The Cost To Play (Slivers of Love)

by Gaines, Oliva

  “Jayne, I need you to remove your knee from the bench and bend down and touch your toes.” Jayne followed his instructions, feeling his hands upon her hips. She was breaking out into a heavier sweat. His hands were on the back of her thigh, “Focus on the movement of my hands as I caress the semimembranosus.” Strong, adept hands were burning through the fabric of her workout pants. Just when she was about to tell him that was enough, her calf muscle relaxed. He stepped away. “There. How did that feel?”

  It felt like I want some more of that, along with whatever else you got in that bag of tricks. Instead of saying what she was thinking, she played along. “A little more of that and management will be asking us to leave.” She laughed as she patted him in the chest, saying good night. She would see him on Saturday night, since she had plans on Friday.

  Toshi was not going to be upstaged. He showed up on her office on Friday morning with a perfect red rose and a cup of Bouna Café poured over Brazilian roast coffee. Frank, who was feeling and smelling so much better, was the first to greet him with a hearty thank you and offers of friendship. Toshi had one thing on his mind, only he told Frank he was glad he was feeling better. When he turned his attention to Jayne, he kissed her so completely and thoroughly, that every woman in the office fanned themselves. One even swooned. A few of the men, including Frank, spoke up. “Damn!”

  When he departed, Jayne was still out of breath. She was approached by the office busy body, Tunisia. “Girl, if he kisses like that, he must be hell in bed!” Jayne blushed at such forthright talk, especially with a woman who was outside of her inner circle. She gave no answer in words or in tells, excusing herself to get back to work. Her mind was all over the place and so where her hormones. Tunisia’s question continued pinging about her brain. Finally, when she could no longer focus, she picked up the phone and called her GYN. She was going to need some birth control…and soon.

  On Saturday evening, Jayne was more nervous than a prostitute heading to Sunday service. Instead of being locked away in his apartment, working all close and in a confined space where she didn’t know if she would be able to escape his sexy, come to me baby approach, Toshi took her on a date. It was nothing fancy. A dinner and a movie kind of date. Jayne was disappointed that they watched the movie and discussed its high points over dinner, with no mention of any special alone time.

  Jayne was lost in her thoughts wondering what was wrong, as he walked her to her door. She was totally unprepared for his next move and even more shocked to find out you can kiss someone with your whole body. Which is what he did once he stepped inside her front door.

  It seemed so innocent when he stepped forward to take her into his arms, but as his kiss deepened, so did his movements. His arms tightened around her waist as his fingers pressed into the nerves around her spinal column, turning her legs into jelly. When he slanted his mouth over her lips, Toshi moved his thighs against hers as if they were in a slow dance. The thigh movements transitioned into hip movements, swaying from side to side, while he kissed, lifted, and turned her body. Jayne’s senses were in overload as his hand slid down her thigh, hefting her leg upward pressing closer to her. He’s right. That is a nice dinky. The movements were not vulgar or suggestive, but subliminal in the most evil of ways. Toshi broke the kiss, allowing his lips to trail down her neck, to the base of her throat. He gently suckled at her neck, still swaying, pressing, and holding her even closer. The catching of her breath could be heard as his teeth grazed her collar bone. His wayward right hand allowed the thumb to hover just below her right breast. And just as suddenly as he started, he stopped, providing the briefest of kisses and then he said goodnight.

  It was not a good night for Jayne. She could not sleep, nor could she forget the feel of his body against hers. This was nothing short of warfare and he was playing dirty. The anger was simmering on the surface, but deep down, she liked how he played. She was ready to get in on the next game. This time, she was dealing.

  Monday morning brought a new set of worries, troubles, and problems that seemed to be unresolved on her latest ad campaign. If something could have gone wrong, it did. The client hated everything about the concept including the slogan which they provided. Frank was doing his best to lend a hand, but there was no other choice but to scrap the project and start over. Starting over also meant late nights from conception to design. It also meant no Toshi.

