A Duke of My Own, 2/2
A Duke Of My Own, Part 2
He rang in 2013 with Arashi and spent his few days off with family. And then once January was in full swing it was time for Operation Figure Out My Personal Life. His other option had been Operation Seduce Keiko but he found it to be a rather lofty name for something he wasn't necessarily guaranteed.
With a more positive attitude and the freshness that a New Year always brought, Sho seemed to have better luck as well. It didn't necessarily hurt that among his pile of New Year's cards there was one from Keiko herself, wishing him "happiness and health" and that she "looked forward to movie promotions" with him later in the year.
Of course she probably sent a card with the exact same message to Shiina-san and other cast members, but he chose to ignore that in favor of the cute little smily face doodle she'd drawn on the card. Surely that smily face meant he still had a shot.
It was just after his birthday when he received a surprise invite to a meal with Nishikido Ryo. He'd always been closer to Nino and Matsujun, but Sho had a sneaking suspicion that he'd regret not accepting. He found a nervous-looking Nishikido waiting for him at an agency-favorite ramen place.
Before they'd even gotten their food, Nishikido got to the point. "Is Kitagawa Keiko as scary as she seems?"
Sho nearly choked on his water. "Huh?"
"Kitagawa Keiko-chan," Nishikido repeated, shifty-eyed and almost shaking. "We're filming a movie together. I leave for Hokkaido in less than a week for location shooting. And not like Sapporo but like, middle of nowhere Hokkaido. Freeze your balls off Hokkaido. In February. So, um, I just wanted to know what she's like. I mean, out of the agency you've worked with her the most, right?"
"Uh...what about Yamashita?"
Nishikido looked ready to turn purple. "It's because of him that I'm asking you instead. They used to go out, and I guess it ended badly, so I didn't really want to...you know, get punched in the face."
"Why would he punch you for that?"
"Because um, this movie...it's a love story, so..."
"I see," Sho said, although he very much did not want to see. He was already internally fuming at the thought of Yamapi and his pretty face getting up in Keiko's face. And now Nishikido was going to romance her on the big screen. He was suddenly envisioning a king size bed with Keiko in the middle and Yamashita on one side of her and Nishikido on the other. For some reason they all had champagne flutes in hand and were pointing and laughing uproariously at the picture of Sho's ass in his An-an issue.
Ryo clasped his hands together, jolting Sho from his thoughts. "Please say she's not a psycho. Please!"
Sho swallowed down his ridiculous jealousy, stamped it down, and thought of nothing but Keiko's eyes and that smily face she'd drawn on the New Year's card for him. She was an actress, a professional, and she could film all the lovey dovey movies she wanted to. And if things had ended badly between them years back, Sho doubted that Yamapi was getting friendly New Year's cards from her.
"She's not psycho," he said. "She's..."
Ryo looked to him with hope in his eyes.
Sho looked down, telling the truth. "She's wonderful to work with. Completely and totally wonderful. She's fun to be around, works hard, never complains. She treats the staff like human beings. She'll make you laugh. She'll do weird things like eat honey out of a jar with a spoon or show you pictures of her cat. She's just..."
Ryo was staring at him now, eyebrows raised. Their ramen arrived, as steaming hot as Sho's face was now.
"Okay," Ryo said. "Not psycho then."
They slurped their noodles in silence for a few minutes, Sho feeling like a complete bumbling idiot. All he'd had to say was "she's fine" in a cool voice, and the conversation could have continued on without any weirdness. By the end of it, Nishikido could barely meet his eyes without grinning.
Sho picked up the tab, snatching the bill as soon as it was laid down on the table. "But I asked you to come," Ryo protested, trying to sound affronted even as he kept smiling.
"I got it, don't worry about it," Sho mumbled.
They headed for the taxi stand outside, shuffling back and forth in the cold while they alternated between holding out a hand to try and flag one down.
"There's kissing," Ryo announced to the night. "In the movie."
Sho wrinkled his nose, holding his hand out and looking desperately for a taxi.
"If that's something that bothers you, maybe you should talk to her," Ryo hinted. "Women like it when men get jealous about them."
"Good luck with filming. Stay warm," Sho replied as a cab approached and he nearly pushed Ryo into it.
His kohai rolled down the window once he got inside. "Thanks for the meal. And the pep talk. I'll keep an eye on her for you."
