near the hot tub. "Good evening."
"That's your swimsuit?" Yuriko complained, splashing the bubbling water a bit.
Keiko grinned, slipping out of her other clothes and setting them beside her towel. "Better?"
"Ugh, much better! Now get in, let's chat!"
Keiko couldn't help but obey, feeling the sting of the hot water before settling down beside Yuriko. She leaned back, trying to relax. "We had a nice outing at the aquarium yesterday." She decided to just bring it up. "It was just too bad that Rola-san got sick."
Yuriko laughed. "Oh their acting was probably terrible. Aiba-chan needs to stick to cooking, I think."
Keiko focused on the bubbles. "Yuriko-san, are you trying to set me and Sho-san up?"
Her companion twisted a wet tendril of hair around her finger, cocking her head. "Is it working?"
I don't need a matchmaker, Keiko wanted to say. I'm here to work for you, she wanted to say. But then she thought of Sho-san's kind eyes, his warm smile. "Too early to say," she mumbled, not wanting to really confess how much she already liked the guy one locked door away.
"Hmm," was all Yuriko could say in reply.
The two of them relaxed quietly, and for some reason, Yuriko seemed to be at a loss for words. She looked downright annoyed. She wondered if she'd said something to offend her. Keiko was just about to get up when the door opened, and she heard distinctly male voices echo off the pool walls. She fought the urge to jump out of the water and tug her t-shirt over her head as she saw Ninomiya-san (in his usual jeans and t-shirt) as well as Sho, clad in a white v-neck tee and bright red swim trunks.
"Where have you been?" Yuriko complained, splashing a bit. "Keiko-chan, forgive me, but my soon-to-be husband distinctly disobeyed my orders!"
Nino rolled his eyes. "What, I did exactly what you said...you can't swim right after you eat so we were playing video games for a while."
Sho looked confused. "What's going on?"
They were being set up...again! Keiko didn't dare move, Sho standing at the edge of the hot tub with a concerned look in his eyes as soon as Yuriko moved, heading out of the water. "Wait," Keiko murmured, but Yuriko merely wrapped herself in a towel (Keiko's towel!) and got her husband-to-be by the ear.
"You're late. And you're going to be punished."
Nino chuckled. "I guess that's my cue. Night, Sho-chan..."
"Just a moment," Sho said, reaching out for the quickly retreating couple. He turned back, and Keiko tried to sink further down in the water, hiding her shoulders.
"I was just...I was going to..."
Sho crossed his arms, looking uncomfortable. "You don't have to leave..."
The pool doors closed again, leaving the two of them inside. Alone once more, but far more tense than earlier that day at the library. For one thing, they were both wearing far less clothes.
"I think, um, I think I'll do some laps for a while?" he said, leaving her where she was and walking over to the pool.
Without the towel that Yuriko had cruelly and intentionally stolen, she'd have to get up out of the hot tub, potentially showing off a little more skin than she'd intended. Well, they were in a beach paradise, but Keiko hadn't really expected to have a cute, single guy so close, a potential boyfriend even, while she was in her swimsuit. So she stayed in the hot tub, watching with barely contained interest as Sho headed for the pool.
He clearly worked out, Keiko noticed as he slipped out of the tight t-shirt he was wearing, showing off nice abs and muscular arms. She couldn't help watching him walk around the pool, heading for the diving board. With a quick wave in her direction, he dove on in, starting his laps.
Hmm, she thought, maybe it was safe now to get up and towel off, sit by the poolside and watch him do his laps. It was growing rather stuffy in the hot tub, only more so now that she'd seen Sho-san enter in those trunks.
Just when she was about to get to her feet, she shifted the slightest bit. And then disaster struck. The absolute worst kind of timing for such a disaster. Because, to her horror, Keiko had just discovered the most wondrous jet the hot tub had to offer, and the storm of water had been positioned just right, striking her between the legs and sending a wave of enticing heat throughout her body.
"I should move," she said to herself, knowing she was already past help since she was speaking to herself out loud. I should move. I should extract myself from this situation immediately, her brain pleaded with her.
It was awful, this timing. And Yuriko had been sitting in this same spot in the hot tub only minutes earlier, her face offering no indication that she was being so thoroughly targeted by the evil machinations of the jacuzzi jet. She looked over with panicked eyes to see Sho-san's strong arms and legs lifting out of the water, propelling him back and forth.
It was all she needed to see, and all the embarrassment in the world wasn't enough to keep Keiko from settling herself back down in the water, negotiating herself with a slight lack of grace. One hand was now gripping the rail that could easily help her up and out of the tub, her lower body hopefully hidden by all the bubbling, steamy water as she slightly parted her legs.
The jet was now aimed perfectly, colliding with the thin material of her boy shorts, as though the damn jacuzzi had been designed with this purpose in mind. She tried desperately to keep a straight face, watching out across the rest of the tub to the splashing in the pool. Well, she'd sit for a minute now that she'd discovered it. And Sho-san would be none the wiser.
She'd never done something so filthy in her life, knowingly letting the jet continue funneling the pleasurable churn of water against her body while she watched Sho swim. She thought back to their day at the library together, the way it had felt when they'd held hands. Her dinner with Kou and Jun and their encouragement. Aiba and Rola's poorly enacted "tummy ache." And now this obvious set-up on Yuriko's part.
Keiko inhaled and exhaled slowly, licking her lips in nervous excitement as she watched Sho's graceful body glide through the water like one of the fish they'd watched so innocently together in the aquarium the day before. All this time he'd been hiding that body under his clothes. Keiko shifted slightly, her bottom slipping a bit on the built-in jacuzzi seat and the sensations building between her thighs only increased.
This time she gasped, grateful for the noise her oblivious companion was making in the water. As the pleasurable feelings grew, she couldn't keep from thinking about Sho-san. Sure they'd spent the day together, hours just talking and getting to know each other. But wasn't she jumping the gun with this naughty behavior?
Her body didn't seem to agree with her brain, her fingers moving downward, colliding with the jet of water briefly to ease her shorts aside, baring herself almost completely to the jet without the fabric getting in the way. "Oh!" she cried out, clapping her hand to her mouth.
But Sho kept swimming along like a darned fish. She was breathing heavily now, giving in completely to the best benefit of a near-empty indoor pool. Her fingers moved the swimsuit bottoms aside again, and the jet did its best. It thrummed against her sex with unrelenting heat and intensity, bringing her to heights she usually saved for home, her bedroom door closed to keep a prying Jack out.
Reason slipped away, and the steamy water had already left her mind a bit foggy. All she knew was that she felt wonderful, the thought of Sho being so close while she did this to herself not shameful but all the more exciting. He could get out of that pool at any second, she thought, feeling her legs slip wider apart. His shorts would be soaked, and the material would cling to him. He could catch you doing this. He might see you come...
