Tokyo Tease (5 page)

Fortunately, meetings and fast-approaching deadlines filled my workday. I didn’t have time to obsess over the action on the train. Oh, thoughts of leaning into Kentaro’s erection tried to occupy my mind, but I didn’t have the time to savor them.

After work, I stopped by Isetan, the major department store on the eastside of the Shinjuku Station. Sales clerks bowed when I walked through the door. The overpowering aroma of cosmetics and perfumes assaulted my nose, making my eyes water. I rode the tiny, steep escalator to the third floor and stepped off into Size Shop, which was next to Tall Size Shop. Brightly lit with pulsating techno-pop blaring the “plus-size” section of ladies’ wear didn’t offer a peaceful shopping environment. Then again, with my nerves and level of sexual arousal, peace could only be found in one place…Kentaro’s arms.

I had two skirts in my arsenal, a dark brown one and a gray tweed. I looked through the racks and racks of blouses. There was a beautiful, purple flowing gauzy one. It looked like something straight out of 1964 Haight Ashbury. I loved it. All flouncy and girlie, but I knew it wouldn’t complement a single item in my wardrobe.

Reluctantly, I put it back on the rack. I continued to scour the rounds of clothes until I found a black silk blouse with tiny pearl buttons and lace capped sleeves. It was gorgeous and looked like it might possibly fit me. Then, I looked at the tag. Never mind. I could’ve flown to Thailand for the price of the blouse. Apparently, it was made from silk woven from the wings of angels.

Disheartened, I headed home. Why wasn’t Kentaro on the evening trains? Being mauled on my evening commute would have been nice, too. Several liquor stores lined the route from the station to my apartment, and I ducked in one for a bottle of wine.

Judging from the pair of huge boots in the
genkan
, I knew Jenn had company. No surprise there. The fact that I recognized them said a lot. Sanchez had returned for a repeat visit. He had to be as good in bed as he was against a ticket machine in the train station.

He lounged on the floor, hands behind his head, watching a football game on the television. When he saw me, he smiled, lowered the volume, and sat up.

“Want some wine?” I waved the bottle.

“Yeah, sure.” He stood and followed me into the kitchen. I handed him the corkscrew and reached for wine glasses.

“Where’s Jenn?” I asked while he poured wine.

“She’s in the shower. We’re going to Roppongi later.”

I nodded. I’d been to Roppongi a couple times since moving to Tokyo. It was the party district—the best place to pick up men, usually soldiers. Needless to say, going twice and not even being acknowledged dampened its allure for me.

Sanchez led the way back to the living room. Tight jeans formed to his ass, and the long sleeves of his white henley shirt were pushed up, showcasing thick, muscled, brown forearms. Once seated, he asked, “How’d it go with the guy you work with?”

“He still hasn’t really talked to me but…well…he kind of touched me on the train.”

“He touched you?” He bristled as if ready to defend my honor, which I had to admit warmed my heart a little. Before he worked himself into a rage, he asked, “Touched you, how?”

Too embarrassed to go into details, I skimmed over our interactions. “Well, he stood behind me and touched my stomach.” My cheeks flamed. “And well, today, he pulled me against him.”

“What do you mean?”

I raised my eyebrows, hoping he’d get the gist of our exchange, but he gave no indication of comprehension. “You know…he pulled me against him so my well…backside…was against his front side.”

“Holy shit. Was he hard?”

The flames burning my face scorched their way to my scalp. I nodded.

“Hot damn, Natalie. I think the guy noticed you.”

“He told me to wear a skirt tomorrow. What should I do?”

He grinned. “You should wear a skirt.”

“Therein lies the rub.” He looked at me as if I was insane. “I’m guessing he means something short and sexy.”

“Hell, yeah.” Another grin, bordering on lecherous.

“I don’t have anything like that,” I explained.

“Let me see.” He stood, grabbed his wine, and headed toward my bedroom.

Stumbling over myself, I finally gained my balance and hurried after him. While I wanted a man in my bedroom, one searching my closet wasn’t what I had in mind.

“Good God, woman.” Sanchez glanced at my clothes. “Do you work in a morgue?”

“No! Why?”

The scraping sound of hangers sliding across metal filled the room. “Brown, gray, black, oh, more brown. Look at this, it’s…nice.” He held up a gray cardigan sweater.