Sho nearly sent his boot into the taxi door, but Ryo rolled up the window and shot him a peace sign before it pulled back into traffic.
--
"Where is she?" Dream Sho was shouting, holding the letter in his hand. "Where has she gone off to?"
Jun was at his heels, following him out of the study and into the hall. "Her carriage left this morning, my lord. I thought she'd spoken to you in person..."
He waved the letter frantically. "Matsumoto, do I make it sound as though she's spoken to me? Where has she gone?"
"Back to London, sir," Jun said. "Some family trouble, I'd expect."
Miss Kitagawa had suddenly resigned her position, leaving a note on the desk in Sho's study. It had come so suddenly that horrid little Philippa was wailing in French in the hallway, lamenting the loss of her teacher. Housemaids and footmen alike were dodging out of Sho's way as he stormed through the house, heading for the stables.
She'd left him. She'd left him! And all because of the stupid subplot with Philippa's not dead mother, who'd shown up at the house stark raving mad and intent upon kissing him. Somehow she'd looked a little too much like the Dragon Lady for Sho's comfort. It had all been a stupid misunderstanding.
Ohno was in the kitchen, stirring something in a bowl, stunned as Sho came flying through the room, Jun behind him. Sho entered the stables, calling for the groom to get his carriage ready to ride.
"Has she even indicated where in London she's gone?" Sho asked, stomping around and lamenting how vivid his dream was, smelling dung and horse all around him.
"No, my lord. She merely had Aiba assist with her trunks, though I would expect she's taken the noon stagecoach to Paddington. They'll stop halfway for the night, I'd wager..."
"And halfway is?"
"Aldershot perhaps. Or Guildford."
The groom brought the horses out while the other stable hands readied the two-horse carriage for the trip. There was a commotion as the driver came running from the house, hurrying at his master's sudden command for a side trip. He had a distinctly Sugita look about him, but with none of Sugita's assholish nature. Thank god.
"Then we ride for Aldershot and cut them off before she can get any further," Dream Sho declared, sounding downright authoritative. Sho put up with this needless scene, knowing that it was at least going to lead to Keiko in the end. There was no way she was getting away from him, not this time. Not until he'd confessed to her.
It was a key component in Operation Figure Out My Personal Life. Confessing to Miss Kitagawa would serve as Sho's dress rehearsal for the real deal. And then maybe he'd finally get to do something. It had been a long, stupid dream story and not much of a romance novel thus far. Not one love scene. Not like the movie Keiko was filming up in frigid Hokkaido with the smiling Nishikido Ryo for a kissing partner.
Soon Sho was off. The carriage tore away down the estate's gravel drive and finally it was on the open road, Sho sealed up inside with the knowledge that this truly was his last chance. Well, it was Dream Sho's last chance with Miss Kitagawa.
For once after so many months, the dream cut him some slack and fast forwarded in time. Sho lamented that there'd been no fast forward through all the interminable subplots, but at least something was finally going his way. The carriage pulled up to an inn in Aldershot at dusk, right alongside a stagecoach that was already parked. His driver had barely gotten the horses to the water trough before Sho launched himself from the carriage, holding his stupid but apparently necessary hat atop his head as his boots landed in the mud.
He entered the inn, slamming open the door and stunning an old woman who was knitting in the corner while a distinctly Yamashita Tomohisa-looking innkeeper stared at him. Sho stomped up to the counter, pulling himself to his full height. "Excuse me, is a Miss Keiko Kitagawa staying here tonight? She is unchaperoned."
Yamashita stared back at him. "We do not disclose information about guests to strangers."
But Sho knew he had something on his side. The same dumb title that gave him vast estates to manage and itchy suits to wear also gave him a bit of authority. "I am Sho Sakurai, the Earl of Gryffindor, and you will disclose whether Miss Kitagawa, my employee, is on your premises."
Of course, Sho had only discovered he was the Earl of "Gryffindor" after falling asleep watching Matsujun watch a Harry Potter DVD in the company van one morning en route to a location shoot. Stupid title or not, Yamashita turned white in fear, opening his guest ledger.
"Miss Kitagawa was with the stage that just arrived, my lord. She has been assigned to a room upstairs, and I'd be happy to have one of the maids send for her..."
"That won't be necessary," Sho said with a tip of his hat. "What is the room number?"
Yamapi the innkeep gulped. "Room eight, my lord."
