by Serena Rose
THE DRAGON'S RELUCTANT BRIDE
Chapter One
It was raining one late Friday night and I was sitting at my desk in my Tokyo office, phone in hand, searching for a date for that night. Nope, too plain. Nope, too skinny. Nope, waaay too young looking. I didn’t want to bring any undue attention to myself, due to the nature of my work.
My name is Shinno Kintaro, or you can just call me Kintaro, which is my given name. I’m the top ranking member of the Dragon Clan of the Yakuza crime syndicate. I was awarded this auspicious position when I hit eighteen years of age, right after my father died. When I was eighteen, my uncle took me to the ancient Horishi to get the enchanted dragon irezumi placed on my back, marking me as one of the elites of the Dragon clan.
I swiped again, still no, and again. I figured in Tokyo, there would be at least someone interesting on this hookup app. Ugh. No…no…holy shit, come on. I would like to get laid tonight. It’s been what, two days now? I thought.
I decided I would give it one more swipe before calling for an escort. Whoa! Who is that? The picture was of a very tall, sultry redhead, and according to her bio, an American Expat who has been in Tokyo on business for a few years now. She had curves in all the right places, too. Thick in the waist, I loved that in a woman for some reason, just drove me wild. I really liked what I saw so I swiped the other way.
I closed my eyes and listened to the rain pour down on my office window, hoping that it was a match. The wait for the match was almost too much to bear so I started to pick up my phone to dial the escort agency I usually frequented and I felt it buzz in my hand.
I unlocked the screen and saw that we matched! I sent her a quick text asking her if she wanted to meet at a certain Karaoke bar that my associates run. I didn’t have to tell her that, but at least it’s small, out of the way and pretty intimate. Granted, I’d have to tell the bouncer that she could be allowed in, since no non-Japanese people are allowed past the doors, but whatever.
My phone buzzed again and she agreed to meet. It was a public place, she said, so she felt safe. Worked for me. He he he.
I sent an email to my associates, informing that I was not to be disturbed for the evening. I was going to be out of the office and my phone would be turned off as well. I didn’t want anything getting in the way of this.
I stood up and put on my blazer. I was wearing a rather thin, white shirt due to the warm Tokyo summer, and it was damp with sweat, so I guessed my tattoo would be showing through. That was unacceptable.
I needed to blend in with the crowd, and not point out that there was a criminal mastermind bad ass there. I went down the elevator and nodded at my receptionist on the way out. I exited the glass doors to my office building and walked down the dark Tokyo streets.
Despite it being nearly eleven at night, the streets were still congested with orderly traffic as people were starting to head home from the office. Sounds strange, I know, but people in Tokyo don’t keep a standard nine to five schedule. They go in bright and early, and go home super late. It’s all part of the work ethic. Seems rather drab to me, but I’m not your typical Japanese guy.
As I walked, I realized I’ve been breaking tradition my whole life. My dad wanted me, as his first born, to follow in his footsteps, but I rebelled the entire way. Yeah, the Yakuza were fun, but they were just as bound by tradition as the rest of the country. After I took control of the Dragon clan, I made some pretty sweeping changes, some of which didn’t sit well with the old guard. There were some traditions, though, that they didn’t want to change, but those wouldn’t affect me.
I turned down the alley where the bar was located and stepped in.
“Hey, Yaza, how’s it going?” I greeted the bouncer.
“Not bad. Great ball game on tonight, Tigers vs the Stars. You might want to talk to the bartender to get a bet in.”
“Thanks. Oh, by the way, there’s going to be a tall, American red head knocking on the door tonight, be sure to let her in, she’s with me.”
Yaza smirked and winked at me. “You’re always after the foreigners. You definitely like the exotic ones, huh?”
“Well, the standard submissive girl that’s around doesn’t really do it for me. I’ve heard stories of red heads and I want to see if they’re true.” Which was true. Sure, I travelled around the world, but out of all the women I slept with, not a single one was a ginger. Not a one.
