Chapter 2

I watched Anna slip away. I always delighted in the way she moved, as if she were dancing.

Risa gently cleared her throat.

Right, Risa. Who I was supposed to get to know.

I turned my head to look at her. I smiled at the tiny frown. That might have been shameless of me, but I didn’t care.

She shook her head when she saw my smile, and then smiled a tiny smile herself.

“Yes, she moves like poetry,” Risa agreed. I noticed that her English had suddenly improved. The accent was still there, but only a hint of it. I looked at her, my eyebrow arching.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Why pretend that you had difficulty speaking English?” I asked.

She looked away for a moment, then looked back at me, “I expected something different from you,” she answered. I watched her, waiting for her to continue.

“I thought you would respond more favorably to me if I behaved demurely. ‘I need a white protector’ act if you will,” she added watching me. I nodded for her to continue.

“It didn’t take me long to see that it wouldn’t work on you. Anna told me it wouldn’t work, but I needed to make sure,”

“What made you think it wouldn’t work?” I asked.

“Even in the few minutes we spent talking, I could tell that you were measuring everything. One slip, and you would notice and be on guard,” she offered.

Curiouser and curiouser I thought to myself. She certainly knew how to play to my ego.

“Are you busy this afternoon?” I asked. My change of subject startled her.

“No,” was her reply.

“Then would you mind accompanying me to check out my tux? I need to retrieve it from storage, and get it to the dry cleaners. Maybe we can have some tea afterwards? I am hoping that you know a better tea shop than the ones I know, a favorite of yours perhaps?” I asked.

Yes, this was deliberate. I had been cast into the deep end, and was being left to sink or swim. I needed Risa to back off a bit, and putting her on guard like this was a simple way to give me some time to get a better feel for the situation. And by making it about her, and needing her approval, I would come across as being cooperative.

Risa looked confused for a moment before nodding.

“Let me grab my bike, and we’ll walk back to my room,” I offered as I grabbed the last of my lunch.

The walk to my bike and my room was fairly quiet, with Risa spending most of the time studying me quietly. I asked her to give me a minute to rinse off in the shower once we got back to my room. The shower let me reset mentally and me get my barrings. And then we were off to my storage room.

I’d bought an old Honda when I got to California from a student that had been leaving. It was worn, but ran well, and would be all I needed for my two years here. The storage facility wasn’t too far away by car, and I was going to be carrying my tux with me to the dry cleaners, besides, I didn’t think it would be appropriate for me to have Risa walking all over Palo Alto.

Once we were on our way, Risa turned to me, “What are you really after Eric?”

“Hummm,” I thought for a moment, “That is a good question. In fact, it was one of my father’s favorites,”

She started giving me the evil eye without changing a single expression, so I gave in, if only ever so slightly.

“Risa, I have no plans where it comes to Anna,” I offered, “I didn’t know her before I moved here for school. I didn’t seek her out on the beach, and I haven’t pursued her here on campus. If I never see her again, I would feel sad, but my life wouldn’t end,” I looked at her briefly as I drove along, “If you are looking for something from me, you are going to have to be more direct,”

She stared out the window for a few miles before turning to look at me, “You really don’t know who her father is?”

I snorted, shaking my head, “From what little I have been able to surmise, I don’t want to know. Anyone who would treat their daughter as a second class citizen is not someone I want to know, or know about,” That seemed to shock her.

“He is a very great man,” she defended.

“Then your standards are lower than my own,” I countered.

Her mouth fell open, and then she turned away. The rest of the ride was quiet, and I spent it trying to digest the idea of a father arranging dates for his daughter here in California of all places. I did not like where my thoughts traveled.

The tuxedo passed Risa’s scrutiny, and the dry cleaners were willing to take their time cleaning it, and addressing a few tiny issues, like my ever so slightly expanding waist line. With that task done, I asked for Risa’s suggestion for tea, and she directed me to a store not all that far from the school. It was only after we started returning that I was sure that I was being followed.

“Your detail?” I asked. She just looked at me in confusion. I pointed out the black suburban behind us, and she pulled out her phone and made a phone call.