He took the stairs two at a time, all set to pound on the door and holler "Miss Kitagawa!" but he'd made quite a clamor downstairs. He saw Miss Kitagawa just coming out of her room to inquire about the noise with a stern expression. At the sight of him she panicked. He pressed forward, meeting her just as she was about to shut the door in his face, sticking his foot out to keep it open. The Raffles Hotel in Singapore this was not. He wasn't going to miss his chance this time.
"You quit."
"I did," she said with the haughty governess voice he'd grown so attached to over the past several months. He wondered if he'd ever get to hear it in real life.
They saw a maid coming out of another room, and for politeness sake, they moved their conversation from the hall and into her room. They'd been alone many opportune times in the story thus far, and yet they hadn't so much as held hands.
She stood before the bed while he stayed at the door. "Tell me," he said quietly. "Why did you quit? Philippa is already inconsolable."
She looked to her skirts. "I have my reasons."
"I should like to hear at least one. Is the pay unsatisfactory? Your accommodations? Is it Philippa? I know she can be a trying youngster..."
Miss Kitagawa met his eyes and after so very long, he finally saw it. That predatory stare that could only belong to the real Keiko. The eyes that met his after a take in the Hosho family dining room and implied that he could have his way with her on the dining table if only the crew would just leave.
"It is not the pay nor the accommodations nor is it Philippa. It is you, my lord."
"Me?" Dream Sho said, sounding heartbroken just as Reality Sho did jumping jacks of joy.
"I have feelings for you, my lord," Miss Kitagawa admitted. "Feelings that interfere with my ability to work. I am a failure as a governess, letting personal preferences override everything. It is something that cannot be, and thus I am extracting myself."
"I'll not allow that extraction," Dream Sho said confidently, striding forward and turning up the cheesy dialogue. "To hell with it. I must have you, Miss Kitagawa."
She turned away, blushing. "But I'll not be your mistress. You are an earl and I am a commoner..."
"Did you not hear me? I must have you," he repeated, flinging his top hat theatrically across the room. His subconscious was apparently going to push this over the top, and Sho didn't much mind. "You won't be a commoner for long. Be my bride."
Her eyes were soon brimming with tears. Well, Sho doubted Keiko would cry in such a situation, but the climactic scene was in overdrive, much like Dream Sho's libido.
"Do you mean it? Would you bestow such an honor upon someone like me?"
She gasped as he pulled her roughly into his arms, feeling her trembling in nervous joy. "I will take care of you forever, Miss Kitagawa. Without you I am nothing. I wish for you to be the Countess of Gryffindor, to be at my side. Without you I'd have never recovered. Without you there is no reason to be."
Sho wanted to gag, but apparently this stuff worked in horrible smutty fiction. He didn't even want to know how A Duke of My Own had gone when it came time for the lovers to confess their mutual adoration.
Instead he got the girl, taking her small, delicate face between his hands and kissing her soundly. In the novel, this would have been a time for lengthy descriptions of unbuttoning and sighing and gasping but Sho was apparently not entitled to this. He was just reaching to pull the pins from Keiko's hair when
--
"Come on," Sho grumbled when his door buzzer went off. "Sugita, I am going to murder you."
He climbed out of bed and pulled on some clothes when the buzzer sounded again, moving to the small video screen that showed the hall just outside his door. But instead of Sugita, it was one of the doormen from the building holding a box. Scratching his head in confusion, he opened the door.
"Good morning, Sakurai-san. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but this came via urgent delivery and contains perishables," the doorman explained. "We've gone ahead and signed for it so you don't have to do anything else. Once again, I apologize for the interruption."
"Thanks," he said, taking the box and closing the door.
Perishables? Well, security at his building was tight and the guys downstairs wouldn't sign for just anything. He brought the box into his living room, setting it on the floor and sitting cross-legged in front of it. Whatever was in the box had woken him from his victorious dream. He'd finally gotten Miss Kitagawa, had been on the precipice of taking her stuffy governess virginity, and now here he was, opening a parcel like a sucker.
The box was sent in the name of "A. Yamaguchi," and Sho didn't know any A. Yamaguchis, but it was postmarked from Abashiri, Hokkaido. He pulled the box open to find half a dozen cold packs inside preserving a couple sticks of "Hokkaido's Best" butter, a 500 ml bottle of "North Hokkaido Farms" milk, and five different kinds of cheese from various dairies. Also slipped inside the box was a book titled Abashiri Prison: The Untold Story and a sealed glass jar filled with water that had a sticker on it reading "Snow from Abashiri."
