My Asian Dragon: A BWAM Romance Story

by R S Holloway

  The club manager came to the back, chattering at her angrily in the Hefei dialect. While closer to Mandarin than the village's, she could still only catch about one word in three he was saying, although she got the message. It was her time on stage.

  Stepping through the curtain, she thought again how fortunate she was that the local Triad head favored what Longwei had derisively called a "rainbow policy" for girls working in his club. With a fetish for all types of foreign girl, the Boss had hired girls from most areas of the world for his nightclub act and as waitresses. Those who could sing, like the blonde Russian before her and the petite Filipina after, were given slightly better positions as entertainers. Those who couldn't sing but had some grace, like the Japanese girl she had seen and the Latina who Joy wasn't sure where she was from, worked as dancers, ranging from semi to full on exotic strippers.

  The worst positions were saved for the girls who couldn't sing or dance, but whose bodies were desirable to the Triad Boss. They served as what were officially deemed hostesses, but were often little more than grope dolls for drunken, horny Triads who thought that grabbing a foreign tit or ass was no big deal, and was just good fun. Joy had even heard that many of the girls were coerced into sleeping with various Triads, whether for money or through threats of bodily injury. Thankfully, none had approached her for such favors, although most of the Triads undressed her with their eyes every time she walked on stage.

  As such, she carefully selected her routine to avoid any songs that she wanted to have a positive feeling about later. Instead, she had chosen every slinky, slutty song she could think of from the realm of R&B, jazz, and even some pop music, as long as it was made famous by what the manager had called "dark peoples."

  Starting off with the sultry tones of Givin' Him Something He Can Feel, Joy launched into her set, sashaying her hips and popping a pose occasionally to accentuate her lyrics. She knew that probably none of the Triads were fluent in English, so she didn't worry about accuracy of the lyrics, and instead making sure she kept her voice as lustful as possible. She wanted these assholes to think that she was so horny that she would jump off of the small nightclub stage into their laps at almost any moment, begging for them to satisfy her. Most nights it took more effort to keep up the charade than she would have expected, and she had to close her eyes and imagine she was singing for Longwei to make it through the forty minute set.

  Winding her way from En Vogue to Toni Braxton to Aaliyah and finally wrapping up with classic Marvin Gaye, Joy was glad when the last notes of Sexual Healing drifted away over the sound system, and she was able to make her way backstage. The Filipina girl was up next, shaking her head ruefully. "I hate going on after you," the girl said, one of four or five in the club who spoke passable English.

  "Why?" Joy asked, grabbing a terry washcloth and wiping at her forehead. She'd have to reapply her makeup for her second set, but it didn't matter.

  "Because you make them so hot, I have to ramp up my set to full sexy to not make them bored," she said. Joy felt a moment of pity. Luana was from Mindanao in the Philippines, and had grown up in a hamlet so poor, many children went nude until puberty. While she didn't like the looks from the Triads, she needed the money, and as she had told Joy, "Being stared at by those Chinese fucks is better than what a lot of the girls in my village are doing to make money. I at least don't need to spread my legs for my pay."

  Joy shivered at the thought, and gave Luana a reassuring smile. "You'll do fine. You're a much better singer than I am."

  Luana laughed softly, her almond shaped eyes rolling. "We both know they don't care at all about how well we sing."

  The manager stuck his head backstage, his normal flow of yammer breaking up their conversation. Joy made her way to the back, through the kitchen where she was able to grab a drink of water. The back door was open, allowing at least a hint of fresh night air, even if it was redolent with the stench of the garbage in the alley. Still, for Joy is was ambrosia compared to the tobacco, alcohol, and sweat stench of the club itself.

  She was just gathering herself to come back inside when Longwei stepped out, supposedly taking his ten minute break he was allowed every shift. The club owner was generous, and Longwei had a small bowl of rice and fried pork in his hand. Joy smiled. "So, what did you think of my set?"