I went up to the bar and flagged the bartender down. “I’d like a beer,” I said as I slapped down a 100 yen note.
“You got it. Gonna bet on the game? Tigers are going to take a dive at the bottom of the eighth and the Stars are going to pick it back up. Bet on the Stars, they’re considered the underdogs.” Made sense.
“Alright, a thousand on the Stars,” I said putting the appropriate note on the table. The bartender nodded and put the bill in a box he had stashed under the bar for just that exact purpose.
I took a swig of my beer and watched the game for a bit. “So the Karaoke is not on tonight?”
“Nah, no one’s really interested, seems like everyone just wants to hang out and watch the game to unwind. Wouldn’t blame them, to be honest. Business has been rather hectic lately.”
“You’ve got that right. This is my third late night in a week,” I said as I sipped my brew.
“Oh, boo hoo. Forgive me if I don’t feel sorry for you, but you are the Shinno Kintaro, it’s not like you actually do much.” Ouch, that hurt.
Before I could retort, the door opened and in stepped the beautiful woman I had matched on Tinder. My face broke out into a broad smile as I set my beer down on the bar and approached her.
“Hello, I am Shinno Kintaro, I would rather you just call me Kintaro. I’m honored that you accepted my invitation.” I meant every word of it. Hot damn, she was better looking than her picture. She was a few inches taller than me, not that I minded, because she had curves in all the right places. I mean, hot damn.
“I was surprised to receive it. I’m Rachel McDonald. I’ve been here for a few years on behalf of my company, and starting to feel a little lonely.”
Well, if I have my way, you won’t be lonely anymore.
“Well, I’m not like most Japanese men,” I said as we walked towards the bar. Those who could understand English chuckled as they overheard what I said. They wouldn’t give away my secret and I knew it, but the inside joke was pretty obvious.
She looked at me with her bright green eyes and I felt my cock stir in my slacks. Let’s hope I can land her. “So can I get you a drink?” I asked.
“Sure! I know this sounds cliché but I’m addicted to sake.” Excellent. This place brews their own on site so she was going to get the best damn sake in the whole of Japan.
“Not a problem. Can you get her a container of sake, please?” I asked the bartender. “Put it on my tab.”
“Not a problem,” he said with a grin as he poured the wine into the warm, white decanter.
I handed the decanter of sake to Rachel along with the cup. “I have my beer, so it’s all yours,” I said. “So what brings you to Japan?” I was genuinely curious because not many expats are women.
“Well, my company needed someone over here. I was the highest performing executive in my field so they sent me. Let’s just say, since being here, my performance has plummeted.” She sounded kinda down about that.
“Why is that?” I was genuinely curious.
“Well, come to find out, most Japanese businessmen don’t want to deal with women, especially American women.”
“Yes, you do have a point. What if I told you I could help you out with that? What’s your industry?” Honestly, if I could help her, maybe I could get into her pants, I thought.
“Advanced robotics and power armor production. I don’t know why they wouldn’t be interested in this.”
I thought for a moment, and realized the potential for our shell company in developing power armor for the American military, and possibly China and Russia. If we man
aged to get our hands into that, the Yakuza could come out on top in the international organized crime racket.
“You know, I could probably help you with that. You see, Japanese technology moguls don’t really like working on things that can be applied to war time. Has to do with our history, you understand.”
“Yes I do, but these suits can do more than bolster forces. They can aid in search and rescue, clearing of radioactive debris…all I have are the schematics for the prototypes. I’ve been courting tech firms here for two years without any success.”
“Well, today is your lucky day, I have some people who would probably be very interested in developing your technology. We’ll work things out. Enough of business, though. Would you be interested in coming over for tea?”
She looked kind of skeptical, so I turned on the charm. “Hey, don’t worry, I don’t bite. Think about it, you’ve been here two, three years now? You know what they say about all work and no play, right?” I placed my hand on hers and looked deep into her green eyes. I wanted her as soon as I saw her profile picture and she obviously wanted me.
“I guess that sounds alright.” She took my hand. “Tea sounds lovely.”