  Frank was equally unhappy. Since his cleansing through the special appointment Toshi had set, Frank was smelling better and far more pleasant to be around. He started seeing someone in his building. This gave a big spark to his desire to come up with something clever on the cat food campaign which he delivered in a big way. By Thursday morning they were in the black with the client singing their praises. The timing could not be more perfect since Jayne had a doctor’s appointment at 9:45. Everything was left in Frank’s capable hands as she opted to take the afternoon off as well.

  The appointment went fast. By 10:45, Jayne was sporting a new no kids right now patch and a saucy attitude. There was enough time for her to swing by her apartment to make a quick change before she placed an order with Yosko for lunch. Food in hand along with a new approach in mind, the drive downtown to the campus cruised along without a hitch. Locating Toshi’s office was not as easy.

  His business card said he was located on the third floor of the building she was in, as she followed the room numbers, she located his office. “Hi, I am looking for Dr. Yamaguchi,” she told the middle age woman behind the desk.

  “Dr. Yamaguchi is in class. May I assist you with something?” she asked over the rim of her glasses, eyeing Jayne with some suspicion.

  The desk name plate said D. Banks. “Ms. Banks, I brought him lunch. I thought since today is his short day, I would surprise him.” It appeared the one who was more surprised was Ms. Banks who began to sputter over her words. Jayne let the woman off the hook. “I know he is still on the podium, but if I could leave this on his desk and meet him at his classroom, that would be even better.”

  D. Banks held up both arms each pointing in a different direction. Jayne took it to mean his class was down the hall and his desk was in the rear. “Ms. Banks. After I sit this down, can I get that room number?”

  The workspace of Dr. Toshi Yamaguchi looked nothing like any tenured professor’s office she had in college. It was organized and it was clean. His desk was not covered by piles of papers or journal articles. It held the faint scent of his cologne, which lingered throughout the office. Jayne checked her watch. There were only a few minutes left in his class and she wanted to surprise him. Ms. Banks handed her the note with the room number on it as she walked by. “We will be back in a few,” she told her as her high heels clicked down the hall.

  The lecture room wasn’t difficult to find. She followed the sound of his voice. Jayne slipped inside the door to take a seat in the rear of the room. The light weight coat was removed to reveal a far too short black skirt and button front form fitting sweater that clung to every bit of the imagination. The stool on the far right was far enough in the rear of the room to not distract the students, but very direct in his line of sight. A cute young female student in the front of the room was pelting him with nonsensical questions. When he looked up, Jayne chose that moment to open and then cross her legs. A slight lean forward onto the table caused his mouth to drop open followed by a very large frozen grin. Every student in the classroom turned to see what had made the professor break his composure.

  “That’s it for this week. Remember, your outlines of the olfactory nerves are due on Tuesday. Have a great weekend.” Although he addressed the students, his eyes never left Jayne or the too short skirt. Mary Elizabeth was still asking questions. Many of which fell upon deaf ears, until finally the young woman asked, “who is that? Your girlfriend?”

  Several of the young men were eyeing Jayne whose eyes were transfixed on her man. She licked her lips, silently saying, “hope you’re hungry.”

  One of the men resp
onded, “If he isn’t, I sure as hell am. I will take whatever you are serving.”

  Toshi turned so fast, all of the students jumped. He quickly spotted the wise guy. “You will not disrespect any woman in the classroom Mr. Jones. You will apologize instantly.” The embarrassed young man mumbled an apology to Jayne, while Mary Elizabeth watched the professor pack his things and join the guest.

  As he approached her, Jayne added in, “I thought I would surprise you with lunch. I brought all of your favorites,” she told him in a breathy voice. She turned for him to follow her out the door. Toshi’s eyes followed Jayne’s perfect ass all the way down the hall to his office. As they both hoped to keep everything above board, the office door was left open. Jayne opened the containers and used the chopsticks to feed him his first piece of sushi. This she followed with a kiss as she tried to nibble at the sashimi he was holding between his teeth. Her hands became very friendly. Each time she leaned forward, she would stroke his thigh.