  "As usual, I wish I could have been in the crowd," Longwei quietly replied, eating quickly. "Will you do the same songs for the later set?"

  "No," Joy replied. "From what I think the manager told me, the Boss is coming in tonight, and he wants sexier music, is what he said. I'm going with some really raunchy stuff from my youth and college days. Pure filth, but for some reason they were songs people bought a lot of."

  "I shall look forward to hearing it."

  Changing the subject, Joy looked inside quickly. "How are things at home?"

  Longwei shrugged. He had to be surreptitious, going back and forth to the village on almost a daily basis, slipping into dragon mode to make the journey possible, where he could cover the distance from the village to Heifei in just under an hour. He was exhausted, and Joy could see it in his face. "Yingtai is doing better. Your medicines are helping. The Triad is still being held until we know what to do with him."

  "Do the elders still want to have him killed?" Joy asked. It was one of the most contentious parts of the plan, and Joy was glad that Longwei had finally gotten the elders to promise not to harm the man until they had gotten more information. Joy thought that, more than the supposed reason of checking on the day to day operations of the village, was why he went back so often.

  "Yes, but they are abiding by the agreement," Longwei said tiredly. "By the way, the children miss you. Ming specifically asked me to inquire if you are keeping up on your Chinese studies."

  Joy chuckled at the innocent persistence of the girl, and nodded. "Yes, but I doubt she'll like some of the words I've picked up from the Triads around here."

  Longwei grimaced and nodded. "Yeah."

  Joy glanced inside, and saw the manager looking around in the back. "Well, there's the manager. Let me get inside before he starts wondering. Can you stop by my place later?"

  "You know that's dangerous."

  "Being without you is worse," Joy said softly. Longwei looked her in the eye for a moment, and nodded, causing her to smile. "See you later."

  Stepping inside, she headed straight for the manager, who was babbling. "Listen Joe," she said, using her own chosen name for the man, "you need to slow the hell down before I can understand what you want. One more time?"

  The manager repeated himself a bit more slowly, and Joy went with what she thought was the information he wanted. "Yeah, the new playlist. Give me five minutes to write it down, and you can start downloading it quickly. It's not that damn hard."

  *****

  The Boss of Heifei was a bulky man, one of the few truly fat Chinese, Joy had seen in this part of the country, with a greasy pompadour on his head that looked like he was trying to be an extra in a 1960's Elvis movie. As soon as he came in the door, she could sense a palpable change in the atmosphere of the club, as the minor flunkies all straightened up a little bit, and their posturing took on a servile quality to the enormous man. He settled himself into a table in front of the stage, and Joy watched as three of the so-called "hostesses" immediately scampered over to sit with him, one of them on his lap. The man's hand went to the poor girl's hip immediately, his smile revealing rotten, blackened teeth. Joy felt her gorge rise, as she knew she would have to at least get within talking distance of this pig of a man.

  Luana was doing her second set, finishing up one song early as the manager cut her off. Coming back stage, she gave Joy a sad smile. "Good luck," she said, and Joy could tell that the girl was truly glad not to be the center of the Boss' attention. It concerned her, as she knew how desperate Luana was for money to send back home.

  Stepping on stage, Joy tried her mental trick of imagining Longwei, but it wasn
't working. Even from two meters away, the fetid blend of powerful cologne and body odor wafted off the man, and she desperately wanted to gag. She knew to do so was dangerous, so she fought it down, and instead fell into another role. Setting her face into a mask, she felt herself split into two personalities, the outer personality that was grinding and moaning to the sounds of Adina Howard and TLC, while on the inside she was sitting back, laughing at the obvious way she was playing the man. She could see the bastard lick his lips, his eyes glistening with lust as she cavorted and playacted, pretending she was performing just for him. Part of her realized she was, but not in the intent he thought. She was intentionally playing him, and she realized the intoxicating power she wielded in her hands and voice. When the last notes faded away, the Boss was totally under her control it seemed, as he pushed the poor girl who had been in his lap off, standing up and applauding.