Sho finally laughed when he unearthed a pink envelope adorned with cat stickers from beneath one of the blocks of cheese. "To Kageyama," it was labeled. He tore it open, finding neat handwriting on some cat stationery.
Greetings from Abashiri, where I have spent the last few weeks making snowballs (and filming)! My manager sent this to you in his name, so I apologize for any confusion. I hope it is a fun surprise. Please do enjoy the many wonderful dairy products. I'd have sent along some ramen, but it wouldn't have kept well. The snow has probably melted, but there isn't much I could do about that. I saw the book in one of the local shops here, and thought it would be interesting to you. Finding it actually prompted me to send this whole box, I guess I got carried away. It's bitterly cold up here, but Nishikido-kun has been good company. He sends his best wishes along to you.
The letter was signed "Hosho Reiko" with another smily face.
Sho sat there, letter in hand, for a while before realizing that he needed to put his food in the fridge. He hurried to put the butter, milk, and cheese away, still a bit dumbstruck by all that had just taken place. And then it came to him.
This was Nishikido's doing, Sho was certain of it. Because why out of nowhere would Kitagawa Keiko send him a box of cheese and melted snow after not having seen him for months? Had Ryo dared to tell Keiko about their ramen meeting among men? Sho wouldn't do something like that, blabbing love secrets that weren't his to tell. But then again, he was slow and a little too polite and thus he'd spent months fantasizing about a woman he hadn't even spoken with or seen in person. Maybe Ryo had just done him a huge favor.
It was more than a New Year's card with a smily face. Perhaps it was her way of stating her openness to being pursued. There was no need to get the horses ready and chase her down with a carriage. There was no need for Sugita to run interference for him, no need for another uncomfortable Arashi intervention. Months of terrible dreams had certainly made him more comfortable with the thought of being with her. Sure his spring was looking horrific, with a new variety show and a drama starting. But what was one more complication? He wasn't looking for a marriage partner right off the bat, a countess to his earl. He'd never know what Keiko could be to him if he didn't simply try harder.
Maybe he just hadn't fully realized before that Kitagawa Keiko was more than just a pair of eyes staring him down, looking for a decent lay. She was all the things he'd said to Ryo too. Fun and weird and conniving enough to send care packages to one of Japan's national idols via her manager's name. She was everything that scared him and everything that drew him in. With their careers, it was always going to be bad timing. But that didn't mean giving up and running away.
He still had her email address from the summer, having sent her some photos he'd taken in Singapore while they were filming. He wrote thirteen different messages before finally settling down and skipping his usual formality.
Oujo-sama, thanks for the dairy, he wrote. When you're back in town, maybe we could catch up sometime.
--
He hadn't dreamt about Miss Kitagawa and the manor house in three weeks. Perhaps A Duke of My Own had finally run its strange, recurring course.
He'd taken three different taxis over here, more than his usual subterfuge efforts. It was 1:30 in the morning, and it was much different than the Raffles Hotel. For one, she knew he was coming, and for two, she'd gifted him with the six-digit security code to the door of her building and the four-digit code for the elevator so he could slip inside without having to check in with the doorman.
Sho ignored the fear and the doubt that were warring in his stomach, looking back on the months of sexless stupidity he'd just endured. After all, he was in Kitagawa Keiko's apartment building in the wee hours of the morning, a FRIDAY exclusive if there ever was one. They could have scheduled coffee or a meal or anything else, but she'd been the first to suggest a personal visit. He'd replied in the affirmative within seconds.
He pressed the buzzer for her door and stood with his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking, shooting a look down the corridor in hopes that none of her neighbors came through. She saved him though, opening the door quickly enough.
She was a mirror image of the previous summer with her hair pulled back and a pair of thick black frames perched on her nose. There was none of the Hosho Reiko glamor, only a Meiji University t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms. He'd almost forgotten how short she was without Reiko's high heels. She hadn't bothered with makeup, just what seemed like a quick layer of shiny lip balm. "Hurry up and come inside," she said, waving him in. "Before the cat gets any ideas. You're not allergic, are you?"
"I'm not," he said, and she let him in.