And like that she was gone, gasping in surprise and letting the wave of pleasure wash over her. Just like that, she'd come. No preparation, no closed doors. No serious Kitagawa planning. Yuriko had wanted this for her. Yuriko wanted Keiko to turn off her thinking mind and let loose. Her body still shaking, she nervously set her shorts to rights, stepping up and out of the water, even though her legs felt like rubber. She padded slowly across the deck to wrap herself in a towel.
She could still feel the phantom jet pulsing against her, and she walked over to the shallow end of the pool, hoping she didn't look completely crazy. Her body still flush with desire, she sat down, the temperature of the pool feeling ice cold after the constant heat of the hot tub. She let her legs dangle in the water, towel carefully wrapped around her upper half.
Sho eventually noticed her at the side of the pool, paddling over with a smile. "Too much time in the hot tub? You look exhausted!"
"Oh? Do I?" she mumbled.
He laughed. "We keep getting forced into one another's company, don't we, Keiko-san?"
Her legs were still trembling. She hoped he didn't notice. "I don't mind seeing you," she admitted boldly, thanks to the hot tub courage she'd experienced. "Do you mind seeing me?"
He stood up straight, body emerging from the few feet of shallow water. All she could see was the shaky red of his trunks rippling underneath. She couldn't help focusing on his body, the cute way the pool had plastered his hair against his face, the way little beads of water dripped slowly down past his collarbone, down along his arms.
He stared up at her, the water splashing a bit as he moved toward her. She inhaled, holding her breath as he put a hand on either side of her, his chest suddenly pressed against her legs.
"Is this happening too fast?" he asked nervously, looking up at her. "I just met you. But with everything today, the time we spent together, and then Nino brought me down here, and I was ridiculously happy to see you. Is that normal? Is any of this normal?"
She exhaled. "I have no idea. This has never happened to me before. I've been..." Alone for so long, she almost blurted out, but held her tongue.
"Can you..." He looked ridiculously nervous. "Can you leave the towel? Come in with me?"
She kept her eyes down as she unwrapped the towel, setting it aside on the pool deck, stomach tumbling a bit when she heard his intake of breath at the first sight of her mostly bared body. That was a good sign, she decided.
She allowed him to take her hands, helping her to slide into the water. They stood there in the shallow end, the top of her head just about at his chin. He stood with his back to the deep end and slowly, wordlessly, he kept hold of her hands and started walking backwards.
"Sho-san," she murmured as the water grew deeper, and she started to get up on her tiptoes. By the time they made it to the rope that divided the shallow end from the deep, he'd had to release her hands, pulling them up until they were on his shoulders, and he was pulling her by her waist.
"I've got you," he promised her as he slipped them under the rope and the bottom dropped out.
She found herself clinging to him, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. She'd never been so intimate with anyone, never this fast. But there was something worth trusting about Sakurai Sho, even as his eyes darkened with obvious desire for her and he treaded water, keeping them both afloat. She pushed some of his hair away from his face, her fingers slowly tracing against his temple, down to his chin. She was completely reliant upon him holding onto her. She could swim, but she was so focused on his hands, his body pressed against hers that she was fairly certain she'd forget how if he released her.
"Tell me if this is too fast," he said. "We can go back, get out of the water. Wait for a better time."
"I can't think of a better time," she said, immediately chiding herself for how dumb that sounded.
But Sho didn't think it was dumb at all. Slowly he bridged the distance between them, and she couldn't help tasting the harshness of the pool's chlorine on his lips. It was a gentle, tentative kiss, his mouth barely grazing hers before he moved back, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
Her heart raced. "Don't be..."
This time she met him halfway, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him tighter. How long had it been since she'd even been kissed? It didn't seem to matter now, his small pecks against her lips becoming longer, more confident as they grew more comfortable with the idea. She opened her mouth to him, and he explored eagerly.
She was just tilting her head back to encourage him to kiss along her neck when the lights in the entire pool went out. Keiko jolted, thrashing a bit in panic.
"Hey!" Sho shouted into the dark. "Hey, there's still people in here!"
"Sho-san," she whimpered. "Help..."
"I've got you, I've got you," he insisted, his hand stroking her hair to try and calm her, but she needed to be on solid ground. What if they got locked in here for the night?
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry, I need to get out."
"Of course, hold on..."
His grip on her tightened, and he swam with her, her own legs kicking a little pathetically as she moved along with him.
"Here. The edge is right here." His hands were on her, maneuvering her until she found the wall of the pool. He helped her up and out, Keiko feeling much better now that she wasn't floating in the darkness. She heard a bit of sloshing, hearing Sho get out of the water beside her.
"I thought Yuriko paid for this," she heard him grumble. His voice got a little bit further away. He'd gotten to his feet. "This isn't a very nice trick."
She reached out a hand, and he found her, pulling her up. "Do you know where we are?" The last thing they needed to do was run into something, fall into the hot tub or slip on the pool deck.
His hand, wet as it was, held hers tightly. "I'll walk first, just stay with me."
She felt silly, immature, and scared over mostly nothing, and if Sho was as frightened as she was, he didn't let it show. Slowly, they inched their way along the deck. Of course, this was how Keiko's day had to go. All ready for a day alone with Sho-san? They'd been rained out. Their first kiss? Ruined.
Eventually there was a bit of a clang, and Sho cried out in surprise. "Towel rack!"
"Towel rack," she parroted back, the both of them grateful to find towels to wrap around them. "What about our clothes? Our keycards?"
"We'll get someone to put the lights on so we can get them..." He sounded hesitant. "Well, once we find the door."
It didn't take half as long to find their way, knowing there were no watery traps waiting for them between the towel area and the door. They were both in just wet swimsuits and towels, though, and when they made it to the door it was locked.
She felt him squeeze her hand. "They probably saw Yuriko-san and Nino leave and didn't think to check."
Her initial fright was wearing off and wearing off rather quickly now that she was dripping wet and her first romantic encounter in ages had been rudely interrupted. The earlier highs from the hot tub, the feeling of being held in Sho's arms, the touch of his soft lips against hers...that had been stolen from her. She'd waited so long for this. So long for something this perfect.
No more Miss Nice Keiko.
"Oi!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, banging on the pool door with her fist. "There are people in here! Oi!"
Sho started laughing hysterically as she continued to shout, adding to her noise. It took a solid minute of protesting before she could hear hurried footsteps in the hall, a jangle of keys.
Then there was harsh, fluorescent light as the door was flung open, a man Keiko recognized from the concierge looking horrified. "I'm so sorry!" he said, staring at the two of them. "We thought..."
"Turn the lights on!" she demanded, not feeling very polite after the fright she'd just suffered. The employee obeyed, immediately fearing her wrath. The lights were apparently on a timer, only giving them some dim light to work with. Sho, nearly keeling over from laughing, ordered her to stay at the door while he retrieved his things from one of the chairs by the pool, then headed for her own stuff by the jacuzzi.