“They are ... friends,” she answered after a quick conversation that I didn’t understand.

“Ah,” I offered, “They know where we are going, right?”

“I told them,” she confirmed.

“Good, good. They are welcome to some tea as well,” I offered, a sly grin on my face.

“No! Their job is... , “ she began until she saw my face, “You can be a very difficult man,” she huffed.

“Aww, you say the sweetest things,” I chuckled. Risa huffed again, and turned her head, but I caught her slight grin.

We parked in a plaza, and walked into the tea shop. Risa ordered green tea with jasmine. I ordered Earl Grey. Risa was gave me a look when I placed my order.

We found a place to sit that was out of the way, and Risa studied me for a bit, apparently making up her mind.

“You do know that if you hurt her, you will most likely be killed,” she started.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. Risa was not amused.

“I believe that I can handle myself, Risa,” I offered.

“Yes, many on the detail are quite impressed with your training routine,” she stated. I wondered how she had gotten that information.

“I was once a soldier,” I explained, then looked at her; my unspoken question apparent. I wanted to test a theory. Risa seemed very capable at reading body language.

“Anna told me,” she offered when she saw the question on my face. I nodded, my mind working through several bits of new information. Not to mention that it isn’t everyday a beautiful young woman threatens your life.

“Why are you really here Risa?” I asked. She looked down at her tea, and took a breath.

“Anna ... feels very strongly for you,” she started after a moment.

I translated this to, “I am performing a threat assessment,”

“She says you have a very strong spirit, like a warrior monk of old. She feels very safe with you. She told me that you have never pressured her about anything, and that you are always very gentle but firm with her,”

Again, I translated this to, “I am hoping that you are a good thing in her life,”

“Her father has many enemies around the world. The security detail is there to protect her. She asked that some of them keep an eye on you, so she would know where you were when she wanted to find you, but I also think to keep you safe,”

Keep me safe, or keep an eye on what I do, I wondered.

“Suki doesn’t like it, and she is second in charge of the detail. She thinks Anna is acting disgracefully, though she would never say so directly to Anna or any of her employers. It has come to the point where Anna needed to make alternate arrangements,” she finished.

“You?” I asked.

“I can keep an eye on you, and call for help if necessary,” she began, “Also, I am Anna’s lover,” she paused to gauge my reaction to that. I shrugged. Sex with Anna was never going to happen until I had a handle on what was going on. I tried to make it a habit of not sticking my cock into bear traps.

I also didn’t doubt for one moment that if Risa thought I was a threat to Anna she would kill me in my sleep. She had that assassin cool thing going for her. Or maybe I just think competent Japanese women are hot.

My lack of reaction stopped Risa for a moment.

“You do not care?” she broached.

“I don’t own her, or you,” I started, “In fact, if I remember correctly, that kind of ownership is illegal in this country,” I teased, though I started fitting tiny bits together. She frowned.

“She thinks that you are suffering from her teasing,” she started again. I laughed softly, shaking my head, “What?” she demanded softly.

“If that is suffering... , “ I began, but couldn’t finish, it was just too funny. Risa’s eyes sparkled as well, nodding.

“Anna wants me to be a companion for you, perhaps to make up for all of the teasing she has put you through,” she smiled.

That statement stopped me cold, and my eyes hardened. I felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice down my back. Risa sat back slowly, as if seeing a wild animal for the first time, and wondering at the best way to take it down. Like I said, assassin cool.

“Risa, I am a big boy now,” I began, once I had a handle on my temper, “I don’t need bedmates out of pity. That is insulting, and dishonors my relationship with her, and I hope with you. I am no rapist, and I will never force anyone into my bed,” I spoke with a forced, clipped tone.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she nodded slowly.

“Perhaps I spoke poorly,” she began.

“Or perhaps you spoke correctly,” I countered.

Risa took a slow breath, as she thought furiously.

“Eric, these kinds of arrangements are very common in Japan among those who lead,” she began, motioning for me to be quiet when I tried to interrupt, “Please, let me continue,” I nodded, “Anna is supposed to remain pure until she is married. We became lovers out of mutual need. But where Anna is expected to behave a certain way because of her father, I am more free to pursue outside interests.