Sho recognized a bit of himself in Keiko's apartment. There was a small table in her genkan piled high with mail, the sign of a person who was away from home often. They passed the kitchen, and there weren't any dirty dishes, the sign of someone who ordered in a lot. A large orange and white cat with a bushy tail kept watch from the table in her living room.
"This is my roommate, Jill," Keiko said, presenting the cat. "We come as a package deal."
"Is that so?" He approached slowly, holding out his fingers. The cat sniffed them indifferently, then hopped down from the table and headed off to do his own thing.
"He's going to sniff your shoes," Keiko explained. "Don't worry, he's not the jealous type so he won't puke in them."
"Good to know."
Her TV was on, and from what Sho could understand, it seemed like a Takarazuka DVD. Dancers in feathered glittery costumes that put some of the Johnny's costumes to shame were gliding around the stage. She'd turned the sound down, and that left the pair of them standing together waiting for the other person to say something.
"The timing could not be worse," he finally admitted. "Worse than last summer."
She cocked her head, grinning. "But here you are."
"You did send me food. I'm easily won over with regional specialties." He took off the cap he'd worn, setting it on her table and running a hand through his hair. "I've liked you for a long time, you know."
She nodded. "I've known that for a while. I kind of liked seeing you try and pretend you didn't."
He chuckled. "Guilty."
"And I'm equally guilty of teasing you," she explained. "But it's only because I figured that Arashi's Sakurai Sho was too difficult a target. So I had my fun with that in mind, the impossibility of it. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable while we were working, that was not my intention."
He took a deep breath. "It's not impossible. It would be difficult, but not impossible. If it's still something you'd like to try out."
She smiled genuinely, heading for her couch and sitting down. She patted the cushion beside her. "Come here."
He padded over, sitting down and trying not to freak out. She wasn't looking at him like a piece of meat. Maybe because she was already in home territory she didn't have to. She already had him right where she wanted him. He sat with his back to the cushion, and she sat sideways facing him, resting an elbow on the cushion to prop up her head.
She simply stared at him for a while, and he didn't know where to look. He found himself watching the figures on TV, the graceful women who dressed as ideal, romantic men who were unashamed of declaring their love. He could see the appeal of it. He couldn't hear the songs, only seeing mouths open and close, arms held theatrically wide.
"Sho-kun."
"Hmm?"
"You don't need to be so frightened of me."
He tilted his head, saw she was smiling at him. Her legs were curled up, her small, green-socked feet poking out from the bottom of her pajamas. She was normal and calm at home and hadn't gone out of her way to dress up for him. There was nothing fake or calculated about it, no manipulation. She simply waited for him to meet her halfway.
"I like my privacy, too," she said, stretching out her free hand and skimming a finger up and down his thigh. "If there are top secret Arashi relationship-hiding forms to fill out, I'll sign them all. And I like my free time. I have friends. My work is important. We don't need to be on seven days a week. I wouldn't demand or expect that from you. I get who you are and what you do."
"What if I told you I haven't been with anyone in almost a year because I couldn't stop thinking about you?"
Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Really? That's..."
He laughed. "Sad, right? And creepy." And he hadn't even told her about the dreams yet.
She gave his knee a pat. "I think it's charming. You weren't lonely?"
"Oh I was lonely all right."
He wasn't at all ashamed to hear her laugh at him. Finally the hand on his leg grew a bit more insistent. "If I sit on your lap, will you kiss me?"
"Sure."
And then it was finally happening. She shifted beside him, moving almost painfully slowly, turning to put a leg on either side of him, resting an arm on either side of his head. He slipped her glasses from her nose, setting them on the other cushion and his fingers found the back of her neck, drawing her close. He could smell something minty, probably toothpaste, before bringing his mouth to hers.
Here he was, Kitagawa Keiko in his lap at last. The Takarazuka Revue was a blur of color behind her, and her cat was probably scratching his sneakers. He'd made her wait a long time and tried to make up for it by holding her close, kissing her with everything he had. Her fingers bunched in his t-shirt, stretching the fabric. Finally, his brain was cheering. Finally!
There was a thump, and she moved back to frown at the sight of her cat sniffing at her glasses on the cushion beside them. "Jill-san," she addressed the animal. "Don't be creepy."
"I thought you said he wasn't the jealous type," he said quietly, stroking his fingers up and down her back.
"I have to be honest with you, Sho-kun. I haven't had anyone male over in so long that I think the poor cat is confused."
