by Lila Mina
She used the sleeve of her yukata to wipe her face as discreetly as possible, refusing to face him, to face them. The urge to run away was again powerful, but she tried clamping it down.
Busy managing her emotions, Lana got caught off guard by a hand cradling her cheek. Sitting once more in seiza, Honda pulled her to him by the hips. That reminded her of when he corrected her maai–proper distance–on sitting techniques. Yuki sat now next to him, looking at her with a sympathy that did nothing for soothing her nerves. Quite the opposite.
“Why this frustration?” Honda asked calmly, not even hinting at the fact that because of her inability to perform, and her breakdown, he was left with a raging erection. Again.
“Ah… my apologies, I failed,” Lana replied with a broken voice, as her throat still hurt. He had the audacity to grin; it took all her willpower not to snarl back.
His next words deflated her irritation. “I am pleased you did not try to go beyond what you could. This was also part of the test, and you should not apologize for drawing a line. Ever.”
Glancing away, Lana took a deep breath to release her inner turmoil and untangle the knots at the pit of her stomach. “Ah… Yes, I understand, goshujin sama.” Her finger pointed at his member. “How shall I make up for this?”
A large smile bloomed on Yuki’s lips, and the older woman leaned to kiss her neck just behind her ear. This gave Lana goosebumps, and she shivered, her forced smile becoming more heartfelt.
“Do you have anything in mind you would like to show us?” Yuki purred in her ear.
This woman was extraordinary, almost surreal. She enjoyed all of this too much for it to be a mere way to satisfy her husband’s whims and fulfill her twisted marital duties. Conceding her the higher ground remained a challenge though. Honda had gotten hooked with her for a specific reason, something he couldn’t find in his wife. For now, Lana wasn’t ready to give up her advantage entirely.
All of her attention switched back to Honda and his shaft. These power games were a big part of his pleasure. Time to get back to it. She licked her lips and lowered her eyes.
“If I may…” her low voice whispered while her yukata fell off her naked body.
Honda’s hand on her hip tightened to her utmost satisfaction. Yuki and Lana were as different as night and day, to the obvious pleasure of their master. While Yuki was far from fragile, she was much slender with lighter bones, slimmer legs, smaller breasts and narrower hips, and weighted easily ten kilos less. Lana had to remind herself he hadn’t picked her to be a porcelain doll but because he enjoyed a good fight in bed.
“Proceed,” he growled.
Lana put her hands on his thighs and leaned forward. By reflex, he grabbed her wrists and the next second, they were caught in a sexy variant of kokyu ho suwari waza, a sitting technique requiring breath and core muscles to take the balance of one’s opponent without relying on arm strength. Straining her abs, she kept pushing until he relented and reclined on his back, still keeping a hold on her hands at the level of his hips.
Unable to use her hands, she placed her generous breasts on each side of his shaft and rocked her hips to gently massage him. He let out a groan. She dipped her head and licked his head every time it moved up again. Her wrists started to hurt as his grip tightened. Her pace quickened, and after a few more strokes and licks, Honda grunted, pushed forward and came hard inside her mouth. As much as she swallowed, she couldn’t help spilling a good half of it on her chin and breasts.
Panting, Honda didn’t release her as he straightened up, pushing her back up. “Yuki san, go ahead and clean her up,” he ordered.
“Thank you, goshujin sama. You know how much I love your taste," Yuki whispered.
First her tongue licked Lana’s face. Then she inserted herself between her husband’s stretched arms. Their eyes locked over his wife’s head while she lapped his cum on her lover’s nipples. Short of breath, Lana did her best to hold his gaze while pulses of pleasure shot through her body. Yuki once again sidetracked her, pulling up and cupping her face in both hands. Yuki gave her a deep French kiss and pushed cum back into her mouth; both women groaned as their tongues met.
Honda grunted his satisfaction. He released Lana and moved to sit next to them, running his fingers through Lana’s wavy and honeyed hair. Yuki let go of Lana’s lips and gave her a satisfied smile. He tied his nagajuban back into place and went to the low table near the windows. Yuki sat down opposite to her husband.