"Shall I turn on the lights in the shower area so you can clean off?" the employee asked.
"I just want to go to my room," she complained.
Sho kept his distance, clearly trying not to smile as he clutched his t-shirt against him. Keiko pulled her shirt and shorts back on, and the employee led them to a freight elevator so they wouldn't have to stomp through the main lobby.
Despite Keiko's rudeness, the employee escorted them both to their rooms, offering them each a free meal from room service. Keiko was soaking wet, tired, and irritated. She said nothing, swiping her card and entering her room, slamming the door like a child.
She let her wet clothes and the borrowed pool towel hit the floor, her tears of frustration falling before she even closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower.
--
Did everything he touch have to go so horribly? Sho entered his room, thanking the hotel employee for his assistance. He was still shaking. The lights going out had nearly made him wet himself, which would have been great with a pretty woman in his arms. Thankfully he kept it in and had managed to get the both of them to safety. Much as it had been hysterical to hear her flip on her anger switch and scream their way out of the pool (quiet, calm Keiko bellowing like an old drunk man at a bar), there was little else to be thrilled about.
He sighed, locking the door and heading for the shower. He could still imagine Keiko's body, the way her swim bottoms had clung so perfectly to her hips. He found himself grumbling into the shower spray, knowing just how perfectly their first kiss had gone and how quickly things had turned ridiculous. They should have still been down there, learning one another. Hell, maybe they could have done more than make out in the water.
He'd kissed her. He'd kissed her! And now she was in her room, upset. She could forever link "kissing that Sakurai guy at the wedding" with pure terror. What a wonderful association. Thoroughly clean again, he turned off the shower and pulled on a clean pair of boxers, heading to turn down the bed.
He'd kissed Keiko, and everything about it had felt right, only for it to be snatched away. Had the universe been trying to tell him something in that moment? Keiko was perfect, everything he wanted. But maybe he didn't deserve perfect? Maybe they were going to get back to Tokyo, and they'd never meet up again. He'd lose her number or get caught up in work and never call her. She'd be off in her high-powered advertising job, surrounded by interesting, creative people. She'd be okay without a boring accountant like him, he supposed.
His wallowing was cut short by a knock at the adjoining door. Here he was, whining about what he'd already lost when she was still on the other side of the wall.
He moved quickly, only realizing that he hadn't bothered to put on his pants or a shirt until he'd already flung the door open. She was standing there with the faint glow of one of the living room lamps behind her, clad in a simple green tank top and matching shorts, her dripping wet hair falling over her shoulders. She looked him up and down before holding out a hair dryer.
"Mine's...not working," she mumbled. "Could I borrow yours?"
The hair dryer fell from her fingers and hit the floor as he moved, forcing himself over her threshold to take her face between his hands. She kissed him back, hard, not the gentle, test drive kisses from the pool. Let the lights go out, Sho decided. Let the hotel go up in flames. This time, he didn't really care.
She moaned, the most perfect sound, arching against him as they stood there in the middle of the room, unwilling to let each other go. He held her against him, his fingers slipping under her tank top to find her soft skin. Her mouth was warm and soft, but she broke away, pressing kisses to his chin, his jaw. In that moment, he knew he wouldn't be satisfied with just kissing her and going back to his room. He was way past that moment, had been since he'd opened his door and realized he was unwilling to let this chance slip away.
She pressed her body against his, and she had to know how badly he wanted her, had to feel him hard against her. If she said no, she said no. But if she didn't...
She didn't. Slipping out of his arms, they skipped the bedroom and made for her kitchen, the welcome basket still sitting there on the counter. They'd been surrounded by people having sex for days. Even if Keiko didn't have anyone sharing a wall with her, Sho had. He'd heard it from there, had heard it in the halls. Maybe now someone else would have to listen.
Keiko moved, putting her back to the kitchen counter and pulling Sho along. She put her head back, long wet hair falling away from her shoulders as he tugged up her tank top. Her breasts were small, round, and just right. Her nipples were hard, eager for his attention, and he bent down, bringing the warmth of his mouth against one, hearing her sigh appreciatively. He kneaded the other, squeezing to hear her gasp. He switched to her other breast, taking his time to please her. It had been so long since he'd had sex that he was probably going to embarrass himself - at least he could try and give her a good time first.
He kissed his way down, leaving her breasts, her body quivering as he moved down her stomach. She grabbed him by his hair, tugging him back up to her mouth again. "We've got a few days to find what we like," she admitted, her voice huskier, full of need. "But I don't think I can wait, sorry."
"Don't apologize," he managed to stammer out, leaving her to start digging through the pile of condoms in her own gift basket. Surely there had to be a halfway normal one in the bunch, squinting in the dim light at some flavored ones and some with Hello Kitty. His fingers sent several of them scattering off the counter and onto the floor when she slid her shorts off, kicking them away before starting to tug at his boxers. She'd been so sweet, so shy. His body seemed to roar at the aggression radiating from her now.
He gave up and grabbed the first wrapper in front of him, tearing it open with his teeth as she yanked his boxers to the floor. He stepped out of them, spitting the edge of the wrapper out. "Do you want to go to the bedroom?"
"No," she replied simply, moving to lean forward against the counter and spreading her legs, the bottom of her green shirt just skimming across the top of her perfect ass. Everything about this woman was perfect, except for him not being inside her right then and there.
Their first time, and she wanted it like this. Quick, crude, primal. Fine by him. Clearly what had happened down at the pool had frustrated her, enraged her. She wasn't looking for romance and candlelight, not now. He really owed her better than he was going to give her, he thought nervously, rolling the condom onto himself. He came up behind her, sliding a finger against her shirt, down her spine. "How would you like it?"
She didn't even hesitate.
"Rough."
He pressed up against her, smelling a combination of her sweet shampoo and her wicked need, reaching a hand around to touch her. She was wet, crying out at the feeling of his hand between her legs. He'd have time to find out what she liked, she'd said. Implying that she didn't want this to be the last. They had time, he thought. Plenty of time.
Despite her demands, he positioned himself carefully, slowly entering her from behind as her grip tightened on the sink. She was so warm, so tight, that he almost lost himself then and there. Instead he pushed in and out a few times, letting her adjust to the feeling of him inside her. He put his hands on her hips, feeling her start to push back against him to match his rhythm.
"Keiko," he muttered, shutting his eyes and pulling her against him, deeper and deeper each time. He could hear her breath coming out in rough bursts now, urging him along. Once he thought she'd gotten used to him, he decided to obey her to the letter. She cried out in surprise at the change of pace, but didn't tell him to stop as he moved against her, his fingers digging into her hips, the sound of skin smacking unrelentingly against skin. She wants it rough, give her rough.
He heard his name then, groaning at the sound of it falling from her lips with such abandon. "More," she demanded. "More!"
But the combination of a warm body after so long and her sultry demands unraveled him, and he couldn't hold out. He came, rocking against her desperately and praying with his last coherent thought that he hadn't been a complete disappointment.