  A light tap came at the door. Mary Elizabeth had a few more questions for the professor. Jayne wanted the young woman to understand her role in Toshi’s life. While his back was turned to answer the young lady, she undid one more button on the sweater as she feigned dropping an ink pen. A bend from the waist in high heels is impressive by any one’s standards, but doing so, and picking something up from the floor while showing off cleavage, is a winner. Toshi responded to the student, “go home Mary Elizabeth. Enjoy your weekend. He then closed the door.

  “Jayne, Jayne, Jayne.” He shook his head as he watched her fiddle with the necklace he had given her. “Whatever am I going to do with you?”

  I can think of a few things. She took a seat behind his desk, slowly crossing her legs again. This time revealing the thigh high stockings and the sexy garter. He snapped his fingers. “I got it! Your name should be Gauntlet.”

  “Is that what you think I just did, throw down the gauntlet?”

  “It doesn’t matter what you throw at me Jayne. Either way, I am ready to suit up and go all in.” His eyes were twinkling as he fed her a piece of the Sierra roll.

  “I just bet you are.” She toyed with a piece of zucchini, feeding it to him as his eyes followed her back and forth. She swiveled to and fro in the chair. This was definitely a turning point in their relationship. This Saturday night would be very different.

  Chapter 21

  Disappointment is such an unusual feeling. Especially when it is unclear as to the reason a person senses a letdown. Toshi was uncertain what Jayne had in store for the afternoon. Displeasure was all over his face when she received the call that she was needed back at the office right away. The annoyance Jayne felt became audible as she righted her clothing providing him a hasty kiss in front of the other staff members who seemed genuinely shocked at her presence in his office. Discontentment hung around her neck as she returned to her job to find out that the VP of Operations for Mr. Whisker’s Cat Food, did not like the last designs.

  Jayne kicked off her shoes and hunkered down. The romantic dinner she had planned had to be cancelled. A saving grace was that her boyfriend was unaware that she had planned to take him out. Dinner instead was a cold sub sandwich on thick bread with a side of wilted lettuce, which was masquerading itself as a salad. Frank wasn’t in a very good mood, which caused him some distress. This resulted in the production of some more foul gas. Grammy Pearl always said, “it doesn’t matter your plan. If it is not what God intended, it just ain’t gonna happen for you.” Today was one of the only days when Jayne felt her Grammy talked too damned much. They worked until 11 pm and wasn’t certain about the new design.

  At 7:30 am, she, Frank and Celia, another team member, boarded themselves up in the conference room and worked nonstop on new designs. Kris Cawley sent in sugary snacks, bad pizza, and loads of caffeine at lunch. By 3:30, they had something workable. She and Frank headed back to the drawing board to begin again.

  The dissatisfaction in Toshi’s voice was evident when he called and was informed that she would be working late. This time, they continued until 11:30, with final touches still needing to be made. As they made their way toward the door, tired and disillusioned, Frank turned too fast and his bag knocked over the ink pots, ruining the boards.

  “I am so sorry, Jayne. I am just so damned tired,” he said with a sorrowful voice that was followed by a fart.

  She couldn’t blame the big galoot. It was truly accidental. “We both are exhausted Frank. I will see you back here at 7:30 in the morning.”

  It took the better part of Saturday to redo the concept boards, shoot the images, and upload the designs to Mr. Whiskers, but it was done. If they hated it, she and Frank would start over on Monday. What she needed right now was a hot shower, some dinner, and her bed. As proud as she was for remaining calm with Frank yesterday, her tension and frustration was compounded as she hit dead stop traffic on Washington Road. Evidently an accident and flashing lights in Augusta, means that everyone should slow down to personally inspect the scene. The fifteen minute drive home was now creeping into 45 minutes and Jayne’s knuckles were ashen from gripping the steering wheel. The text message that came from Toshi inquiring if they were still meeting tonight received the response of only, “ggggrrrrrr.”