“Well, your demonstration was more than satisfactory, little mudansha. It is time for breakfast though. Will you join us?”
Lana put back her own yukata and didn’t reply right away. Once again in seiza, she looked at her companions–technically both her masters–sitting against the clear backdrop of the rising sun, the crazy urban landscape of Tokyo spreading behind them.
She took the scene in and sighed; while trivial, eating breakfast together was above her strength. This role was still too alien to her as far as Yuki was concerned. Bowing her head to the ground formally, she tried to find the right words to excuse herself.
“I am grateful for your kind offer, but I should be on my way now and not disturb you and oku sama any longer. Thank you for your attention and hospitality. If you would be so kind to give me leave…”
Honda’s face remained as passive as ever, and he nodded once. “Of course. Please use the bathroom if you need to.”
Lana bowed one more time. “Thank you very much, goshujin sama, oku sama. I wish you a pleasant Sunday.”
Lana didn’t waste time cleaning herself up and getting dressed in the bathroom. In the entrance, she offered them a last bow before closing the door behind her. Leaning against it, she couldn’t decide whether she was relieved or sad, satisfied or frustrated.
She needed help.
10
Inside and Out
On the train home, Lana sighed with relief. Thanks to the Golden Week holidays, she wouldn’t have to face Honda before the end of the following week. She’d be able to mull over what she wanted and sort out the mess of her conflicting desires, with Yuki jumping into the fray on top of the rest.
Time to talk with Gabriella. Asking her in confidence would help even if it meant losing feathers and getting her ass kicked. Her dear friend was never one to mince words when it came to shake sense into her.
The next morning, after the weekly debriefing of her department, she knocked on her friend’s office door. “Ciao bella, do you have two seconds?”
Gabriella waved her in. “Always. Close the door—let’s have a cafè.”
Lana crashed down on the plush leather couch Gabriella used when she pulled an all-nighter and let out a big sigh. Gabriella snorted and went to fix them two espressos on the coffee machine she’d brought over from Italy, extra costs be damned. “My, my, you look exhausted! Busy weekend? Busy nights? We’re not twenty anymore, right? So, how did it go with Frank?”
Lana winced and buried her head in her hands; the moron had slipped her mind. Gabriella's eyebrows shot up, and she smirked. “Oh, so bad? Gosh, I hate being right sometimes… Here you go, lady. Seems like you could use two or three.”
Lana accepted the cup with gratitude and gulped down the bitter, scalding beverage. She sighed with pleasure. “Hm, you make the best espresso on this side of the world. Yeah, you can send me your bill: he turned out to be a real ass. But thanks for reminding me to make sure he got my message straight and doesn’t babble around.”
“Wow, it went down the drain fast! No worry, I’ll keep an eye open, my ear on the ground, and smash anything down that could come up. But what did he do?”
“Ah, let’s not talk about it. He’s not worth it. I wasn’t that much into him anyway, but it’s not what I wanted to talk about. Rather, it’s about that thing that affected me a while ago.”
Gabriella’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Oh! Finally! But why now? What happened?”
“Well… over the weekend things got back into motion and kind
of… made a complete flip, with a serious twist on top.”
Gabriella rolled her eyes and wagged an accusing finger. “That’s really cryptic.”
“Bear with me, please. It’s kind of trashy and unusual. It’s also a long story, and we, or at least I, will need a couple of drinks. We have tomorrow off, so what about going out tonight to the Miyoshi building lounge bar? I love the city view and their mojitos.”
“Booze and chatting about scandalous sex! My favorite combo!” Gabriella joked to help her friend relax. “I’m in! I’ll book a table for 7pm. Will that work for you?”
“Oh, yeah, I intend to be done with the Tanaka case and the executive report for HQ by then.”
“Yikes, that report! When is Cruella coming over? This week already?”
“Yes, on Wednesday, for forty-eight hours. What a joy,” Lana replied, sarcasm dripping.
“Another reason to drink tonight! Okay, I’ll drop by your office at 6:45.”