Gently, he moved away from her. "I'll...I'll clean up in my room..."
"Okay," she replied, not having moved an inch.
"Do you want me to..."
"...come back?" she finished for him. "Will you?"
Well, Sho decided, still in a happy daze. She wasn't devastated or anything. A good sign. He dropped a quick kiss to her shoulder, cleaning up in his bathroom before moving back through the two adjoining doors, both thrown wide in their need to be together.
He found her just climbing into bed, still only in the tank top. Of course, he'd walked out and walked back in stark naked, and she didn't freak. Another good sign. She settled down on one half of the bed, patting a spot next to her.
"Usually there's a cat."
"Oh?" he asked, slightly confused.
"I meant my cat. I have a cat. At home." She blushed. "I'm not so good at talking. Um, after."
The woman who'd so easily pulled his boxers to the tile and asked for rough sex in the middle of the kitchen was still there, if her damp, mussed hair and dark eyes were anything to go on. But the sweet Keiko, the one he'd known these past few wonderful days...she was there too. And Sho liked that, really liked that.
"Should I put some clothes on?" he asked.
"Should I?" she asked, cocking her head.
He smiled, climbing into the bed beside her, lying on his back and putting his arms behind his head, thoroughly pleased. And to think, he'd thought it was all over. It was really just beginning.
She shut off the lamp on the nightstand, and for the first time in more than a year, Sakurai Sho fell asleep with his arm wrapped around the body of someone warm and perfect. And his.
Part Five
Storm clouds rolled in on Monday morning, a clap of thunder waking Sho with a start. He frowned immediately, thinking of the file he'd created on his computer. They would have taken a cab or a bus back north to the Yanbaru Subtropical Park. Sho had planned the trip down to the minute. A change of scenery from the endless beaches, he'd had his heart set on perusing the botanical garden and enjoying the deep forest. His plans for the afternoon, depending on Keiko's wardrobe, had involved a hike to Hiji Falls, maybe a picnic.
Well, they'd be soaked and covered in mud if they tried to go to either place now, he thought sadly, watching the rain cascade down outside the sliding door glass. The forest and hiking were out, the beach was definitely out. He sighed, preparing more of the subpar miso he'd bought the previous morning.
As he made his way through yet another disappointing breakfast, he hurriedly went back through his search history from last night. Sho spent so much of his life indoors, whether at home, work, or the gym that an outdoor excursion had seemed to make perfect sense. Checking the weather report, however, had not been on the agenda - even the weather widget on his phone was still set to Tokyo.
There was the prefectural museum down in Naha. Keiko-san would probably be bored with something like that. There were shopping malls there too, but there wasn't much that was unique or interesting about that either, especially since they were both from Tokyo, which had everything.
He went to the hotel's website, desperately looking for any other ideas. Unlike the other guests, who were probably enjoying their personal time and would spend the day indoors doing god knows what, he and Keiko didn't have that option. Well, they did, Sho thought with a bitter smile, envisioning the basket of condoms still sitting unused on his kitchen counter. But that was being way too presumptuous.
He found himself getting lost, clicking absent-mindedly around the website, his thoughts drifting inappropriately to the woman just on the other side of the door. He itched to unlock that adjoining door, leave it unlocked for the rest of the week. If she wanted to come in, she'd only have to knock. Or just barge in. His fingers stalled on the laptop's trackpad, imagining Keiko starting her morning routine, Keiko padding around her room in bare feet. He couldn't help wondering how she dressed for bed, what her face looked like upon waking. Eventually she had to get in the shower...
There was another crack of thunder, jolting him from his daydreaming. If anything, Keiko was looking out the window in dismay, just like he was. And she probably wasn't picturing him walking around in his underwear or even less.
He blinked a few times, looking back at the screen. "Come enjoy our library! Read about Okinawan culture or sit and watch the beautiful sea!"
"Library," Sho murmured out loud. Sure enough, there was a small library on site at the resort for guests. They could get out of the building, away from the reminders that lingered in the other rooms on their floor. Did she like to read? Would she bring her own work to do? At the very least they could relax there until the weather cleared up (if it ever planned to).
He showered and dressed, full of energy again. Did it really matter where they went? He'd get to see her again, get to learn more about her. He'd wanted to from the moment he'd spotted her in the airline terminal, even if he hadn't realized it. So what if Yuriko-san probably had a hand in this whole thing? It had let him meet someone wonderful, someone he hoped might still be interested in him when the concrete and glass of Tokyo replaced the palm trees of Okinawa.
He knocked on her door late in the morning, having waited until he could hear her stirring in the other room, could hear the weather report coming from her TV. She was all dressed for the day in a lacy white blouse, a light blue skirt, and sandals. All ready for the open air, even now.
"I had all these plans," he admitted to her, leaning against the doorframe. "Unfortunately most of them have fallen through."
She shrugged. "We could reschedule? Tomorrow, before the parties?"
He gathered his courage. "Are you doing work? I still have some things to do, but I'm tired of being cooped up in here. There's actually a library on the resort grounds, might be a nice change of scenery. I was going to pack up my computer and head down there, if you want to come along?"
Her mood seemed to lighten at that. "Oh really? Well I do have work but..." He watched her cheeks turn pink. "It's mostly work for Yuriko, if you catch my drift."
He smiled. She'd filled him in on a few details of her quest to find "Puppy Play's perfect and as-of-yet untapped audience," and he had to admit that the thought of someone as proper and collected as Keiko browsing through porn sites and adult message boards amused him greatly. It also did a little bit more than amuse.
"I'm sure they have some other books to go through, if you're a reader?"
She smiled, seemingly grateful. "I'm a big reader."
He was relieved. Their entire day hadn't been ruined. She waited for him with an umbrella while he packed up his laptop bag, and they headed downstairs. From the lobby, it was a pretty short jaunt across the grounds to the library. Even now Sho could spy a small wooden building with a sloping tile roof.
Keiko put up the umbrella, and he got ready to run, laptop bag slung across him. "You can share, you know," she offered. "If you don't mind moving at my pace?"
He hunkered down under the umbrella with her, and they moved as quickly as they dared, dodging puddles and laughing when they didn't do such a good job of it. Even with the umbrella and huddling pleasantly close, the bottoms of Sho's jeans were pretty wet when they made it to the porch of the library. Nobody else had seemed to show an interest in venturing out here that day, and the place was empty. The door was shut and the lights were off inside, but a quick swipe of his room key granted them access.
It wasn't a large room, but there was a pair of old, dependable-looking leather lounge chairs in the center of the room, two walls lined with equally worn shelves packed to bursting with books, and a small work table with a wooden chair. He wondered if the shelves were populated by cast-offs from hotel guests over the years. He set his bag down in one of the chairs, following Keiko over.