"Impossible. You seem like you'd be very popular," he said, leaning forward to nuzzle against her neck, earning a chuckle.
"It's true," she replied, sighing as she moved up and off of him. She held out her hand. "Come on, let's leave him to his feelings."
He took her hand and let her pull him up. She didn't let go, turning to lead him around to her bathroom. She got up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "The soap in the pink dispenser smells like oranges. In the blue one is vanilla."
"Mm, what if I try both?" he teased, trying to kiss her again. "Will I smell like an ice cream bar, those orange ones?"
"You're weird," she complained, pushing him away.
She left him to it, and he took what was probably the world's quickest shower. He'd opted for the orange and toweled off hoping he'd made the right choice. He picked up his clothes, snagging his wallet from the pocket of his jeans and grabbing the foil condom packet he'd stuffed inside. Her room was tidy and fairly small, mostly because she'd filled much of the space with a queen bed.
He closed the door behind him to keep the damn cat from interfering any further. She'd left on the lamp on her bedside table, and he saw that she'd pointedly left her t-shirt, pajama bottoms and green socks on the floor along with a pair of soft pink underwear. He dumped his clothes beside hers and saw that she was under her blanket, eyes shut.
He slid into the bed, sighing. "You're not asleep."
She was laying on her side and kept her eyes shut, grinning. "I'm not."
He leaned forward, slipping the blanket from her hands and pulling it down. In the warm glow of the lamp light he was able to enjoy the shape of her. Small breasts, the dip of her waist and slight swell of her hips. She bit her lip as he brought his fingers to her skin, tracing the way she curved, delighting in the way that even the outwardly confident Kitagawa Keiko shivered a bit at his teasing touch, her breaths uneven. She was warm, soft, and waiting for him.
"You're definitely not asleep. Then why are your eyes closed?"
"Because I've thought about it for so long, I just want to take my time and enjoy it."
Sho knew the feeling. He moved her so she was on her back, hearing her sigh appreciatively as he kissed his way from collarbone to navel, trying to keep himself together long enough to make this as worthwhile as she wanted it to be. He detoured back up from her stomach to the softness of her breasts, eliciting his name from her lips without honorifics for the very first time when his tongue found one of her nipples. Her hand came to rest on the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair as he kissed and sucked, sneaking a hand down her abdomen to the growing heat between her legs.
She was wet for him already, allowing him to slip a finger inside her, hearing her hum appreciatively as he stroked. "Tell me when," he whispered against her skin. "Just tell me when you want me, my lady."
"My lady?" she laughed.
"Force of habit," he murmured, enjoying how she was trembling from his touch, from the closeness of him.
Try as she did to fight it, her hips couldn't help but arch up against his hand. He took that as a sign, increasing his pace until she was muttering his name again. He was hard, knowing she could feel the insistent press of him against her. He took his fingers back from the warm heat of her, stroking until her sharp gasp of pleasure told him he'd found the right spot. He lingered there, teasing and teasing as her words grew indistinct in favor of letting her hips do the talking for her. She was so close to coming, so close it was driving him crazy to not yet be inside her. But he kept on.
"Keiko," he breathed out against her skin. Not "Miss" Kitagawa the English nanny, not Kitagawa-san his colleague. But Keiko, she was just Keiko. The woman who oh so easily checked out his ass when the staff weren't looking, the woman he'd been so afraid of being unable to satisfy. She was no longer cool and collected now. He loved this new side she was letting him see. She allowed herself to give in to his touch, to his unrelenting need to see her come and come because of him.
"Please," she begged him. "Sho..."
And in seconds she was lost in it, almost crying, her body spasming around his hand. Completely out of control with need for him, with the happiness she was experiencing. He only stopped when it seemed to be too much, when her shaking hand came to try and push him away.
He finally turned away, fumbling for the wrapper. The mattress creaked as he moved to kneel between her still trembling legs, pushing them further apart. He was seconds from getting where he'd wanted to be for over a year. He leaned over her, his body fitting so perfectly between her thighs, clearing his throat. "You still don't want to look at me?" he asked haughtily. "With all the top secret Arashi paperwork you'll have to sign? At least see what you're signing for."
Her eyelids fluttered open, her cheeks pink and breaths coming in quick succession. Totally perfect. "Hi."
"Hi."
