Tempt me if you can (chapter 3)
Title: Tempt me if you can - chapter 3
Previous chapter: >1< >2<
Also available @ Ao3, LJ, DW
**
It's in the private villa of a wealthy businessman; incidentally enough, one of his relatives was involved with the company that marked the Ohara valuables back then, and he committed suicide two years ago.
Incidentally enough, Ryo-chan texted me a few hours ago, saying he's going there after having been called by the businessman himself who specifically told him: “the one I own is an exquisite copy of the Water Lilies, but apparently the thief Yamaneko likes stealing fake paintings nowadays, and that means I’m not safe anymore.”
If the idiot thinks he can bamboozle Ryo-chan, he's a real idiot. Having protected the fake painting during these recent years, Ryo-chan would now recognize every little detail of it, which is to say he would probably be able to detect the real painting.
Which is to say my Ryo-chan could be in danger.
That’s the only thing I can think about on our way to the villa. Kame-chan is also pretty silent, which is quite unusual of him. I guess he senses it too… there’s something weird about this whole thing. And then we can see it from our hiding: the man is showing Ryo-chan the Water Lilies canvas, and Ryo-chan does seem nervous, to my eyes, however carrying that very peculiar captivating gaze… the one saying he won’t forgive anyone making fun of him like that. The man suddenly brushes the back of Ryo’s fingers with his own, and I feel like burning inside. Hey!
I snatch one of the ear buds from Kame-chan’s ear, gaining a nasty look from my fellow colleague, but I don’t care.
“This painting is like no other… but you saw it already, right? You’re a witty one,” he’s saying, “and I’d love you to work with me. I can pay you thousands of times more than the ridiculous wage the museum offered you. Just let me tell you that you are wasted as a security guard, even more as a detective. Life in this villa won’t be boring anymore, Nishikido-san. It will just come with your silence about this little painting. The silence, and the promise you’ll be allowed to look after it as much as you want. So? How about it?”
“What I actually find ridiculous is your proposition, sir,” Ryo-chan replies. His normally hoarse sexy voice sounds cold and sharp like a razor now. “And I am afraid to tell you so, but this painting will come back with me. Inspector Murakami and Detective Yokoyama are on their way to this place, and thanks to your voluntary confession, we don’t even need to further investigate you.”
“They’ll have to bring back a corpse, then,” the man says, and to my utmost horror, he points a gun at Ryo-chan’s face. Ryo doesn’t move, while I cannot even breathe anymore. I turn towards Kame-chan, searching for help, but he’s not here by my side anymore.
“Sorry to disturb the finest conversation ever, but this painting will come back home with me,” I hear Yamaneko say, and I mentally curse him for being such a drama queen always. His sudden appearance is enough for Ryo to hit the man’s arm, make him lose his grip on the gun and make me breathe from relief.
What I know next, though, as I reach the villa myself, is that both Yamaneko and Ryo-chan are engaging a serious fight against the man’s bodyguards that appeared from nowhere, and the man is trying to flee with the original Water Lilies painting. It’s almost too easy for me to snatch it from his hands, convinced as he is that he had left all enemies in his living room. The approaching sirens of the police also convince me that he has nowhere to go anymore and still, it’s not over. I’m jumping up over the table to go back to Yamaneko’s side and I manage to give him the painting, but what I do see next is Ryo running with all his might towards me, pushing me and screaming something I cannot hear properly. And then, he’s collapsed in my arms and there’s blood all over his chest.
He’s unconscious. And I’m dying inside. I’m dying with the one I love.
**
He's my man, Nishikido Ryo.
No one can harm him or take him away from me. No one.
I cannot stop crying.
Since I’ve apparently been in shock up until an hour ago, Kame-chan had to call for help and somehow, with the help of his boyfriend, they managed to wriggle the four of us away from the hustle of the police arresting the man and his thugs. Then, they had Ryo-chan and me safe at my place. Kame-chan told me it took a long while to persuade me to let go of Ryo-chan’s bleeding body. I don’t remember a single thing. All I can think about is that moment… of him falling like a limp body into my arms.
Kame-chan forced me to take a sleeping pill, while Yamapi took care of Ryo-chan’s wounded shoulder. And then, when I woke up, they told me the operation went okay, that Ryo-chan is strong and that he would be a brand new man in a short span of time. While I nodded, I couldn’t stop crying. They left with the painting, and I’ve been staying at Ryo-chan’s side ever since.
He’s so beautiful, even in his sleep, even while bearing such pain.
I cannot help but look at him with teary eyes when he opens his eyelids, wincing from pain.
"Hey…" I hiccup, in a broken voice.
"Hey..." he replies, and tries to raise an arm to caress my wet cheek but fails, for the tight bandage on his shoulder reminds him of the pain from the shot.
"I must be a very lucky guy, if I can wake up and see such a divine creature even when in Paradise.”
I shake my head.
“I’m afraid this is no Paradise… it's just me. It’s totally my fault you got shot. My fault only. And I'm not beautiful at all, you see? If you had never met me, you would have never ended up with a gun hole in your shoulder. That’s for sure."
A tear escapes my mask and lands straight on Ryo’s cheek.