He watched her eyes as they perused the slapdash collection, some Okinawan folktales placed next to some English language novels with Dazai Osamu shelved beside them. She reached quickly for a Takarazuka reference guide, pulling it to her.
"Big fan?" he asked her.
"Huge fan," she replied, smiling happily as she brought it over to one of the chairs. "So I guess I'm going to read, and you're going to work? That's not too disappointing?"
As he settled down in the chair beside her, pulling his laptop out of the bag, he didn't find it disappointing at all. It wasn't a hike, it wasn't a garden, but here they were, all by themselves once more in this cozy room full of old paper. If he looked out, he could see the ocean, even as the storm kept blowing through, swaying the trees between the library building and the beach.
"It's nice and quiet here," he told her. "A vacation from my vacation, I guess."
She grinned, slipping off her sandals and curling up in the oversized chair. It nearly dwarfed her, and he resisted the urge to say "cute!" in her general direction. He stretched out his legs, to hell with decent posture, and he got working. But even as he got drawn in to file after file of Okada & Morita, he could hear her turning pages beside him, could watch the way she twisted bits of her long, dark hair around her fingers while she read. Before too long he was spending more time watching her enjoy her simple happiness than doing what he'd come to do.
Before she caught him staring, he offered to run over to the hotel and pick them up some sandwiches. She forced him to borrow her umbrella, pink though it happened to be, and he returned. They sat out on the library porch barefoot, the rain still falling, trickling down the overhanging roof and splattering against the deck just inches away. They watched people coming and going from the hotel, hurrying to their cars or a waiting taxi.
He hadn't felt so comfortable, so relaxed in a long time. Just her company, the gentleness of her presence at his side, made his heart ache the slightest bit. He told her about high school, meeting Okada and the odd path that took him to working for him. He explained warily about Nino's "friendship" and all the games that his voice was now a part of. She explained more about her job, about having grown up in Kobe. He'd gone to an all-boys school and she an all-girls school, which probably said a lot about their mutual difficulties in knowing just what to say to the opposite sex.
By the time dinner rolled around and he offered to do another sandwich or restaurant run, she grabbed hold of his sleeve when he made to get up.
"Just a few more minutes? Just a few more like this, Sho-san?"
He sat down again, a little closer this time, their thighs almost touching. A man with more confidence would have put an arm around her, maybe even kissed her when the sun finally started to break from behind the gray clouds after hours of rain. Instead they sat, long past dinner and then past sunset, sharing their lives.
When they finally could bear it no longer, stomachs rumbling, he put his bag back over his shoulder, and they put their shoes back on. People were still coming and going from the resort, but all he knew was Keiko with her shy smile.
He started walking down the mostly sodden path, turning and holding out his hand. "Don't want you to slip in the mud, especially with those shoes."
She took his hand easily, and even when they'd passed the worst of it, she didn't make a move to let go. He smiled, feeling her small, soft hand in his own. Together they crossed back to the lobby, and she only slipped away when the elevator arrived at their floor, Nino finding them with wry amusement in his eyes.
"Ah, there you are, Sho-chan," his friend said, absorbing the developing situation instantly. "You weren't swept out to sea."
"No," he replied, already missing her even though she was still beside him. "No, we're still fine."
"Great," Nino said. "I'm taking Aiba's car down to Naha. There's this hole in the wall soba shop I have to try. You're coming with me."
"What? Now?" he thought, panicking. Sho wasn't sure exactly what his plans with Keiko had entailed post-library, but they certainly did not include leaving her here so abruptly to drive an hour away for crappy food.
But she smiled, nodding at Nino. "You're on groom's rules this week, Sho-san. Be kind to your host."
"See, this girl gets me," his friend said, pulling out the familiar keys to the convertible. "Let's go, I'm hungry and I have an idea for a game, so let me bounce some ideas off of you."
"I'll talk to you later," she said, waving to them both. "Have a good time."
Then Nino led him away, away from the promise of Keiko and whatever the future held. Well, Sho decided, the future could be on hold at least for dinner.
--
She called up for room service, settling in for a long night in front of her laptop with nothing but Puppy Play on her mind. Puppy Play and Sho, Keiko corrected herself. It had been a calm, relaxing day despite the weather. She couldn't stop thinking about his strong, but gentle hand escorting her back. She'd decided that afternoon: the last thing she could do was let a guy like Sakurai Sho get away.
The hours passed, and there was still no noise coming from the room next to her. She was about to dress for bed when a call came up from the front desk just after midnight: "Yoshitaka-san has requested that you join her down by the indoor pool."
Keiko frowned. The last thing she wanted was to swim at this hour, but Yuriko was her hostess, and she couldn't turn her down. At the very least, she could get some confirmation about the real reason for her matchmaking habits.
She changed into her swimsuit, a little bit tamer than the one she'd seen Rola-san sporting the day before. It was a purple bikini top with matching boy shorts, and she put on a long t-shirt and another pair of shorts over it, heading down to the pool. The indoor pool officially closed at 11:00, but the staff member waiting outside the closed doors opened it for her.
"Yoshitaka-san is waiting."
The things money could buy! Even access to a pool after hours.
She didn't find Yuriko poolside, instead hearing a rather noisy "Keiko-chan!" from the hot tub area. It seemed that Yuriko liked both her food and her swimming time extra hot.
Keiko headed over, taking one of the towels from the rack and setting it down on one of the plastic lounger chairs near the hot tub. "Good evening."
"That's your swimsuit?" Yuriko complained, splashing the bubbling water a bit.
Keiko grinned, slipping out of her other clothes and setting them beside her towel. "Better?"
"Ugh, much better! Now get in, let's chat!"
Keiko couldn't help but obey, feeling the sting of the hot water before settling down beside Yuriko. She leaned back, trying to relax. "We had a nice outing at the aquarium yesterday." She decided to just bring it up. "It was just too bad that Rola-san got sick."
Yuriko laughed. "Oh their acting was probably terrible. Aiba-chan needs to stick to cooking, I think."
Keiko focused on the bubbles. "Yuriko-san, are you trying to set me and Sho-san up?"
Her companion twisted a wet tendril of hair around her finger, cocking her head. "Is it working?"
I don't need a matchmaker, Keiko wanted to say. I'm here to work for you, she wanted to say. But then she thought of Sho-san's kind eyes, his warm smile. "Too early to say," she mumbled, not wanting to really confess how much she already liked the guy one locked door away.
"Hmm," was all Yuriko could say in reply.
The two of them relaxed quietly, and for some reason, Yuriko seemed to be at a loss for words. She looked downright annoyed. She wondered if she'd said something to offend her. Keiko was just about to get up when the door opened, and she heard distinctly male voices echo off the pool walls. She fought the urge to jump out of the water and tug her t-shirt over her head as she saw Ninomiya-san (in his usual jeans and t-shirt) as well as Sho, clad in a white v-neck tee and bright red swim trunks.