“I admit my curiosity and to a bit of jealousy when she first started talking about you. That is natural of two people who have supported each other over many years. But I could also see how she started to blossom. You are like a warm light that sooths her, and while you do not see it, she has come to need you a great deal.

“We have had many discussion about what kind of lover you might be. There is no denying the power you posses, not only of strength, but also of spirit and conviction. There is also a playful gentleness in you as well that I see for myself. I understand how Anna can feel safe with you. I sit here at this table, and can feel your anger, yet know that you would never hurt me deliberately. Though, where Anna feels you give her warmth and peace, I feel your presence like a big brother.

“No one would force me into bed with you. I am curious. And our brief time together with has made me more curious. Should we make love, I would share my experience with Anna, and she could know another part of you through that sharing. It would bring us closer together, like two sisters. She would also feel less guilty about her teasing, knowing that even if she herself could not partake of you, at least I, her sister and lover, could partake, and we could share that together,” she finished.

I sat back slowly. It was a lot to digest. I looked around the tea house to see if there was anyone paying too much attention to our conversation, but the place was mostly empty. I nodded my head in understanding.

“It is a cultural thing I take it?” I asked.

“I believe that it is, though it isn’t uncommon in other cultures, say France and Italy,”

I took a deep breath, and nodded. I looked out the window, wondering, and then I smiled a small smile.

“My reaction was not what you were expecting,” I stated.

“No,” she agreed, “I believed that you would be ... happy to have a bed mate,”

“Oh?”

“Again, the security detail has been keeping up with you,” she began, “You are not like most of the American men I have met. You keep in shape. You are attractive in a rough sort of way. And you are well mannered.

“You have the confidence and the ability to seduce most of the women on campus, but you don’t date. There are two girls here on campus that would gladly bed you and have made their interest quite clear, yet you are polite and distant with them.

“Eric, it is not healthy for men to forgo sex. Anna sees this and it concerns her. I believe that you are simply waiting for Anna, but a union between the two of you could never be,” she finished.

I chuckled softly.

“Those two girls you mention would bed almost anyone,” I offered, “And after my father’s death, my desires are not what they once were,”

“You still grieve?” she asked delicately.

“It is more than that.” I began, the pain that I kept from my thoughts coming to the surface, “Both of my parents are dead. I have no brothers or sisters. I have one uncle, but we were never really close and the same with my cousins. I feel ... uprooted,” I paused, remembering the events of what happened when I finally managed to get back home and to my father’s grave.

“There was a friend, a girl I used to date. She tried to comfort me, to give me some peace. We made love, but it felt empty. It felt like a lie. I became more aggressive with her. While she seemed to enjoy it, she was fairly bruised afterwards. I hurt her. She tried to tell me everything was alright, but seeing those bruises, and feeling the emptiness of the sex we had... , “ I trailed off.

Risa sat watching me. Her face was inscrutable. I contented myself with sipping my tea and watching the traffic pass. I felt very raw exposing myself like this to someone who was still a stranger, no matter her desire to become my lover.

“And if it were Anna?” she asked after several minutes.

“Anna?” I chuckled, “There are still far too many road blocks between Anna and myself before I would consider taking her to my bed,” I stated.

“What do you mean,” she probed.

“Something has happened, or is happening to her. That she would attach herself to me so strongly is an example of that. Considering how important she is, and all of the resources at her disposal, or at least at her father’s disposal; why would she chose an outsider, and why would she bond so strongly to an outsider that, for the most part, is simply being polite?” I began, but could not continue with that line of thought without admitting some very dark and dangerous truths, and until I knew for certain one way or another, I wasn’t going to admit them, “I am not sure what I feel for her, aside from being happy she seems to be getting better. I hope she continues to get better. But, considering the implications about what is happening to her makes the thought of being her lover difficult to pursue,” I finally finished after a moment, somewhat lamely.

“I see what you mean,” she offered after another long moment as she processed what I said.

Again, there was a long moment of quiet as we both sipped out tea, lost in our respective thoughts.