“Wonderful! Let’s watch the conclusion of this baseball game first, shall we? I have a friendly wager riding on it and would like to see how it pans out.” I already knew how it would pan out, I just wanted her to feel more comfortable with me.
The Stars and the Tigers battled it out on the big screen TV that hung next to the bar. It was the bottom of the eighth and this is where the Tigers were supposed to start throwing the game. The bases were loaded with Stars and the Tiger pitcher was about to throw.
He wound up and smacked the Stars’ batter square in the shoulder. Foul! Everybody walked and the scoreboard ticked up. The Stars were up by one point at the end of it.
The ninth inning rolled around and the Tigers kept missing their swings. As Rachel watched the game, I placed my hand gently on her leg, hoping to get some kind of response.
She looked at me and blushed but didn’t do anything to avoid my touch. That was a good sign.
The final Tiger was up to bat and the crowd was going wild, booing and jeering as their home town team was getting trounced by the outsiders. Alright, an easy two thousand yen was on its way. Not like I needed the money, but it was nice to win a bet every now and then.
CRACK!!!The batter sent the ball soaring through the air and well over the outfield wall in the distance. As the ball made its way, he jogged leisurely around the diamond, to my dismay. A home run. The Tiger hit a home run. He probably cost many of my associates quite a bit of money. I started to shake.
“Don’t worry, it’s a setup, just wait,” the bartender whispered to me. “They need to break the tie, so they’re gonna call up one more batter, he’s their worst player.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as this scrawny little man walked up to the plate.
“I think it’s the water boy,” I whispered in Rachel’s ear. I inhaled her perfume and was taken by how elegant it smelled. Better than the finest cherry blossoms in May. My head swam in its heady fragrance as I moved away.
She giggled as the small childlike man took his place at the plate and lifted the bat that might have weighed more than him, to his shoulder. It looked rather comical, to be honest. The pitch came and went three times, causing the teams to switch over once again into a tenth inning.
I was getting bored of the game and whispered in Rachel’s ear. “Would you like to get going? I can always collect my winnings tomorrow.”
She nodded. “Yeah, this game is going pretty long.” She smiled at me coyly while putting her hand on my lap. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
*
Kintaro didn’t seem so bad. We chatted and watched baseball together during the evening. Yes, I was wanting to hook up with someone. Two years without having much in the way of real human contact does wear on you after a while. When he finally matched me, I was ecstatic.
He was taller than most Japanese men I’ve met, he also kept his black hair long and tied back which was also pretty different and I liked that. His dark eyes twinkled when he smiled. His high cheek bones and square jaw gave his face a very aristocratic look. He looked as if he worked out regularly, as well. His tailored suit highlighted his body rather than hid it and I really liked what I saw. I wondered what was underneath it all.
When he offered to go back to his place for tea, I was hesitant at first, but the way he smiled and flirted made it increasingly difficult. This man had charisma, not to mention he said he knew someone who would want to start development on the power armor schematics I was sent here to sell.
After years of being stonewalled by the patriarchal system, I was grateful to have some help, and if I had to sleep with someone to get that help, I honestly didn’t see the problem. My bosses wanted results and they didn’t care how I got them. They were getting really antsy and were about to kick me off this project. So if I could show them I had a buyer, my bacon would be saved.
I felt his warm hand on my leg and I started to respond. He had on a peculiar cologne and its scent tugged at my senses. It was a combination of musk and cloves and it was extremely seductive. When he leaned in to whisper in my ear, I almost jumped him right then and there. Yeah, I thought I’d go have some “tea” with him. Just being in his presence was driving me wild. He was so charismatic and charming, I just couldn’t help but enjoy his company.
After we had agreed to leave, he paid up the tab and we left the bar. The bouncer smiled knowingly at us as we said our goodbyes and started towards the high rise apartment where Kintaro lived.