"Where have you been?" Yuriko complained, splashing a bit. "Keiko-chan, forgive me, but my soon-to-be husband distinctly disobeyed my orders!"
Nino rolled his eyes. "What, I did exactly what you said...you can't swim right after you eat so we were playing video games for a while."
Sho looked confused. "What's going on?"
They were being set up...again! Keiko didn't dare move, Sho standing at the edge of the hot tub with a concerned look in his eyes as soon as Yuriko moved, heading out of the water. "Wait," Keiko murmured, but Yuriko merely wrapped herself in a towel (Keiko's towel!) and got her husband-to-be by the ear.
"You're late. And you're going to be punished."
Nino chuckled. "I guess that's my cue. Night, Sho-chan..."
"Just a moment," Sho said, reaching out for the quickly retreating couple. He turned back, and Keiko tried to sink further down in the water, hiding her shoulders.
"I was just...I was going to..."
Sho crossed his arms, looking uncomfortable. "You don't have to leave..."
The pool doors closed again, leaving the two of them inside. Alone once more, but far more tense than earlier that day at the library. For one thing, they were both wearing far less clothes.
"I think, um, I think I'll do some laps for a while?" he said, leaving her where she was and walking over to the pool.
Without the towel that Yuriko had cruelly and intentionally stolen, she'd have to get up out of the hot tub, potentially showing off a little more skin than she'd intended. Well, they were in a beach paradise, but Keiko hadn't really expected to have a cute, single guy so close, a potential boyfriend even, while she was in her swimsuit. So she stayed in the hot tub, watching with barely contained interest as Sho headed for the pool.
He clearly worked out, Keiko noticed as he slipped out of the tight t-shirt he was wearing, showing off nice abs and muscular arms. She couldn't help watching him walk around the pool, heading for the diving board. With a quick wave in her direction, he dove on in, starting his laps.
Hmm, she thought, maybe it was safe now to get up and towel off, sit by the poolside and watch him do his laps. It was growing rather stuffy in the hot tub, only more so now that she'd seen Sho-san enter in those trunks.
Just when she was about to get to her feet, she shifted the slightest bit. And then disaster struck. The absolute worst kind of timing for such a disaster. Because, to her horror, Keiko had just discovered the most wondrous jet the hot tub had to offer, and the storm of water had been positioned just right, striking her between the legs and sending a wave of enticing heat throughout her body.
"I should move," she said to herself, knowing she was already past help since she was speaking to herself out loud. I should move. I should extract myself from this situation immediately, her brain pleaded with her.
It was awful, this timing. And Yuriko had been sitting in this same spot in the hot tub only minutes earlier, her face offering no indication that she was being so thoroughly targeted by the evil machinations of the jacuzzi jet. She looked over with panicked eyes to see Sho-san's strong arms and legs lifting out of the water, propelling him back and forth.
It was all she needed to see, and all the embarrassment in the world wasn't enough to keep Keiko from settling herself back down in the water, negotiating herself with a slight lack of grace. One hand was now gripping the rail that could easily help her up and out of the tub, her lower body hopefully hidden by all the bubbling, steamy water as she slightly parted her legs.
The jet was now aimed perfectly, colliding with the thin material of her boy shorts, as though the damn jacuzzi had been designed with this purpose in mind. She tried desperately to keep a straight face, watching out across the rest of the tub to the splashing in the pool. Well, she'd sit for a minute now that she'd discovered it. And Sho-san would be none the wiser.
She'd never done something so filthy in her life, knowingly letting the jet continue funneling the pleasurable churn of water against her body while she watched Sho swim. She thought back to their day at the library together, the way it had felt when they'd held hands. Her dinner with Kou and Jun and their encouragement. Aiba and Rola's poorly enacted "tummy ache." And now this obvious set-up on Yuriko's part.
Keiko inhaled and exhaled slowly, licking her lips in nervous excitement as she watched Sho's graceful body glide through the water like one of the fish they'd watched so innocently together in the aquarium the day before. All this time he'd been hiding that body under his clothes. Keiko shifted slightly, her bottom slipping a bit on the built-in jacuzzi seat and the sensations building between her thighs only increased.
This time she gasped, grateful for the noise her oblivious companion was making in the water. As the pleasurable feelings grew, she couldn't keep from thinking about Sho-san. Sure they'd spent the day together, hours just talking and getting to know each other. But wasn't she jumping the gun with this naughty behavior?
Her body didn't seem to agree with her brain, her fingers moving downward, colliding with the jet of water briefly to ease her shorts aside, baring herself almost completely to the jet without the fabric getting in the way. "Oh!" she cried out, clapping her hand to her mouth.
But Sho kept swimming along like a darned fish. She was breathing heavily now, giving in completely to the best benefit of a near-empty indoor pool. Her fingers moved the swimsuit bottoms aside again, and the jet did its best. It thrummed against her sex with unrelenting heat and intensity, bringing her to heights she usually saved for home, her bedroom door closed to keep a prying Jack out.
Reason slipped away, and the steamy water had already left her mind a bit foggy. All she knew was that she felt wonderful, the thought of Sho being so close while she did this to herself not shameful but all the more exciting. He could get out of that pool at any second, she thought, feeling her legs slip wider apart. His shorts would be soaked, and the material would cling to him. He could catch you doing this. He might see you come...
And like that she was gone, gasping in surprise and letting the wave of pleasure wash over her. Just like that, she'd come. No preparation, no closed doors. No serious Kitagawa planning. Yuriko had wanted this for her. Yuriko wanted Keiko to turn off her thinking mind and let loose. Her body still shaking, she nervously set her shorts to rights, stepping up and out of the water, even though her legs felt like rubber. She padded slowly across the deck to wrap herself in a towel.
She could still feel the phantom jet pulsing against her, and she walked over to the shallow end of the pool, hoping she didn't look completely crazy. Her body still flush with desire, she sat down, the temperature of the pool feeling ice cold after the constant heat of the hot tub. She let her legs dangle in the water, towel carefully wrapped around her upper half.
Sho eventually noticed her at the side of the pool, paddling over with a smile. "Too much time in the hot tub? You look exhausted!"
"Oh? Do I?" she mumbled.
He laughed. "We keep getting forced into one another's company, don't we, Keiko-san?"
Her legs were still trembling. She hoped he didn't notice. "I don't mind seeing you," she admitted boldly, thanks to the hot tub courage she'd experienced. "Do you mind seeing me?"
He stood up straight, body emerging from the few feet of shallow water. All she could see was the shaky red of his trunks rippling underneath. She couldn't help focusing on his body, the cute way the pool had plastered his hair against his face, the way little beads of water dripped slowly down past his collarbone, down along his arms.
He stared up at her, the water splashing a bit as he moved toward her. She inhaled, holding her breath as he put a hand on either side of her, his chest suddenly pressed against her legs.