She let out the oddest little gleeful chuckle, unashamed of letting him see how he made her feel. She was still shaking a bit, her skin slick with sweat. She raised her arms up over her head, encouraging him to twine their fingers together against her sheets. With a quick little nod from her, he positioned himself, aligning their bodies and watching her watch him as he pressed forward.
Her hands squeezed his tighter and tighter as he moved to fill her completely. He kissed her and withdrew slightly only to push home a bit harder. She squeezed his hands again, nodding. He moved back, rocked forward hard, this time earning a cry of surprise. In this manner, with her gasps of encouragement, he gave in, faster and harder, driving into the tight, hot depths of her. She only managed to keep her eyes on him as long as he managed to keep his eyes on her. Before too long his eyes were shut, giving in to it and giving up on coherent thought. All he knew was the sound of her breath and the headboard thumping with the steady rhythm.
It only took one more sigh from her to bring him over, burying his gasp in her hair. There was little time to bask in it because Keiko's roommate made his presence known within moments. There was a scratch scratch scratch at the door. He released her hands and made to move, enjoying the quiet little "mmm" noise of disappointment she made as he pulled away.
"Do I let him in?" he grumbled, moving off of her. "Is he going to leave claw marks in my ass?"
She laughed again, leaning over to kiss his cheek and run her fingers down his chest. "Be quiet."
There was no sign of the cat when she opened the door, slipping into the bathroom. She returned quickly, watching him clean himself off with the tissue from her bedside table with a pleased, almost possessive look in her eyes. It was wonderful to see that look again and not be in a TV studio where they couldn't do a thing about it. She leaned against the doorframe, still completely naked and flushed. "When do you have to leave?"
"I have a night shoot tomorrow, call time's 8:00 PM. I'll stay until you boot me out."
"Lucky me," she said.
"Do you make breakfast?"
She shook her head, stepping forward and picking up his t-shirt from the floor. He held his breath in as she slipped it over her head, the bottom of the shirt just grazing her hips. "I never make breakfast. That a problem?"
Soon she was under him again, letting him kiss her and wearing his shirt like a trophy. Sho didn't think breakfast was so necessary.
--
He stood up to let her into the aisle, feeling the brush of her blouse against him as she moved past and went to open the overhead bin. Sugita's seat across from them was empty courtesy of yet another monstrosity of an iced coffee. Manager Yamaguchi was furiously typing on a laptop, ignoring the world around him. Shiina-san and his manager were in the row in front of them, both watching some action movie on the small screens in the back of the seats. Keiko pulled a book from her bag and slipped back into her seat, buckling her belt.
Sho's eyes widened at the cover.
"Where did you get that?"
"Amazon Japan," she murmured, slipping her bookmark out. "I read English books when I need extra practice." She turned to him, poking his sleeve. "Did you want to borrow it? Maybe it'll help with the stage greetings. I'm going to make you look bad."
They were five hours from Singapore and all too soon the movie premiere. They'd be greeting the fans in English, and Sho definitely needed the practice. But all he could do was laugh at the cover - the man with the massive chest, the blonde with the curls.
"A Duke of My Own," he read out loud in English, poking at the book with his finger.
"It's a romance," she explained, moving closer to the window and away from him. "Don't make fun."
He looked around quickly, seeing that the flight attendants were elsewhere and nobody else was watching. He leaned over, invading her space to read over her shoulder, enjoying Keiko's blush but still unable to get more than a word per sentence. He brushed her hair aside, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.
"I'm sure it's a great book," he mumbled. She slipped further away, wiggling her finger at him in warning. As though she had a sixth sense, Sho turned to his right to see Sugita returning, buckling himself in. He moved away from her, leaning on his other armrest and clearing his throat.
"Keep it in your pants," he heard his manager mumble. Before Sho could protest, Sugita yanked the Japan Airlines magazine from his seat pocket, shoving it across the aisle harder than necessary. It hit Sho in the chest.
"And read your fucking magazine."
He rang in 2013 with Arashi and spent his few days off with family. And then once January was in full swing it was time for Operation Figure Out My Personal Life. His other option had been Operation Seduce Keiko but he found it to be a rather lofty name for something he wasn't necessarily guaranteed.
With a more positive attitude and the freshness that a New Year always brought, Sho seemed to have better luck as well. It didn't necessarily hurt that among his pile of New Year's cards there was one from Keiko herself, wishing him "happiness and health" and that she "looked forward to movie promotions" with him later in the year.
