The Cost To Play (Slivers of Love)

by Gaines, Oliva

  There was something about him as well that made her feel off kilter. She didn’t like it…not one bit. Playing with a man like that always came at a price and she was unwilling to pay the toll.

  The afternoon class was equally phenomenal as Dr. Yamaguchi showed the attendees how to use a favorite personal photo as a template to create an original character. The sound of pencils against sketch pads making strokes and shading, radiated throughout the crowded room. As he had earlier in the morning, Toshi milled through the throng of sketchers, who had laid out on the floor, leaned against the walls, and occupied every chair, as they presented their work to him at the midway point. The latter portion of the session, he taught his makeshift students the importance of drawing muscles, muscle tone, and muscle sinew. Jayne was amazed at how much better her earlier sketch looked after applying these newly learned techniques. She found herself staring at him absently.

  As if he felt her eyes upon him, Toshi turned catching her unaware, meeting her gaze. His heart beat sped up when their eyes connected. What was it about this woman? He quickly shifted his focus so his body would not betray him. At the end of the session, he was flocked by conference goers with a ton of questions. He looked for her, but she had disappeared.

  Jayne was uncomfortable with the intensity of the connection she was feeling with the good doctor. Maybe she was responding to his artistic ability. It was a foolhardy assessment. The woman in her was responding to the man in him. She shook it off and headed to her room to change for the Cosplay event at 6 pm.

  Jayne was planning to debut her costume as Pirotess, from Record of Lodoss War. Uncertainty was ringing through her mind as she wondered if anyone would know who she was or even get the character. It was all she had, so she was going to go with it. Earlier she felt a great deal of confidence. Now she was uncertain. Three weeks had been spent creating the costume, ensuring that every minute detail had been covered, even working her body out extra hard. Threads, stitches, and fabric choice were all very important when designing a costume. Even more important was the flow of material when on the body. It was these details that she hoped would give her a placing in the show. She checked her hair, her makeup, and adjusted the girls in the suit.

  The time had flown by and it was time to head downstairs.

  Entering the elevator, there were several Lolita’s, Dragon Ball Z characters along with other sub characters from Sailor Moon. The show stopper was the Silver Samurai in the lobby. The detail of the costume was bordering on amazing as many walked up to him to touch the leather and fabricated pieces. As Jayne walked by him, he drew his sword, placing it in front of her to block her path. She could not see his face but immediately knew it was the jerk from last night who was dressed as Gambit. A quick shove with her hand and she pushed the sword aside and made her way to the judging stage. The costumes had been judged earlier yesterday, so tonight was just a formality.

  One by one the characters filed on stage, role-playing in the costumes and showing off their handy work. The Silver Samurai was a skilled martial artist and swordsman. The audience oohed and ahhed as he maneuvered from posing to performing high flying kicks for two and a half minutes. Jayne felt sexy as Pirotess when she climbed on stage. She posed and showed a bit of skin as she sauntered across the platform.

  The waiting was brief since many of the costumes had already been judged. Three of the Dragon Ball Z characters had placed with honorable mentions. An online comic series had received third place for one of the characters, which received great audience response. Jayne was excited when she was awarded second place. The Silver Samurai received first place. Standing close to him, she understood why. He looked really good in the costume with his muscles bulging through the taut leather, his shiny black hair hanging from under the helmet, and those intense eyes gazing through the eye slots.

  The winners were all lined up on stage for a quick photo op and then the group began to disperse. The samurai touched her arm beckoning her to follow him. She trailed him into a corner and he removed his helmet. Jayne’s eyes were wide when she realized Gambit, the Silver Samurai, and Dr. Toshi Yamaguchi were the same person!

  Toshi asked her, “What are your plans for tonight?”

  “I plan to go to the party and have a drink or two,” she told him waiting to see if he would ask her to dinner.

  “I am heading to my room.” He turned and began to walk away. “Come with me.” It was said with such matter-of-factness that Jayne stood there blinking after him. He looked back to see why she was not walking along with him. He extended to her his hand in a quieter request.