"Is this happening too fast?" he asked nervously, looking up at her. "I just met you. But with everything today, the time we spent together, and then Nino brought me down here, and I was ridiculously happy to see you. Is that normal? Is any of this normal?"
She exhaled. "I have no idea. This has never happened to me before. I've been..." Alone for so long, she almost blurted out, but held her tongue.
"Can you..." He looked ridiculously nervous. "Can you leave the towel? Come in with me?"
She kept her eyes down as she unwrapped the towel, setting it aside on the pool deck, stomach tumbling a bit when she heard his intake of breath at the first sight of her mostly bared body. That was a good sign, she decided.
She allowed him to take her hands, helping her to slide into the water. They stood there in the shallow end, the top of her head just about at his chin. He stood with his back to the deep end and slowly, wordlessly, he kept hold of her hands and started walking backwards.
"Sho-san," she murmured as the water grew deeper, and she started to get up on her tiptoes. By the time they made it to the rope that divided the shallow end from the deep, he'd had to release her hands, pulling them up until they were on his shoulders, and he was pulling her by her waist.
"I've got you," he promised her as he slipped them under the rope and the bottom dropped out.
She found herself clinging to him, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. She'd never been so intimate with anyone, never this fast. But there was something worth trusting about Sakurai Sho, even as his eyes darkened with obvious desire for her and he treaded water, keeping them both afloat. She pushed some of his hair away from his face, her fingers slowly tracing against his temple, down to his chin. She was completely reliant upon him holding onto her. She could swim, but she was so focused on his hands, his body pressed against hers that she was fairly certain she'd forget how if he released her.
"Tell me if this is too fast," he said. "We can go back, get out of the water. Wait for a better time."
"I can't think of a better time," she said, immediately chiding herself for how dumb that sounded.
But Sho didn't think it was dumb at all. Slowly he bridged the distance between them, and she couldn't help tasting the harshness of the pool's chlorine on his lips. It was a gentle, tentative kiss, his mouth barely grazing hers before he moved back, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
Her heart raced. "Don't be..."
This time she met him halfway, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him tighter. How long had it been since she'd even been kissed? It didn't seem to matter now, his small pecks against her lips becoming longer, more confident as they grew more comfortable with the idea. She opened her mouth to him, and he explored eagerly.
She was just tilting her head back to encourage him to kiss along her neck when the lights in the entire pool went out. Keiko jolted, thrashing a bit in panic.
"Hey!" Sho shouted into the dark. "Hey, there's still people in here!"
"Sho-san," she whimpered. "Help..."
"I've got you, I've got you," he insisted, his hand stroking her hair to try and calm her, but she needed to be on solid ground. What if they got locked in here for the night?
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry, I need to get out."
"Of course, hold on..."
His grip on her tightened, and he swam with her, her own legs kicking a little pathetically as she moved along with him.
"Here. The edge is right here." His hands were on her, maneuvering her until she found the wall of the pool. He helped her up and out, Keiko feeling much better now that she wasn't floating in the darkness. She heard a bit of sloshing, hearing Sho get out of the water beside her.
"I thought Yuriko paid for this," she heard him grumble. His voice got a little bit further away. He'd gotten to his feet. "This isn't a very nice trick."
She reached out a hand, and he found her, pulling her up. "Do you know where we are?" The last thing they needed to do was run into something, fall into the hot tub or slip on the pool deck.
His hand, wet as it was, held hers tightly. "I'll walk first, just stay with me."
She felt silly, immature, and scared over mostly nothing, and if Sho was as frightened as she was, he didn't let it show. Slowly, they inched their way along the deck. Of course, this was how Keiko's day had to go. All ready for a day alone with Sho-san? They'd been rained out. Their first kiss? Ruined.
Eventually there was a bit of a clang, and Sho cried out in surprise. "Towel rack!"
"Towel rack," she parroted back, the both of them grateful to find towels to wrap around them. "What about our clothes? Our keycards?"
"We'll get someone to put the lights on so we can get them..." He sounded hesitant. "Well, once we find the door."
It didn't take half as long to find their way, knowing there were no watery traps waiting for them between the towel area and the door. They were both in just wet swimsuits and towels, though, and when they made it to the door it was locked.
She felt him squeeze her hand. "They probably saw Yuriko-san and Nino leave and didn't think to check."
Her initial fright was wearing off and wearing off rather quickly now that she was dripping wet and her first romantic encounter in ages had been rudely interrupted. The earlier highs from the hot tub, the feeling of being held in Sho's arms, the touch of his soft lips against hers...that had been stolen from her. She'd waited so long for this. So long for something this perfect.
No more Miss Nice Keiko.
"Oi!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, banging on the pool door with her fist. "There are people in here! Oi!"
Sho started laughing hysterically as she continued to shout, adding to her noise. It took a solid minute of protesting before she could hear hurried footsteps in the hall, a jangle of keys.
Then there was harsh, fluorescent light as the door was flung open, a man Keiko recognized from the concierge looking horrified. "I'm so sorry!" he said, staring at the two of them. "We thought..."
"Turn the lights on!" she demanded, not feeling very polite after the fright she'd just suffered. The employee obeyed, immediately fearing her wrath. The lights were apparently on a timer, only giving them some dim light to work with. Sho, nearly keeling over from laughing, ordered her to stay at the door while he retrieved his things from one of the chairs by the pool, then headed for her own stuff by the jacuzzi.
"Shall I turn on the lights in the shower area so you can clean off?" the employee asked.
"I just want to go to my room," she complained.
Sho kept his distance, clearly trying not to smile as he clutched his t-shirt against him. Keiko pulled her shirt and shorts back on, and the employee led them to a freight elevator so they wouldn't have to stomp through the main lobby.
Despite Keiko's rudeness, the employee escorted them both to their rooms, offering them each a free meal from room service. Keiko was soaking wet, tired, and irritated. She said nothing, swiping her card and entering her room, slamming the door like a child.
She let her wet clothes and the borrowed pool towel hit the floor, her tears of frustration falling before she even closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower.
--
Did everything he touch have to go so horribly? Sho entered his room, thanking the hotel employee for his assistance. He was still shaking. The lights going out had nearly made him wet himself, which would have been great with a pretty woman in his arms. Thankfully he kept it in and had managed to get the both of them to safety. Much as it had been hysterical to hear her flip on her anger switch and scream their way out of the pool (quiet, calm Keiko bellowing like an old drunk man at a bar), there was little else to be thrilled about.
He sighed, locking the door and heading for the shower. He could still imagine Keiko's body, the way her swim bottoms had clung so perfectly to her hips. He found himself grumbling into the shower spray, knowing just how perfectly their first kiss had gone and how quickly things had turned ridiculous. They should have still been down there, learning one another. Hell, maybe they could have done more than make out in the water.
He'd kissed her. He'd kissed her! And now she was in her room, upset. She could forever link "kissing that Sakurai guy at the wedding" with pure terror. What a wonderful association. Thoroughly clean again, he turned off the shower and pulled on a clean pair of boxers, heading to turn down the bed.