“Stop it. It’s not that bad.”

“Really? There has to be something with color in here.” He continued flicking through my measly wardrobe. Then, a low whistle. “Yeah, baby. This’ll do.” He pulled out a red dress from the back of the closet. A short, red dress with a plunging neckline. In a moment of wistfulness, I’d packed it when I moved from the States. I’d always heard about the Tokyo nightlife and thought I’d have plenty of places to wear it.

I hadn’t.

“I can’t wear that to work. Besides, I’m not sure I like Kentaro telling me what to wear.” I huffed and plopped on the futon.

“Babe…” I glared at him. “I mean, Natalie, just because you do what he tells you tomorrow doesn’t mean you have to let him tell you what to do all the time. This just shows you are definitely interested.”

That made sense, but wearing the dress to work was inappropriate. It was suited for a nightclub, not a boardroom.

A waft of jasmine fragrance entered the room before Jenn. She wore a silk robe. Curlers jutted from her head, making her look like an alien life form suitable for Roswell, and yet she was still gorgeous. “What’s going on?”

I sat on the futon and pouted while Sanchez relayed my tale. Jenn nodded a couple of times, and when he finished talking, she left the room without saying a word. Seconds later, she came back with a beautiful red and gray floral silk scarf. “Here. Wear the red dress.” She held up a hand to stop my protest. “The dress, with this scarf tucked in the neckline and this…uh, sweater.” She held up the gray cardigan Sanchez had held earlier. She picked up a pair of black, ankle strap pumps with three-inch heels. “With these. It’s sexy and professional.”

“Really? It’s not sleazy?” I was dubious.

“Nope, sweetie. It’s perfect.”

A few hours later, they invited me to accompany them to Roppogoni, but I declined. Instead, I stayed home and played out every scenario I could think of regarding the train ride the next morning.

I needn’t have bothered.

****

Pain and anticipation accompanied me on the walk to the station the next morning. The heels looked great, but weren’t made for commuting. I didn’t care though. One look in the mirror and I knew Jenn and Sanchez were right. I looked…well…sexy. Way shorter than I remembered, the dress’s hem ended at mid thigh. To my delight, my legs looked good. Damn good. Miles of walking every day to and from train stations had made them quite shapely. The scarf reduced the plunge of the neckline, but still left an enticing view and the frumpy, gray cardigan looked positively scrumptious when combined with silk.

As I neared the station, my heart raced. I had to stop at a kiosk to buy a pack of gum in order to give myself a minute to calm my nerves. With a deep inhale, I nonchalantly moseyed into the station, swiped my commuter card, and walked past the turnstiles. Instead of looking around for Kentaro, I buried my nose in a book as if totally indifferent to his demands.

The 7:43 train arrived with no sightings of Kentaro, but I hadn’t seen him the day before either. I hesitated. Should I get on or wait until the 8:03? My musings ended when the rush of people behind me carried me along with them as they boarded the train. I had no choice, but Kentaro had found me before. My skirt rode higher up my thighs when I lifted my arms and grabbed the overhead handrail, causing a few moments of self-consciousness, but when I thought of Kentaro’s reaction, I smiled.

Tomorrow wear a skirt. I’d show him.

The train clacked, clanged, and rocked. By the time I’d finished reading a second page, I knew Kentaro hadn’t boarded the train.

Dammit. I should’ve waited until the 8:03. Dammit, dammit, dammit.

At Shinjuku, I disembarked. As I walked around the corner of the station, I caught a glimpse of Kentaro ducking into the company car.

My face burned as red at my dress. Oh, my god. I dressed up like a tart at his command. How pathetic! Mortification pounded into me with every click of my too-high heels. I wanted to get on the train and never step foot in my office again. Had he seen me? Hadn’t like what he saw and ignored me? If he’d seen me, avoiding the office would be even more pitiful than running back home. So, click, click, click, I weaved my way through other workers headed to their jobs.

Apprehension and embarrassment overcame me once again as I approached the doors to my office building. My hand shook. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to enter.

Maya whistled when she saw me, “Holy shit, Natalie! You look fantastic.”

Hide. I wanted to hide. Didn’t want anyone to notice me and surely didn’t want anyone to draw attention to my attire.

“Are you going out tonight or something?” Maya perched on the edge of my desk.