At 6:45 sharp, Gabriella was at her door; at 6:50 they were out on the street, crossing over to the next skyscraper. In the express elevator to the top floors, Lana unfastened her hair clips. A headache was coming up, and the complicated pins holding her hair weren’t helping.
At the lounge, the maître d’ showed them to their table, next to the large floor-to-ceiling windows that offered one of the most prized views of the capital. Hundreds of buildings sprawled out at their feet. The iconic red and white Tokyo Tower lined up with the skyscrapers of the business districts around them, with the Rainbow Bridge over Tokyo Bay in the distance. This view made Lana fall in love with the metropolis every time.
As soon as their drinks were on the table, Gabriella turned on the heat. “So, spill it! Who is this guy who haunts your days and nights, who’s so outrageously skilled you squirm in embarrassment?”
Lana buried her face in her hands. “Okay, it’s bad. Let me talk first, and then you can throw your glass at my face.”
And for the next 15 minutes, Lana gave a clinical version of what had transpired first with Honda, and then with Yuki, over the previous weeks. She left the hardcore details out because she didn’t kiss and tell. Still, she didn’t hide the domination/submission aspects of the relationship, or gloss over the fact she was now the lover–to use a kinder word than pet–of a married couple. When she was done, she drained her cocktail in one shot and stared out of the window, unable to meet her friend’s eyes.
Gabriella broke the silence, chewing thoughtfully on an olive. “That… that’s something else entirely, that’s a whole new level, cara mia, even for you.”
Lana threw her a pointed glare and shrugged. “A new low, you mean?” she retorted, full of self-derision.
“No, not at all, but it’s so complicated!” Gabriella chuckled. “You’re in an all new world of mess. The sexy stuff sounds amazing–by the way, you’re such a lucky girl, you have to tell me more later–but it’s not the problem. You’re already in a deep emotional quicksand and let’s be honest: he’s not going to dump her to ride with you into the sunset.”
“I can’t deny it’s complicated, but hey, don’t put words in my mouth! I’m not in love! I don’t even know him–well, except in the Biblical sense of the word,” Lana chuckled. “In any case, I’m not looking for a sweeping romance, or doe-eyed love. You know I can’t go there anymore, right? I burned that bridge.” she said with a pointed glare. It wasn’t the first time they had had this discussion.
Shaking her head wistfully, Gabriella gave her a small, sad smile, and both friends got lost in the bloody memories that had cemented their friendship forever a lifetime ago.
Hating the needles that pricked her eyes all of a sudden, Lana cleared her throat. “I wish it could be a simple case of pure lust, but… yeah, once the hot stuff is over, I get a bad case of angst attack. It moves too many things inside me, it meets too many needs. Truth is, it feels good, so I don’t want to stop, but I’m not blind. The risk of getting too involved is huge. Problem is, cara mia, it’s not an infatuation, but something else. And I can’t believe how I’ve become so addicted to it so quickly. On top of it, she’s molten lava and doesn’t mind me getting ambivalent toward her husband. At the same time, he drives me mad with his contradictory signals. I mean, he cares in his own way, so it’s not just a mindless fuck.” She let out an exasperated sigh. “Gosh, look at me! A headless chicken running around!”
Gabriella groaned and finished her drink. “If I wanted to be mean, I’d say she’s a manipulative bitch and he’s a typical bastard trying to have everything without bothering to choose.”
Lana shook her head, taken aback. “Now, that’s unfair, Gabriella…”
“No, no, don’t defend them!” her fiery friend cut her short. “Do you know their background story? How honest they are with you? You’ve got no clue what he thinks—that’s the entire issue. And you say you don’t believe in ‘love’ but you do wish to have someone by your side when you get sick and old, don’t you? Don’t you mind getting increasingly involved with people who maybe care a bit, but not so much? Don’t you think you deserve more?”
