Akira Tong for Christmas (15 page)

His fingers dug into my waist as he worked me on and off his cock in a near frenzy. Those reckless eyes moved from my bouncing tits to my pussy as I screamed. The muscles in his arms and shoulders rippled as he moved my pussy over his shaft, his chest and abs shimmering with sweat and flexing with every thrust.

He stopped again, throwing his head back. We both gasped in the brief pause. He pulled out of me and flipped me on my stomach. He pushed me up till I was at the headboard. I latched on to the spindles and cried out when he shoved my legs as wide open as they could go. He rubbed the head of his cock over my clit for an entire minute, until my ass squirmed from the heat.

I glanced back, wanting to see. “God, Aki, fuck me.”

“Tell me again,” he rasped, wiggling the head rapidly over my clit as he tickled my pussy with his fingers then wet my ass with his cock

I was undone. “Fuck me, please!”

His strong fingers gripped my hips and pulled me onto his cock. I held the spindles tight, creating a resistance that made him growl and jerk harder.

“Fuck, you look good. Rub your clit for me.”

I quickly released one hand and buried my fingers between my wet folds. My face was plastered to the bed, hair everywhere. Akira pushed my legs wide again, then lifted my hips till my ass was higher.

“Play with your pretty pussy while I fuck you. Make yourself come all over me.” I obeyed his rasped command, moaning incessantly. I felt a small pressure between my ass cheeks and cried out, “Yes, yes.” I loved when he fingered me there.

“Mmm.” He worked the tip of a wet finger inside in tiny increments.

I gripped the spindle with one hand, trying to see what he was doing, while steadily rubbing circles on my clit.

“Fuck, you’re so hot like this,” he gasped. He slammed into me again, using his hip motion, one hand gripping my waist. The feeling of his fingertip teasing my ass was out of this world, and I matched the rhythm on my clit that was ready to explode.

My cries increased.

“Yes, yes, come on me,” Akira demanded.

The orgasm was so intense I squealed through my long, hard shudders. Before I was quite done, Akira roared and fell on top of me. He grabbed hold of the spindles, his pelvis pushing into my spread ass cheeks as he flicked his hips while buried deep. He filled my ear with the amazing sound of his orgasm, delicious and guttural.

The whole ordeal was so overwhelming we both fell asleep in the aftermath, me nestled perfectly into his body. The only thing I remembered were the sighed words, “Merry Christmas, baby,” before rapturous oblivion claimed me.

* * * *

I woke up cold.

I stretched and moaned and made my way to the bathroom. Wonder what Akira was up to now. I put on a robe and went in hunt of my hunky Asian fiancé. I giggled with giddy joy, staring at the huge diamond ring on my finger as I went.

I hoped he was getting food. I was starving. I dug into the little fridge, desperate. Mmm, orange juice. I guzzled it, then went through the apartment, grinning at all the decorations. I ended in his room and sat on his bed, swinging my feet and gazing around. I got up and headed to his bathroom for his cologne.

Just the smell of it got me off.

I smiled at my reflection in the mirror, then lifted my hand and showed off my ring. “How do you do, Mrs. Tong.” I batted my lashes. “Oh, very well, thank you.” I paraded the ring slowly, making it sparkle.

My eyes landed on the counter. I turned to the shower. I frowned and went into his bedroom, my heart beating too fast. I opened the closet and froze. I spun around and ran to his drawers, opening and shutting each. Oh my God. Where was everything?

I hurried to my bedroom. He’d probably moved his stuff there. I threw open the closet and covered my mouth, refusing the sob. No. No, this wasn’t right. Something was very wrong here.

I ran into the foyer, searching. I froze when my eyes caught a square envelope on the center of the big desk. I hurried to it and ripped it open with trembling hands.

I love you more than my own life. There will never be another woman besides you. Please don’t
ever doubt that. And know that I left for reasons beyond my control. I’ll die inside without you. But at
least you’ll live safely.

Forgive me.

Love,

Aki

I struggled to control my breaths. I yanked up the phone and called his cell. Off. I slammed the phone down, numb inside. I watched from inside my head as strange fingers speed-dialed Anna’s phone.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Anna.” I barely got the word out.

“Sarah? What? What’s wrong?”

“Anna.” I choked out her name, unable to say any more.

“Dammit, Sarah, what’s wrong?” she said, panicked.