“No. It’s nothing.” I grimaced and put my bag in the bottom desk drawer.

“No? So what’s going on?” The chiming of the elevator drowned out her question. Several upper executives stepped off, including Kentaro. One glance in his direction was all it took for my knees to melt. He was so tall and regal looking. His black suit hugged his body, and the white shirt accented his beautiful, tawny skin. Quickly, I turned my attention to booting up my computer.

“So…” Maya prompted.

“Jenn suggested it, and I thought I’d give it a go.”

Sliding off my desk, she said, “Well, it suits you.” She walked to her desk and picked up a thick portfolio. “Ready for the meeting?”

Oh, crap. The meeting. The presentation to discuss the new curriculum I had developed. A meeting I’d spent over a month preparing for and I’d completely spaced it.

Fucking hormones!

My palms sweated and beads of moisture gathered on my upper lip. My face had to be as green as my stomach felt because Maya said, “Nat. You can do this. The program is brilliant.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Confident, I knew I’d do well. Too bad that confidence didn’t spill into my love life.

Executives, teachers, and the team of developers, of which I was the lead, packed the boardroom.

With a deep breath, I launched into my presentation. After a few seconds, I calmed down and focused on the work. Maybe Kentaro told me to wear a skirt because he wanted me to look professional for his boss? Yeah, that was it. Big career-making meeting, a girl should be dressed appropriately.

During the first break, someone called in the president of the company. When he entered the room, we all bowed and several people scooted around so he’d have a seat at the head of the table.

By mid-afternoon, the president determined the changes I proposed should be implemented company wide. Quite a coup. The original proposal had only affected a few select classes.

The ill-fated morning train ride had slipped my mind as I walked on sunshine. Maya had cleared out for the evening, and I sat in our empty section of the office finalizing some notes from the meeting. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a reflection in the computer monitor and jumped out of my skin.

I jolted from my chair in a flash and whirled around to face the intruder. “Holy fucking shit. What the hell?”

Kentaro’s hands flew up in an attempt to show he was harmless. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Oh, it’s you.” I returned to my seat.

“You look beautiful today.” Oh, great. The qualifier. Not always. I just look beautiful today.

“Yeah, thanks.” I clicked on my inbox and continued to check my mail. Who cared if it was only LOL Cats from my mother. It made me look somewhat important and busy.

“No, really, Natalie.” Against my will, my body instantly reacted to him calling me by name. “You look…sexy.”

Oh, god, as if calling me by name wasn’t enough.

Do not bend.

“Great. You think you can feel me up in the office now?” Snark dripped from my tongue.

“No, Natalie.” He walked around me and propped on my desk where Maya had been earlier. For some reason, Kentaro on my desk pleased me more. Tentatively, he reached over and touched my cheek.

I pulled away. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you’re not going to play me.”

His hand rested on his leg. Even through the black fabric of his pants, I recognized how thick and muscular his thighs were. Couldn’t help but recall the feel of my back against his strong, broad chest and my ass firmly cradled in his crotch. My loins…well…quivered.

“I’m not playing you,” he whispered.

I glared at him.

A tinge of red tinted his cheeks. “Natalie. I’m…um… attracted to you.”

I cocked an eyebrow, questioning him silently.

His hand slid from his thigh and covered my hand on the desk. He made soft circles with his thumb, melting my resolve. If his thumb had that much effect, God knew his kiss would be electrifying. “When I saw you at the train station, I thought I was going to pass out. You’re so hot.” I tried to pull my hand away, but he held it tight. “Mr. Takahashi called right as I was queuing up behind you. He was anxious about today’s meeting.” He stopped, gazed deeply into my eyes, and said, “You shocked the hell out of him. You shocked the hell out of me. I knew you were brilliant, but your proposal was exactly what we needed.” He shook his head. “I was hard during your entire presentation.”

I rolled my eyes in doubt and disgust.

He took my hand and placed it over his zipper. Yep. Definitely aroused. Without thinking, I rubbed him. Even through layers of fabric, the heat of his erection burned my palm.

For a split second, he closed his eyes and savored the feeling but grabbed my wrist before I could get too carried away.

“Natalie, listen. I want you to know I didn’t get with you on the train because I had to text with Mr. Takahashi on the way to the office. I wanted to, but I think it was a good thing I didn’t.”