  A slow drizzle had started by the time Jayne finally reached home. The gush of rain which followed from the dark clouds drenched her hair, clothing, and spirit as she entered her front door. Even after the hot shower, a glass of wine, and the playing of some Norman Brown, her disposition had not improved. In her comfortable beige leggings covered by an oversized tee, Jayne could not relax. Tension in her shoulders and back prevented her from getting comfortable and she wanted to punch something.

  A light tap was heard at the door. Dread crept through her bones as she flatfootedly trudged to the entry to see who was planning to make her evening worse. The look on her face when she open the door made Toshi balk. “I am sorry. I should have called first.”

  “It’s okay. Come on in.” There was no enthusiasm in her voice.

  As he removed his shoes and sat the bags with their dinner on the counter, he told her, “you look really tense.”

  Jayne plopped down on the couch. “I am really tired.”

  Toshi took a seat on the ottoman which was always nestled in the corner but he dragged to the front of the couch, “Jayne, allow me take care of you tonight.”

  “If you can bring my shoulders down from around my ears, go for it,” she said with a hint of sarcasm, but the expression on his face changed her tune. “I hope you can accomplish whatever you have in mind without removing any of my clothing.”

  A wry smile covered his face, “I will take good care of you Jayne, but first, I need some lotion or body oil.”

  She was too tired to even sit up, so she pointed toward the bedroom. “My bathroom…on the sink...choices.” She waved her hand as if swatting away a pesky fly.

  It was his first entry in her bedroom. It smelled of lavender and lilacs with one wall painted light purple. The quilt which covered the bed appeared to be handmade with bright splashes of vivid colors. The headboard was covered in a bright yellow fabric with small periwinkle flowers with green stems. The furniture was a heavy dark wood that appeared to be antique. A soft rug was by the bed and to his amazement, there were no paintings on the walls. Not even a simple plaque. The bed taunted him like some evil fat kid with the last piece of cake. This is where she rests that amazing body. What does she sleep in, a gown, shorts, nothing? The last idea made his body react. Focus, man….focus…you can’t walk back out there with your dinky poking at her.

  In the bathroom, the same color theme continued with a pretty shower curtain, frilly girl towels, and a few items on the counter. He saw the body oil and lotion, opening each and sniffing the containers. Jayne yelled at him. “Stay out from under my sink!” He laughed out loud because when she called to him, his hand was on the door of the cabinet. “Keep out of my medicine cabinet too!”

  The jibes
were irrelevant to his master plan to move their relationship forward tonight. Armed with only a bottle of body oil, Toshi walked into the living room, perched himself upon the ottoman, and set to work. After tonight, the two of them would form a new connection as a couple.

  The woman slumped on the couch was not the sexy ingénue that graced his office two days prior. This woman that stared back at him through half open eyes was the cocoon which housed his beautiful Jayne. He was about to set her free.

  “Jayne, I am going to do a series of massages on you to release you and free you up a bit. Okay?”

  The response was a groan, mixed with a “whatever,” and “my panties are staying on Mister.”

  Her right foot was raised from the floor, with the sole planted in the middle of his chest. Toshi leaned forward to take hold of the bottom of her tee shirt, asking her permission to touch her abdomen before he raised the cotton top exposing her belly while pushing the fabric of the pants down. Warm hands explored her stomach pressing lightly until he found two lumps. Using his index and middle fingers, he applied pressure under both sides of her navel in two quick thumps followed by adding compression in three other spots. Jayne sat up on the couch, eyes wide. “What in the world?”

  “Two days of bad food. I moved it forward, so now you should not feel so sluggish.” His hand slowly rubbed her calf as he stared into her eyes. “I am also ready for us to move forward as well.” He applied pressure to a sore spot on her leg, that she had not been aware was tender. Three swift movements of his hand released the aching spot causing Jayne to say, “Oohh that felt good.”