“Aki.”

“Aki? Akira? What happened to him?”

“He’s gone!”

Silence ensued for ten seconds. “What happened, sweetie?”

A sob finally forced its way out of me, raw and bitter, leading to an avalanche of uncontrollable crying and screaming.

“God, Sarah, I’m on my way. Stay there. Don’t move.” She was sobbing too now. That was how it was with us. When it came to emotional pain, we felt each other’s like it was our own.

“No! You’re sick!”

“Dammit, I’ve been fine for three days. It’s been over a week since I fell sick. I’m coming. You can explain what in God’s name has happened when I get there.”

And that was that.

Chapter Fourteen

Eight hours later, the doorbell rang, and I ran to it. I threw open the door and flew into Anna’s arms, my sobs returning with a vengeance.

“Oh my God, Sarah, please stop this.” She was crying again too as she shut the door and led me inside. “Talk to me, honey, please. Let me help fix this.”

I lifted my hand and she gasped at the huge diamond. “What is that?”

“Aki. Asked me to marry him,” I barely squealed out.

Her mouth gradually opened wider with her eyes. “He did? And where is he?” I pulled the crumpled note out of my pocket and handed it to her. She read it. “Oh, no. What happened?”

“I don’t know. I mean…I think I know. Akira and I fell in love, and his father said he had to marry another woman for business, and he didn’t want to, and they were so mean to him, and they found out about us, and his father was furious and disowned him and left. Then I woke up the next day, Christmas day, and…” I gestured all around, stifling a sob. “To this. Akira did all this, knowing how much I loved Christmas; did you know he didn’t celebrate it?” Anna nodded in sympathy. “And he did this all for me and then proposed to me.” I held up the ring. “And we made love, and it was so wonderful, and we fell asleep, and when I woke up, he was gone!” I wept bitterly, holding my chest. “It hurts, Anna. It hurts so bad. I love him. I love him so much.”

Her face twisted up with a sob, and she hugged me. “Shhh, he loves you too, sweetie. We’ll get to the bottom of this. You’ll see. You know we will.” She pushed me away and shook me a little. “You know I will,” she warned with those you-forget-who-you’re-talking-to eyes.

A flutter of hope surged, and I grasped it. “W-what can we do?”

“For starters, we find out why he left. And then we’ll go from there. Right now. Get your ass dressed. I can’t stand to see you all bedraggled. Dress like you mean business, ’cause Lucille Ball, you got some doin’ that needs done, and you and I will do it.”

I hugged her then ran off and did as I was told, hope thumping life through me. When I was done, Anna had coffee served and food ordered.

“How did you know I was starving?”

“Lucky guess,” she mumbled at the desk, peering at the laptop screen.

“Anything?”

“I’m afraid so. Come here.”

I went on trembling legs and choked on horror when I saw. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” I covered my mouth with a hand.

Anna read. “His father had a heart attack on the plane. Died four hours after landing, at the hospital.”

“Oh my God.” I sobbed, my heart hurting for Akira. “Why wouldn’t he tell me?” She pointed lower on the screen. “Looks like he’s inherited the empire, sweetie. He had to return to take over.”

“So? Why leave me for that? I would’ve gone with him and stood by his side.”

“Sweetie?” She pointed again to the screen.

I read it carefully. “Oh my God, no. No, that can’t be. That’s the bitch he was supposed to marry.

The one he hates.”

She sighed, tapping her pen on the desk. “Well, for some reason he thinks he has to go through with the marriage, or I don’t believe he would.”

“Damn obligations, that’s why!” My poor Aki. “He’s no doubt ripped to shreds with guilt about this and is doing it out of obligation.” Pain stabbed my chest. Then I remembered. “No. No, that can’t be it. He wanted his brother to take the company. Why not just give it to him? Let his brother marry the slut?” I shook my head. “There has to be another reason.”

“Well, who is this woman, anyway? Maybe knowing that will help us solve that puzzle.”

“Miss Universe, for one.”

She snickered, thinking I was joking.

“Oh, no, I’m dead serious.” I nodded. “And she’s a whore.”

Anna got back on the computer. “We need to find out about this family. As much as we can.” She sucked in a breath. “Oh, my.”

“Oh, what?”

“She’s the daughter of the Yamaguchi family.”

“The Yama-what?”