  “What am I going to do in your room?”

  Toshi’s eyebrows went up, “I was hoping…me.”

  She couldn’t believe it. “You know you said that out loud?”

  Toshi moved closer to her. “Would it have more impact if I whispered it instead?”

  Jayne was disgusted with him. All of her admiration for his talent had flown out the window. She tried to step around him, but he extended his hand to stop her. “There is something about you that stirs my blood. I want to be with you. I am being honest by telling you what I want.”

  “It seems like you would want to know my name first, Professor. And you know what…?” she paused with her hand on her hip. “I was wrong about you. You are not an asshole, you are a fucking asshole.”

  Toshi moved so quickly Jayne was startled. He stood toe to toe with her. His breath, caressing her cheek as he leaned into her ear. “Pirotess, Bling, or whatever you want to be called, you are amazing. You are a talented artist and you are making me crazy, but I understand. There have been so many men that have lied to you. The truth is hard for you to accept.”

  “I can accept the truth just fine. I don’t accept you wanting to use me as a personal plaything.”

  He lowered his voice to a whisper, using a sensual and sultry tone. “I don’t plan to use you. I plan to give you hours of pleasure.” He said it in such a way, that her body said yes, but her mouth said, “thanks, but no.”

  She stepped around him and headed for the elevator. The idea of going to the party no longer seemed fun. In the morning she would check out and head home. That jerk off had just ruined her night. She hoped he spent the rest of the night doing just that as well.

  Unfortunately, her wish for him would probably not come true. A flock of women surrounded him. Some were subtle, while others were direct, using their bodies to gain his attention. She looked back at him once more and was surprised to see his attention was not on the women, but instead on her. Jayne’s brain was screaming at her to keep moving, but her body was crying, begging her to go back. She shook her head at him, then moved on to the elevator.

  Chapter 5

  On a cool and crisp Saturday morning in November, Jayne headed downtown to sketch by the Savannah River. One of the things she truly loved about Augusta was the feel of the city. Although it was the second largest city in Georgia, it was still run like a small town. The quaint feel of the downtown shops and friendliness of the shop owners, made each person feel as if they belonged. The thing she hated about Augusta was the separation. It was a guild town, and like hung out with like. Nurses who worked at a downtown hospital did not socialize with nurses who worked at an East side hospital. Soldiers hung out with other soldiers, factory workers spent time with other people they worked with, and neighborhoods were divided by income and employers. It made it difficult to make friends.

  The Savannah River snaked through the outskirts of the city and served as a dividing line between Georgia and South Carolina. On the Georgia side of the river was a walk path and two concert venues. The larger, was named after a local opera singer who made good and was called the Jessye Norman Amphitheater. The second was a smaller stage for Sunday night jazz in the summers provided by Garden City Jazz. In November, it was just another place for a lonely woman to feel even lonelier.

  Jayne’s thoughts traveled back to the weekend in Columbia at the con. Dr. Yamaguchi, that as
shole, still made her angry whenever she thought about him. The nerve of that man, telling her that men had been lying to her about what they wanted and that he was being honest. The one thing that truly crossed her mind and haunted her dreams were his words. “I plan to give you hours of pleasure.” If he was being honest about that, maybe she should have taken him up on it. Yet, reality told her, she could not make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. That man was the whole pig.

  She gaze down at her pad, liking what she had drawn thus far. Next month was the Atlanta Comic Convention, which had some really good guest speakers. She was planning to attend dressed as Misty Knight, a former X-Men character that Jayne identified with. She was a self-sufficient black woman. Misty was bionically enhanced and a martial arts expert that was never over sexualized in the comics. Even better, she never waited for any man to come and rescue her.

  There were noises coming down the side walk and several young men were headed her way. Misty may not need anyone to rescue her, but Jayne knew if she stayed here, a group of young men and a woman alone was just too easy to pass up. She grabbed her pad and made haste for the stairs. She did not stop or look back until she had gotten into her car and locked the doors. Her stomach had started to grumble a bit after the light breakfast of yogurt and granola. Before food, she needed to stop at Joann’s and look at some fabric.