He'd kissed Keiko, and everything about it had felt right, only for it to be snatched away. Had the universe been trying to tell him something in that moment? Keiko was perfect, everything he wanted. But maybe he didn't deserve perfect? Maybe they were going to get back to Tokyo, and they'd never meet up again. He'd lose her number or get caught up in work and never call her. She'd be off in her high-powered advertising job, surrounded by interesting, creative people. She'd be okay without a boring accountant like him, he supposed.
His wallowing was cut short by a knock at the adjoining door. Here he was, whining about what he'd already lost when she was still on the other side of the wall.
He moved quickly, only realizing that he hadn't bothered to put on his pants or a shirt until he'd already flung the door open. She was standing there with the faint glow of one of the living room lamps behind her, clad in a simple green tank top and matching shorts, her dripping wet hair falling over her shoulders. She looked him up and down before holding out a hair dryer.
"Mine's...not working," she mumbled. "Could I borrow yours?"
The hair dryer fell from her fingers and hit the floor as he moved, forcing himself over her threshold to take her face between his hands. She kissed him back, hard, not the gentle, test drive kisses from the pool. Let the lights go out, Sho decided. Let the hotel go up in flames. This time, he didn't really care.
She moaned, the most perfect sound, arching against him as they stood there in the middle of the room, unwilling to let each other go. He held her against him, his fingers slipping under her tank top to find her soft skin. Her mouth was warm and soft, but she broke away, pressing kisses to his chin, his jaw. In that moment, he knew he wouldn't be satisfied with just kissing her and going back to his room. He was way past that moment, had been since he'd opened his door and realized he was unwilling to let this chance slip away.
She pressed her body against his, and she had to know how badly he wanted her, had to feel him hard against her. If she said no, she said no. But if she didn't...
She didn't. Slipping out of his arms, they skipped the bedroom and made for her kitchen, the welcome basket still sitting there on the counter. They'd been surrounded by people having sex for days. Even if Keiko didn't have anyone sharing a wall with her, Sho had. He'd heard it from there, had heard it in the halls. Maybe now someone else would have to listen.
Keiko moved, putting her back to the kitchen counter and pulling Sho along. She put her head back, long wet hair falling away from her shoulders as he tugged up her tank top. Her breasts were small, round, and just right. Her nipples were hard, eager for his attention, and he bent down, bringing the warmth of his mouth against one, hearing her sigh appreciatively. He kneaded the other, squeezing to hear her gasp. He switched to her other breast, taking his time to please her. It had been so long since he'd had sex that he was probably going to embarrass himself - at least he could try and give her a good time first.
He kissed his way down, leaving her breasts, her body quivering as he moved down her stomach. She grabbed him by his hair, tugging him back up to her mouth again. "We've got a few days to find what we like," she admitted, her voice huskier, full of need. "But I don't think I can wait, sorry."
"Don't apologize," he managed to stammer out, leaving her to start digging through the pile of condoms in her own gift basket. Surely there had to be a halfway normal one in the bunch, squinting in the dim light at some flavored ones and some with Hello Kitty. His fingers sent several of them scattering off the counter and onto the floor when she slid her shorts off, kicking them away before starting to tug at his boxers. She'd been so sweet, so shy. His body seemed to roar at the aggression radiating from her now.
He gave up and grabbed the first wrapper in front of him, tearing it open with his teeth as she yanked his boxers to the floor. He stepped out of them, spitting the edge of the wrapper out. "Do you want to go to the bedroom?"
"No," she replied simply, moving to lean forward against the counter and spreading her legs, the bottom of her green shirt just skimming across the top of her perfect ass. Everything about this woman was perfect, except for him not being inside her right then and there.
Their first time, and she wanted it like this. Quick, crude, primal. Fine by him. Clearly what had happened down at the pool had frustrated her, enraged her. She wasn't looking for romance and candlelight, not now. He really owed her better than he was going to give her, he thought nervously, rolling the condom onto himself. He came up behind her, sliding a finger against her shirt, down her spine. "How would you like it?"
She didn't even hesitate.
"Rough."
He pressed up against her, smelling a combination of her sweet shampoo and her wicked need, reaching a hand around to touch her. She was wet, crying out at the feeling of his hand between her legs. He'd have time to find out what she liked, she'd said. Implying that she didn't want this to be the last. They had time, he thought. Plenty of time.
Despite her demands, he positioned himself carefully, slowly entering her from behind as her grip tightened on the sink. She was so warm, so tight, that he almost lost himself then and there. Instead he pushed in and out a few times, letting her adjust to the feeling of him inside her. He put his hands on her hips, feeling her start to push back against him to match his rhythm.
"Keiko," he muttered, shutting his eyes and pulling her against him, deeper and deeper each time. He could hear her breath coming out in rough bursts now, urging him along. Once he thought she'd gotten used to him, he decided to obey her to the letter. She cried out in surprise at the change of pace, but didn't tell him to stop as he moved against her, his fingers digging into her hips, the sound of skin smacking unrelentingly against skin. She wants it rough, give her rough.
He heard his name then, groaning at the sound of it falling from her lips with such abandon. "More," she demanded. "More!"
But the combination of a warm body after so long and her sultry demands unraveled him, and he couldn't hold out. He came, rocking against her desperately and praying with his last coherent thought that he hadn't been a complete disappointment.
Gently, he moved away from her. "I'll...I'll clean up in my room..."
"Okay," she replied, not having moved an inch.
"Do you want me to..."
"...come back?" she finished for him. "Will you?"
Well, Sho decided, still in a happy daze. She wasn't devastated or anything. A good sign. He dropped a quick kiss to her shoulder, cleaning up in his bathroom before moving back through the two adjoining doors, both thrown wide in their need to be together.
He found her just climbing into bed, still only in the tank top. Of course, he'd walked out and walked back in stark naked, and she didn't freak. Another good sign. She settled down on one half of the bed, patting a spot next to her.
"Usually there's a cat."
"Oh?" he asked, slightly confused.
"I meant my cat. I have a cat. At home." She blushed. "I'm not so good at talking. Um, after."
The woman who'd so easily pulled his boxers to the tile and asked for rough sex in the middle of the kitchen was still there, if her damp, mussed hair and dark eyes were anything to go on. But the sweet Keiko, the one he'd known these past few wonderful days...she was there too. And Sho liked that, really liked that.
"Should I put some clothes on?" he asked.
"Should I?" she asked, cocking her head.
He smiled, climbing into the bed beside her, lying on his back and putting his arms behind his head, thoroughly pleased. And to think, he'd thought it was all over. It was really just beginning.
She shut off the lamp on the nightstand, and for the first time in more than a year, Sakurai Sho fell asleep with his arm wrapped around the body of someone warm and perfect. And his.
Part Five