"If I had never met you, I would not know what being myself means," he mutters in reply. "I’ve never seen your face indeed, but I can tell, so far, you must be an incredibly beautiful person. That’s what you are, to me, at least."
He slowly raises his other arm and his index finger starts tracing the profile of my concealed nose and the shape of my eyes, before allowing his fingers to brush a few of my strands of hair off my masked forehead.
"Kobo-chan..."
"I'm no Kobo-chan to you," I cut him off, "I'm-“
And then I stop dead. Who am I, to him? The real me, Tadayoshi the freeter model, can he face him proudly? I am not sure, and still, I let Ryo-chan's curious fingers pull up the mask, as gentle as a feather, and reveal my eyes, my bangs falling over my eyes, my tears even.
I can see him stop breathing for a moment, and maybe I’m equally short of breath myself.
“You do really look like a little Kobo-chan”, he says, in the sweetest voice ever. Ryo cups my cheek, looking mesmerized almost. His wandering fingers end up caressing my shaved nape, where I’m the weakest, and I moan softly.
“Won't you tell me your real name? Please?” He asks me.
“It's not beautiful,” I object.
“It's yours, though, hence relevant.”
Why does he make me feel like he can conquer everything about me?
“It's Tadayoshi,” I finally sigh. “It reeks of old, right?”
“No, it does not. Tadayoshi…,” he slowly repeats. And I really wonder why in Ryo-chan’s mouth my name indeed doesn't sound ugly at all.
“Tada-“
I kiss him, to shut him up.
“I never said you could use it to your heart’s content,” I hiss into his mouth.
“Can't I, Tadayoshi?” He mocks me, despite his condition.
“There's a price coming along with it.”
“I’m willing to pay for it,” he insists.
"You'll have to make love to me,” I blurt out.
Man, I’m the worst. Asking him to such extent, right when he’s in such pain because of my own doing. When I should just apologize and disappear from his life.
He doesn’t reply immediately and stares at me, instead.
“Is this supposed to be blackmail?”
“I'm a bad guy, after all,” I remind him.
He chuckles, or he would like to, but the pain stops him abruptly and he hisses instead.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to-“
“This does not sound as a punishment at all, to me” he tells me, breathing deeply to lessen the pain. “I was just wondering whether I’d manage… I’m pretty unable to move,” he sighs.
“I'll take care,” I hear myself reply.
“Are you really sure? I know it’s shameful of me, but it's been so long since the last time I-“
“I'll take care,” I insist. He stares at me, just like I keep staring at his black charming eyes.
We don't mention it, the way we feel. It would be pretty pointless, anyway.
His free hand pulls me down to him. I steal a kiss from his lips, while his thumb keeps creating small circles on my nape, making me numb and triumphant at the same time.
The truth is, there's something else I want to show him, after my real face and my name, even.
It’s me, naked.
It’s a bit awkward, the striptease I offer him. I shiver, and my fingertips are nervous when fumbling with the zipper of my black leather jeans. I suppose that cannot be helped, for I'm used to have people staring at me when I model for work, but Ryo-chan's definitely being a totally different kind of one. He might be holding his breath while looking at me, but his eyes locked on my body are making me feel like a puddle of messy emotions.
I am bold under his soft gaze; I pull down his jeans and boxer shorts and then I straddle him, sitting carefully on his lap, proud of the effect my nudity alone is having on his hardening cock.
I let my thumbs toy with my own nipples, under his curious eyes. I can still remember the way he touched me there once. The memory is vivid enough to make me close my eyes while I pinch my sensitive skin. Ryo moans loudly, as if he's the one being caressed to this extent, and when I open my eyes, I can see his cock is clearly responding. I cannot help but take it in my hands and stroke it vigorously from base to tip. Ryo howls, and I wanna howl, too. He's too beautiful for this world.
It doesn’t take long to realize I’m leaking already, right on Ryo's thigh. He smiles when he notices, and he slowly caresses my inner thigh to see more of me, losing control. I rub myself shamelessly against him and the muscles of Ryo-chan's leg harden just for me, right for me to increase the extent of my incessant rubbing, until I come just from frottage, howling ridiculously and panting hard, a beast in the need for unbecoming caresses.
I come between his legs and I want him to feel the same, and even better.
I want him inside of me, I want his cock to throb within me. I want to be his, now and eternally. His cock is hard, glistening with precum, so beautiful.
I like beautiful things.
I bend and take him in my mouth, and I hear Ryo-chan cry from sheer pleasure.
I know, now, that it's the very first time for him. He revealed to me that he's never fucked anyone's mouth before.
I'll make it glorious. I'll make it ours.
"Please tell me if it hurts anywhere," I tell him, before resuming my sucking.
"Please tell me you're not going to stop now, please," he whines, and his cheeks are so red, his forehead so sweaty and his bangs so messy that I cannot help but find him terribly cute, even now. His hips seem about to explode for real while he frantically pushes for the pleasure he’s desperately seeking, and I lick him in an even more obscene way, scraping the skin with my teeth. And then he’s roaring with pleasure, coming straight into my mouth, and I feel like an accomplished bitch.