  Inside the craft store, she had gotten distracted by trimming for her costume. Step away from the rabbit hole Alice! She cautioned herself while her empty stomach reminded her of a need for sustenance. Fabric. She came to look for fabric. The selection of material for costumes was not very great here and she was upset that there was no leather. Only pleather and faux leather looking material. The better materials were on the bottom shelf as she initially squatted to view the bolts, extracting one to get a closer gaze.

  She heard the voice and did not even need to turn around to know who it was. “I think this is more than a coincidence, or there are two women in this world with a perfect ass like that.”

  Jayne turned to see Dr. Yamaguchi standing behind her. She was beginning to feel like a parrot. “You do realize you said that out loud right? Do you have any filters?”

  He laughed a hearty deep chested laugh, mainly because he was so happy to see her again. “Evidently, when it comes to you, I must not.”

  She found herself smiling as he extended his hand for a shake. “I am Toshi Yamaguchi.”

  This was better. She accepted his hand shake. “Jayne Wright.” Her stomach growled loudly and he chuckled at the sound of her blatant need for food.

  “Jayne Wright. May I have the pleasure of taking you to lunch?”

  Her stomach growled again and she looked down at it. “Hush up Timmy. I am going to feed you.” Toshi’s brows went up.

  “I am sorry. Are you married, taken, or expecting?”

  Jayne parroted herself once more. “Filters …Toshi Yamaguchi…filters. No I am not pregnant, married, or taken. Timmy is my hunger monster and he needs food.”

  The look of relief on Toshi’s face was surprising to Jayne. For that reason, she accepted his lunch invitation.

  “The Chop House is across the street,” he told her. He made his way toward the check-out counter with a Stone Styler Stud Setting Starter Kit and stud refills. Jayne eyed his items with some interest. “They are for a vest that I am working on,” he told her as he presented his teacher discount card at the register.

  Jayne made a mental note. Dr. Toshi Yamaguchi was a teacher. This information she stored in her mind as she went to her car and followed behind his Mazda through the Kroger parking lot so they could reach the traffic light. She was actually going to lunch with this man. What are you doing Jayne?

  “Bring your sketch pad,” Toshi told her as she climbed out of the car. How did he know she had one with her? He followed behind her for a moment. She knew he was watching her ass, but he suddenly stopped short and checked his pockets. “Wait! I forgot my tea.”

  The liquid silver colored Mazda 3, looked exactly like something he would drive. It only took him a minute to retrieve the tea and place it in his left pocket. In his right hand he held a sketch pad and a tin of colored pencils. The walk would have been in silence if Timmy hadn’t intruded into the dead air between them. Who knew that grumblings from a hungry stomach can serve as an ice breaker between two people. It made the possibility of spending some time with him seem, well, almost pleasurable. Despite what his mouth would fail to hold back, Jayne was pleased that Toshi was a gentleman by opening the door for her.

  Inside the restaurant Toshi quipped, “good. The fire place is going. Do you mind if we sit in front of it?”

  “Fine by me.” She didn’t care if they sat on the floor. All she wanted was food. Lots of it and right now. Toshi angled the table with the corner pointing toward the fire. He sat on one side of the table and she at the corner next to him. It brought them closer together. “Let me see what you are working on Jayne.”

  It was said with such authority, that she felt she needed to do as the teacher instructed. Slowly, she opened her sketch pad to share her work. He eyed a few pages with interest, then opened his book and handed it to her.

  “I have an idea Jayne,” he told her as he opened the well-worn tin of colored pencils. He laid her sketch pad flat and drew a rough outline of a man. She was instructed to do the same with a woman. The waitress came to the table to take their orders. Jayne kept it simple. “I want a burger with everything on it, a glass of water with lemon, and substitute the fries for a salad.”