  Instead of heading backstage, Joy took the small step down to make her way over to the Boss' table, sitting down next to him with a false smile on her face. "Thank you for the kind applause," she said, fluttering her eyelashes.

  "You good singer," the Boss replied, his eyes fixed on her cleavage. "How long you here?"

  "I've only been here a few weeks, sir," Joy said with mock deference. She cast her eyes down and put her hands in her lap, the position squeezing her breasts together more and causing his breathing to speed up. Joy kept up with her cover story as a starving artist looking for her big break. "It's a great opportunity you've given me here."

  "Yes, I see," the man replied, his elementary English failing him either through lack of ability or mind clouded with lust. She heard him order some drinks, and his hand settled on her knee as a scared waitress brought them over. With the drinks, and a new act stepping on stage, the Boss turned his attention towards other business. Two other men came over and joined them at the table, arrogant enough for Joy to tell they were still high ranking Triads, but were still subservient to their Boss.

  Over the J-pop sounds of the girl on stage, the men discussed various items, and Joy was thankful for the language lessons she had been taking. She was able to pick up more of the conversation than any of the men knew, and what she heard shocked her. As soon as the Boss was drunk enough, she excused herself, pleading needing to go to the bathroom, and slipped into the back. She found Longwei washing dishes, and she tapped him on the shoulder, heading out the back door. "Get your stuff," she said, looking nervously inside. "We need to get home now."

  "What do you mean?" Longwei asked. "What did you hear?"

  "The Boss had me sit at his table," Joy replied, "and pulled two other men over. Longwei, they're nervous about the two men he sent to kill me not coming back. Thankfully the Shanghai description was very sketchy, they only knew I was a black woman. He told the other men to send another group, larger this time, to take care of the entire problem. Longwei, he's sending a death squad to the village in three days."

  Longwei nodded, and looked down the alley. He looked at Joy, who took his hand. "Let's get out of here. He thinks I'm in the toilet, and I didn't bring anything I need here."

  "Okay," Longwei said, glancing inside the back door. Nobody was paying attention, so he quickly led her down the dark alley and into the street. Joy knew they were an incongruous sight, the curvy black woman in a slinky dress holding hands with a dirty man in a dishwasher's apron, but it didn't matter. If they could make it just a few more kilometers, they'd be able to get out of the city.

  *****

  Traveling back to the village was the most thrilling experience Joy had ever felt. Longwei had led her back to her apartment to change quickly into some jeans and a t-shirt, ditching the trampy heels for her now comfortable work boots she had brought from the city. They had left everything else behind, except for a cheap tablet computer Joy had bought for storing information. Slipping it into a small backpack, Longwei had led her out of the city in plain sight, taking the city bus system to the train station, and getting on the local train to the tiny city of Lu'an, just a bit closer to the village.

  Stepping into the borders of Lu'an, Longwei had turned to Joy, slipping out of his t-shirt. "After I change, climb on," he said, looking around. They were in an industrial park, but there were few lights around, and no cars.

  Joy watched as Longwei shifted into his dragon form, her breath still catching in her throat at the sight. Picking up his discarded t-shirt, she climbed on his back, just above what she assumed was his shoulders, or at least his dragon equivalent. He reared up, allowing her to wrap the shirt around his neck like a harness, his throat solid and unyielding against the pressure. From where she was now perched, she was at about the height of a car, and Longwei took off across the countryside, darting over grass and rock smoothly.

  The closest impression that Joy could think of was riding a motorcycle. Longwei in dragon form was remarkably fast, making turns and adjustments almost faster than she could perceive the need. Different from a motorcycle though was the warm feeling of his blood rushing through his body, and the sensual undulating ripple of his muscles beneath her. It was unique, and in its own way sexy.

  But for Joy, the most fun part was the speed. The wind rushed by her, broken up only slightly by the Longwei's blunt snout, and she realized he was actually slowing down to allow her to not be thrown off by his progress. It wasn't even midnight by her estimation when she saw the familiar shape of the village temple in the light of the almost full moon.