“Part of the yakuza, like the mafia, only Japanese.” She typed again and hit Enter.

I read the article that came up. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Japanese mafia? What in the hell do they want to merge with a fashion business for?” I screeched.

Anna shook her head, digging more. “Talk about dirty laundry,” she mumbled. “I’ve heard of fashion police, but not fashion mafia.”

I took another huge bite of hamburger, forcing the food past the boulder of fear and despair. But I needed my strength if I was to rescue Aki.

“Ohhhh, lookie here. Rumors of black-market dealings.” She tsk-tsked. “What on earth was Akira’s father into?”

I stopped chewing and read. “I don’t get it,” I mumbled around a mouthful of food. “What are they dealing? Crack-laced belts and purses? High-heel guns? I mean, come on, this doesn’t add up.”

“Maybe it has nothing to do with the fashion and just the money merging. Maybe his father owed money?”

“The man is filthy rich,” I protested, slurping my cola dry.

“That don’t mean a damn thing, honey.”

“So what do we do?”

She let out a fat sigh. “Happy New Year’s, Japan.”

“What does that mean?”

“I mean, we’re going to Japan for New Year’s.”

“For what?” My stomach nearly upchucked my food with the idea.

“I don’t know, Lucille. You tell me?” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing me.

I thought about it, then shook my head, coming up empty. “I don’t know enough to know what to do.”

“Then we go over there and find out from Akira and go from there.”

“Go there? But I don’t… I mean I can’t…”

“Oh my word!” Anna smacked her forehead, gasping a laugh. “You still have your visa from last year when you’d planned to go see Uncle Raymond, and you chickened out and played sick. This is fate!”

“What? I didn’t chicken out. I was sick—”

“Never mind that.” She waved her hand. “Thing is, I have my work visa, and you have your visa.” She sucked in her breath, thinking. “Hope yours isn’t expired.” She looked at me. “How long was that visa for? Please don’t say a year.”

I stared at her desperately hopeful face. “Two years,” I whispered, plopping in a chair, feeling weak with the notion I’d actually see Akira again. I chewed my lower lip, remembering Akira’s words. “I think…maybe it might be dangerous.”

She quirked her brow.

“Akira said his father would destroy me and my family if I got in the way. My guess is…the other party will likely feel the same.”

“So we disguise you,” she said, undeterred.

“Disguise me? As what, who?”

She shrugged, eyes wide. “I don’t know. Whatever you need to get close to him and find out information without you being found out.”

I thought about it. “Maybe something to do with fashion?”

Her brows gradually rose. “Now you’re thinking. What about textiles? Fabrics?”

“Like a vendor?”

She got busy at the computer again. “How about…a consultant? From America?”

“I don’t know anything about it.”

“You didn’t know anything about being a tour guide either,” she reminded me.

“Well, isn’t one stupid, daring act enough in a lifetime?”

She stared at me. “You want him or not?”

I returned her stare a few seconds, then bobbed my finger at the computer. “Make me a cheat sheet.

I’ll wing it.”

She grinned and got busy. “That’s my girl.”

“They’ll likely recognize me, though, or be suspicious.”

“Maybe they would…” Her gaze slid over me. “If you’re dressed as a woman.” I frowned. “You think I should go as a man?”

“It would certainly be less suspicious.”

I imagined the Lucille Ball scenario in my mind. “It could work,” I said, ignoring the catastrophes that always ensued with her every endeavor.

“Of course it can work, silly.”

Wow. Why did that sound exactly like something Ethel would say?

* * * *

“We look like Angelina Jolie in
Salt
. Except with smaller lips.” We hurried toward the cab waiting for us at the airport terminal. Anna grinned. Of course she’d take it as a compliment. “As in we stick out like a sore thumb and look stupid.”

We climbed in after stuffing our luggage into the trunk and gave directions to the hotel nearest Akira’s work.

Anna leaned toward me and whispered, “As soon as we get settled, I’ll inquire about the latest brouhaha.”

I nodded several times, and Anna elbowed me. “It’ll be fine. Stop worrying.” I nodded the same way again, and she rolled her heavily lined eyes. She was gorgeous, really. Funny how I could see it in her and not in me even though we were identical twins. Not funny—annoying.

“You come to see New Year? Here for
Joya no Kane
?” The driver craned his neck with an enormous smile, eyes disappearing behind upside-down crescent moons.