Lana fidgeted in her seat. Her face made Gabriella laugh and relent a little. “Cara mia, of course, I’ve never met them, so it’s only my outsider opinion. But whoever they are, and however honest they are with you, wherever this goes, there’s one bottom line. You will be Mrs. Number Two, forever in the back, giving her precedence and him more than he ever will give you back.”
“Number two… being number two would already be something.” Lana’s voice trailed off; even to her own ears, this sounded outlandish. Number two was hard to swallow. “I don’t even know if he’s thinking about this. It wasn’t his initial plan. He didn’t expect her to get involved. The situation delights her, but then, maybe it’s because she doesn’t feel threatened at all.”
“Lana, stop. Listen to yourself. You don’t fool me at all. Deep down, it’s not her who makes you want more, even if she knows how to lick your clit, if I may be blunt. You need to talk with him, and I mean talk, not stare at him for a few minutes before you happily fuck like rabbits. A constructive discussion where you lay down your expectations. Not with his wife, with the actual guy.”
Gabriella sighed, took a sip of her drink and went on. “I can well imagine it’s not the easiest thing to do, him sounding like a textbook obtuse older, Japanese, hyper-controlling guy? The kind of man who barks three words once every blue moon. To me, he sounds addicted to your guts and strength. To other things as well, who can blame the poor soul,” she smirked. “Use this and draw a line. He can’t be worse than Cruella, or that insufferable CEO of Konuma Industries you nailed to the wall last week.”
“Right, but what line?” Lana threw her hands up in exasperation.
“That’s for you to find out, cara mia,” Gabriella replied. She reached over the table and squeezed her friend’s hand. “Hey, I’m not telling you to pull out all the stops. Enjoy this as long as you find it satisfying. But get your priorities straight. Like figuring out how to be with him, how to be with both of them while remaining true to yourself? How does that sound?”
Gabriella chewed a handful of peanuts thoughtfully. Lana became subdued as every word hit their target. “Don’t forget Japanese people are the masters of compartmentalization. Try to do the same, and don’t allow them to change you so much you become alienated from who you are, please. I’m not kidding, if I ever see this, I’ll slap you and send my hellhounds on his heels, aikido master or not.”
Lana groaned and pressed her palms on her eyes. “Honne and tatemae, omote and ura, right?” It made sense. Juggling between the open and hidden sides of people, things, concepts were key to Japanese society and cultural mores. “Okay, so you, the dreadful, reasonable voice of my conscience, are telling me to grow a pair, do my job and shake him up...” She pulled at the sleeves of her pale pink shirt to smoothen nonexistent creases. “You win. I’ll try to get in touch with him, but I don’t have his number. Do you mind if we call
it a night? I’m sorry, it’s still early, but right now I need a hot bath and a good night of sleep.”
“No problem, let’s get out of here.”
Lana grabbed her bag and her jacket, and they headed out. The 41st floor, where their bar was located, was cut in two. A huge and popular reception hall occupied the west side of the building. Their company often held corporate parties there at the end of the year. That evening, something was going on, and a large crowd milled inside and outside the hall.
“Uh, did you see that banner and the posters? This is a kind of fundraising organized by Nakazawa Holdings. Seems big!” Gabriella pointed out as they walked toward the elevators.
“Yeah and look at the number of foreigners mingling… not your usual company evening,” Lana added.
“Nakazawa Holdings is still a family-owned company, right? I hear the patriarch Nakazawa Toshiro calls the shots on almost everything and shareholders bow in fear and tremble in their pants when he gets in a rage. He’s so powerful and, well, rich. Do you want to bet they wouldn’t survive a competent external audit?”
They snorted at the idea of applying international compliance rules to such a behemoth and old-fashioned group. Lana pushed the elevator button and sighed. “Well, thank you for this drink. I needed some sense drilled into my brain. It’s hard to think straight when volatile emotions get in the way.”
Gabriella smirked. “Not to mention specific parts of someone’s anatomy…” It was painfully true, and Lana was so tired and hyped by her drink she broke into a fit of giggles. The elevator bell rang, and she had still a goofy smile on her lips when the doors opened. The first two people who walked out were the cause of her emotional roller coaster.
11