  "We have to do that again," Joy said as they approached the temple. "Is it always so thrilling."

  You're the first person I've ever let do that, Longwei replied through his mental link. And yes, it was very nice. I will be happy to let you do that again.

  "But first, we have a village to protect," Joy said, turning her eyes back towards Heifei. "And if what I heard was correct, we only have a few days."

  Chapter 7

  Longwei and Joy's report to the villagers sent everything into a frenzy. Gathering everyone inside the temple, Longwei laid out the situation, his mind laying out the plan he had thought of during the cross country dash back to the village. He had filled in the details of his plan as they traveled, using his mental link.

  We have the best chance to avoid the loss of life if we can shift the attackers off the roads and into the surrounding woods, Longwei had said. There, I can use my dragon form to eliminate more of the gunmen while keeping the villagers safe.

  "Are you bulletproof in dragon form?" Joy asked, thinking of the last attack. "I swore that guy couldn't miss from that range."

  No, I am not invulnerable, Longwei replied. However, I am much faster than human eyes can track, and can use that to my advantage. However, enough things coming from enough angles, and my skin can tear just as easily as any other creature's. Then, it's just a matter of my body mass.

  "Body mass?"

  Imagine shooting a grizzly bear with a small rifle. Unless you hit in a vital spot immediately, all you've done is create a very angry bear.

  "Will the Triads know this, and prepare accordingly?"

  Let's hope not.

  The plan was pretty simple, in Joy's opinion. All of the children and those unable to fight were to retreat to the temple, deep within the protection of ancient walls. Those who could fight would be in the woods with Longwei, even though all they had were two rifles.

  The main element of the defense was to use the time they had to prepare. Joy and Longwei both had long experience with action movies, and mined every bit of pop culture between them for ideas.

  The first thing to eliminate was use of the road leading into town. A group of twelve villagers started digging a trap in the road, where the forest pushed in on both sides, one of the only choke points on the approach to the village. If they could cause the attackers to dismount from their vehicles there, they could force them into the woods. Smaller teams of villagers dug up smaller man sized traps throughout the forest, each villager older than eight responsible f
or at least two traps. While it hurt Joy's heart, each man trap was lined with sharp sticks, like a tiger trap. There would be no taking prisoners this time.

  Joy fell in with the main road diggers, attacking the packed earth with hoe and spade, until the muscles between her shoulder blades burned. The work was different than the field work or other tasks she had done since arriving in the village. There was almost none of the banter and pleasant talk that had highlighted every other endeavor. The villagers dug in silence, their faces grim as they hacked at the earth. The car trap was a massive undertaking, taking up the entire width of the road for a length of almost twenty feet and a maximum depth of six. Instead of swallowing the entire vehicle, the idea was to create a barrier. The bottom of the pit was lined with plastic, and filled with precious fuel for the generators, swirled and blended with pig droppings. Once lit, the flaming dung would create a napalm like wall of fire blocking the road. Forced out of their vehicles, two village gunmen would then fire from protected bunkers towards the attackers, in the attempt to drive them into the woods where Longwei and the others could handle the rest.

  The one factor that nobody knew was just how many men the Triad would send. Hefei was not a large city by Chinese standards, and in their time there Joy and Longwei estimated that there were less than 1000 Triads in the city, most of which were in no position to be members of an assassination squad. Still, a squad larger than twenty or thirty would be almost impossible to defend against.

  The village worked long into the night, using precious candles and lanterns to supplement the clear moonlight to guide the digging. The main trap was finished on the first day, and the bunkers were done on the second. Disguised as piles of compost, the bunkers were protected by not just packed earth, but a thick layer of rocks from the roadbed. By the end of the second night, over three thousand mantraps had been dug in the forest surrounding the village. Even if the village did survive the attack, there would be no safe hunting in the eastern forest for months to come, if not years.