I squeeze his cock affectionately after I’m done and move to kiss his mouth, before I remember that maybe he doesn't like it, finding his own taste on my tongue. But he kisses me back harder instead, so I guess it's a yes. His free hand pushes me more into him and we make out like crazy again, cocks dying from impatience again as we rub against each other in a rather explicit way.
He flinches a little because of his shoulder, and I ask him if he wants me to be more careful, since I'm not exactly a light weight.
"You're the purest of drugs," he giggles, and I swear I could come again on this only but no, this time I want to please him more, and better.
“Fuck me,” he orders me from his pretty mouth. “Please fuck me hard, Tadayoshi.”
“No way,” I retort, “You’re wounded, and there’s something way better we can do together.”
“Eh?”
With his cock in my hands, I'm ruling the night. I’m slowly descending on his hardness, rolling my hips to be fucked to the bones, while Ryo-chan’s lips are singing a dirty litany I definitely want to know more about.
He’d love to vocally protest about my resolution, but he cannot. He’s too busy focusing on the provoking lovemaking we’re being trapped in.
This is sex like I've rarely had it. Sexy and sweet, glorious. Unprecedented.
With him buried inside me, I'm dying inside, and will be born again. The Tadayoshi he's loving. It's me, starting from tonight.
The orgasm catches the both of us completely off-guard, with him thrusting into me like he should not, and me coming straight on his stomach, right before slumping shamelessly against him.
He kisses my forehead, my nose and my temple, still panting hard. He looks so exhausted and yet, so serene and peaceful.
“… I finally caught you,” he murmurs then, smiling softly. I kiss his nose, with a lump in my throat.
Morning finds us still horny and naked and cuddly, with his hands palming my ass and mine on his hip, and us making out again with me carefully making sure I don't hurt him where's wounded.
I cannot stop looking at his content face. He's a mess, but the good kind of one. He looks tired and sweet, hot and mellow. He looks mine, just mine. To think I’ve been so close to losing him forever. That doesn’t have to happen anymore.
Now that I think about it… I hope Kame-chan won't butt in as usual. Not that I would care that much, but I would not appreciate him staring at my naked man too easily.
That is why I listlessly have to tear myself away from the temptation that Ryo-chan is, and head to the kitchen to write Kame-chan an e-mail, asking for a quick meeting about what to do with the Water Lilies painting. I have yet to ask myself what to do with Ryo-chan knowing my secret, actually.
I leave him there, in my bed, asking him not to move and promising him I’ll be back soon. At Kame-chan’s apartment, we discuss it: Ryo-chan has basically disappeared from the crime scene yesterday night, wound and painting and everything, but we do agree that the most simple thing to do is to hand him the painting and all the credits for its rescue.
We never intended to keep the original painting to start with.
“Is it okay for you if we let your boyfriend take all the credit for the fake thing issue?” Kame-chan asks me.
“He's not my boyfriend,” I quickly correct him.
“Oh really, not yet?”
I bite my lip. We haven't exactly talked about it, but it's too complicated, when you're a thief in love with a special detective and besides, he’s already risked way too much for me. I cannot let him.
“It shows, you know?” Kame sweetly tells me. “That you've just had the best sex marathon of your whole life.”
I have the decency of blushing faintly, just like Kame-chan has the decency of sparing me more of his usual irony. He knows, just like I know, that there’s no future for Ryo-chan and me out there.
That I’ll have to tell him, as soon as I come back home, that it’s been amazing, but it’s over anyway.
I needn’t say a word, though. Ryo-chan is already gone from my apartment. Without a word, without a message. The only thing left about his presence are my sheets stained in his blood and crumpled from our massive lovemaking.
This is so ridiculous. A policeman fled from the house of a thief.
I wanna cry. I knew something like this had to happen and still, I feel so sad.
For an instant, I wonder if maybe I’ve always been wrong about him. What if he reports me to the police? He knows my name and my address now. Plus, he had no reason for disappearing like that.
I call Kame-chan and inform him of the latest news. I also ask him the favour of delivering the painting and all the papers we gathered for this in a dossier at Ryo-chan’s place, all by himself. I do not feel like seeing him right now. And it’ll take some time for this to heal.
Two days later, we see it on the television: the famous Monet painting has been found and will be coming back to the Ohara museum soon. Just like Nishikido is, after resigning from his special appointment in order to resume his job as a security guard at the museum. The police wanted to offer him a badge for his bravery and for delivering all the details about the Water Lilies case, but he’s apparently refused it all, credits included.
"I am very happy I could work with Inspector Murakami and Detective Yokoyama during these months, but the truth is I definitely cannot take credit at all, as for what this case is concerned,” he says to the press urging him for some explanation. “All the information has been provided by some people I unfortunately cannot name directly. It would not please their policy and thus, I’ll be respecting their choice. Even so, please do not look at me anymore. The painting is back to its original place, and I’ll be happy to humbly serve the Ohara museum again, should they be happy to have me back as part of their staff. And that is all I have to say on the matter,” Ryo-chan concludes, bowing deeply at the cameras.
When I turn off the television, I start crying helplessly, like a child.
**
( chapter 4)