  Toshi ordered a grilled chicken breast with rice and the vegetable of the day along with a pot of hot water for his tea. While they waited for the food to arrive, Toshi took her sketch and began to color in the figure of the woman. Jayne took his pad and began to work on Toshi’s sketch. Displeased with his augmentation of the character’s breast, she reached over his arm, erased some of the fullness, and redrew in new lines, decreasing the character’s bustline from triple E’s to a manageable B cup. He in turn erased some of the incorrect lines on the arms of the character, to redefine the pectoral muscles on the man’s chest.

  From any set of eyes, the two were completely absorbed into what they were doing. To an untrained eye, no one would have known that this was their first time tinkering together as artist. There was no need to explain that to a very surprised Ai, who walked into the restaurant and saw her ex, with a woman who was sketching in his favorite pad. She knew it was his favorite pad because she had given it to him. Ai wondered what else the black woman had been doodling with! Deep breaths were taken as Ai walked across the restaurant to the table, clearing her throat as she approached the couple.

  She would not insult the woman by speaking to him in Japanese, because he probably would only answer her in English. “Toshi, what a surprise.”

  He looked up, unfazed by her sudden appearance, but rose nonetheless to greet her. “Hello, Ai. How are you?”

  The woman’s eyes were trained on Jayne, who was oblivious to Ai, and focused on the shading techniques she had learned last month at Banzaicon in Toshi’s class. If he had not cleared his throat, Jayne probably would not have looked up. “Jayne. This is Ai.” He did not give her a label which both women immediately noticed. “Ai, this is Jayne.”

  Jayne extended a smile at the woman, but did not offer her a handshake. “A pleasure to meet you, Ai.” The waitress had returned with the beverages, sitting the mini tea canister of hot water on the table. Ai was still giving Jayne the evil eye but she had dismissed it. There was nothing between her and Toshi. If this woman was of some significance to him, it was his responsibility to qualify why he was having lunch with her.

  “Excuse me,” Jayne said as she sat back down to the table, remembering the tea he had in his left pocket. Well, no need to let the water get cold. Without any thought, she reached into the left pocket of Toshi’s jacket that he had draped across the back of the seat, took out the tea, and prepared it as she had seen him do in Columbia. S
he used his diffuser to place over the top of the cup and slowly poured the hot water over the loose leaves. Toshi had a very wide smile on his face that Ai tried to slap off. “You bastard!”

  Toshi caught her hand before it reached his face, lowering Ai’s arm back down to her side. “Ai, we are no longer together, you have no need to be upset.”

  “Did you leave me for this woman, Toshi?”

  Jayne looked up, eyes wide with disbelief. The food had arrived and smelled heavenly, shifting Jayne’s attention away from Toshi, who surprised Jayne by telling Ai, “Yes I did. Excuse us while we have lunch.”

  Ai stormed off, furious. Jayne waited for Toshi to be seated. With his head lowered, she was uncertain if he was praying or needed a moment to calm himself, but it only lasted a second. When he cut into his food and took the first bite, Jayne tried to inhale her entire burger. With a mouth full of food and her manners placed in her back pocket, she said “why did you lie to her about us?”

  “Who said I lied? He continued to eat his lunch as if nothing had happened. Jayne didn’t know what to make of any of it, but Timmy was the priority right now. The poor guy needed to be fed.

  The ease of which she conversed with Toshi stunned her. It was very rare that she could sit down with a man and enjoy a meal without the conversation gravitating to something sexual. She was also astounded that he had not hit on her, made a comment about her ass, or even asked for her number. The man didn’t even ask if he could friend her on Facebook. As they walked back to where they had parked, he gave her his card. “Call me sometime, Jayne Wright.”

  He did not wait for a response, but fired up the engine of the sporty car and drove away. Even with her belly full, her mind still went back to him asking that question. Who said I lied? He always managed to leave her with something to ponder. At Banzaicon, he told her he had planned to give her hours of pleasure. That simple phrase stuck with her, even today.