“I live just a few blocks away, I picked that spot because I could walk to work,” he explained. Made sense, just because the Japanese transit system was the best in the world doesn’t mean it was enjoyable to use. I had to use it every day and being packed into a train like a bunch of sardines got old pretty quickly, and I’ve only been here for two years. I guess living a lifetime of that, one would get accustomed to it, but I don’t think Kintaro was the type to get accustomed to anything.
“You know, even though I’ve been in this country for two years, I still can’t get used to how peaceful it is, despite the amount of people who live here.” For some reason I wanted to make some kind of conversation as we walked in silence.
“Peaceful?” He seemed confused
“Okay, orderly? Like, in New York everyone is honking, screaming, pushing, and trying to get one up on each other. Here it’s just, order.” I couldn’t really explain it. It was almost like rushing with a purpose. People were in a hurry, but they weren’t rushed. That was one of the parts I really liked about Japan. I almost wanted to stay here forever.
“Ah yes, that’s what impresses many visitors. The thing is, it isn’t like that. There really is a dark underbelly that we don’t show to outsiders. All those businessmen you see? Those blue collar workers in their blue uniforms? They all have a vice. They keep it well hidden, but everyone has a vice. Mine is women.”
Why wasn’t I surprised? At least he was honest. He was looking at me funny.
“I mean, women, not young girls, not any of that crap. I’ve never been in to the school girl craze. I’ve always wanted my women to be women, confident, curvy and sexy.” He took my hand. Well, I was definitely confident, and well, more than curvy according to many guys I’ve shown interest in, and I did hope I was sexy.
“You’re serious?” As his hand held mine I felt my heart skipping a beat. It was so warm and soft. I felt my pussy begin to moisten and tingle. Man it’s been so long since I’ve been laid I hope I remember how to do it, heh, I thought.
“Yes,” he answered to my unspoken question as we stopped in front of an apartment building. “I live in the penthouse, it’s much bigger and has plenty of privacy compared to the rest of the flats around here.” I recognized that this was also my apartment building. Wow, small world, but I didn’t want to tell him that so I just kept my
mouth shut.
He used his key card to open the door and we went around the back of the security office to an elevator that was new to me. I guess this was the elevator that went directly to the penthouse. Honestly, I had no clue it was there, but hey, at least my walk of shame won’t be so noticeable tomorrow morning!
Kintaro put his key card into the elevator’s access panel and the door opened. We stepped inside and as soon as the doors closed he moved in for a kiss.
I felt a shock jolt through my body as his lips met mine and I eagerly opened my mouth and probed his with my tongue. His soft tongue stroked mine, sending shivers up my back as we kissed. Yes, this is what I’ve wanted for so long now.
I felt his hands reach under my sweater and caress my breasts through my black lace bra as the elevator came to a stop. Kintaro broke the kiss and whispered, “Don’t worry, it opens directly into my apartment,” as the doors slid open.
We moved as one, taking off each other’s clothes. I unbuttoned his blazer and let it tumble to the ground as I worked at his shirt. He pulled my sweater over my head and reached around to unclasp my bra while we resumed our kiss. I was so preoccupied with his body I didn’t take time to notice what his penthouse looked like. Not that I really cared. I was there for one thing and one thing only.
I felt his soft, hot, lips kiss my sensitive throat and I let out a moan as we made our way to the bedroom in a flurry of passion and lust. My pussy throbbed and ached to be filled as he fondled my breasts. I craved his touch and his taste. I just wanted all of him. As we entered the bedroom, he stopped and backed off of me. His eyes were burning with lust as he took in the view of my topless body. “Turn around and pull your leggings off slowly. I want to watch you,” he said in his deep, baritone voice.
I smiled, turned around and hooked my thumbs in the waistband of my grey leggings and started to tug them down. I bent over as they slid over my voluptuous ass, down my knees and around my ankles.
I heard a low whistle behind me. “Stay like that for a second. That’s just mmm...perfect,” I heard Kintaro say as I felt his gaze burning my flesh. I then heard his fly being undone and his pants hitting the floor. “You can take them all the way off and lie down on the bed,” he instructed.