Of course she probably sent a card with the exact same message to Shiina-san and other cast members, but he chose to ignore that in favor of the cute little smily face doodle she'd drawn on the card. Surely that smily face meant he still had a shot.
It was just after his birthday when he received a surprise invite to a meal with Nishikido Ryo. He'd always been closer to Nino and Matsujun, but Sho had a sneaking suspicion that he'd regret not accepting. He found a nervous-looking Nishikido waiting for him at an agency-favorite ramen place.
Before they'd even gotten their food, Nishikido got to the point. "Is Kitagawa Keiko as scary as she seems?"
Sho nearly choked on his water. "Huh?"
"Kitagawa Keiko-chan," Nishikido repeated, shifty-eyed and almost shaking. "We're filming a movie together. I leave for Hokkaido in less than a week for location shooting. And not like Sapporo but like, middle of nowhere Hokkaido. Freeze your balls off Hokkaido. In February. So, um, I just wanted to know what she's like. I mean, out of the agency you've worked with her the most, right?"
"Uh...what about Yamashita?"
Nishikido looked ready to turn purple. "It's because of him that I'm asking you instead. They used to go out, and I guess it ended badly, so I didn't really want to...you know, get punched in the face."
"Why would he punch you for that?"
"Because um, this movie...it's a love story, so..."
"I see," Sho said, although he very much did not want to see. He was already internally fuming at the thought of Yamapi and his pretty face getting up in Keiko's face. And now Nishikido was going to romance her on the big screen. He was suddenly envisioning a king size bed with Keiko in the middle and Yamashita on one side of her and Nishikido on the other. For some reason they all had champagne flutes in hand and were pointing and laughing uproariously at the picture of Sho's ass in his An-an issue.
Ryo clasped his hands together, jolting Sho from his thoughts. "Please say she's not a psycho. Please!"
Sho swallowed down his ridiculous jealousy, stamped it down, and thought of nothing but Keiko's eyes and that smily face she'd drawn on the New Year's card for him. She was an actress, a professional, and she could film all the lovey dovey movies she wanted to. And if things had ended badly between them years back, Sho doubted that Yamapi was getting friendly New Year's cards from her.
"She's not psycho," he said. "She's..."
Ryo looked to him with hope in his eyes.
Sho looked down, telling the truth. "She's wonderful to work with. Completely and totally wonderful. She's fun to be around, works hard, never complains. She treats the staff like human beings. She'll make you laugh. She'll do weird things like eat honey out of a jar with a spoon or show you pictures of her cat. She's just..."
Ryo was staring at him now, eyebrows raised. Their ramen arrived, as steaming hot as Sho's face was now.
"Okay," Ryo said. "Not psycho then."
They slurped their noodles in silence for a few minutes, Sho feeling like a complete bumbling idiot. All he'd had to say was "she's fine" in a cool voice, and the conversation could have continued on without any weirdness. By the end of it, Nishikido could barely meet his eyes without grinning.
Sho picked up the tab, snatching the bill as soon as it was laid down on the table. "But I asked you to come," Ryo protested, trying to sound affronted even as he kept smiling.
"I got it, don't worry about it," Sho mumbled.
They headed for the taxi stand outside, shuffling back and forth in the cold while they alternated between holding out a hand to try and flag one down.
"There's kissing," Ryo announced to the night. "In the movie."
Sho wrinkled his nose, holding his hand out and looking desperately for a taxi.
"If that's something that bothers you, maybe you should talk to her," Ryo hinted. "Women like it when men get jealous about them."
"Good luck with filming. Stay warm," Sho replied as a cab approached and he nearly pushed Ryo into it.
His kohai rolled down the window once he got inside. "Thanks for the meal. And the pep talk. I'll keep an eye on her for you."
Sho nearly sent his boot into the taxi door, but Ryo rolled up the window and shot him a peace sign before it pulled back into traffic.
--
"Where is she?" Dream Sho was shouting, holding the letter in his hand. "Where has she gone off to?"
Jun was at his heels, following him out of the study and into the hall. "Her carriage left this morning, my lord. I thought she'd spoken to you in person..."
He waved the letter frantically. "Matsumoto, do I make it sound as though she's spoken to me? Where has she gone?"
"Back to London, sir," Jun said. "Some family trouble, I'd expect."
Miss Kitagawa had suddenly resigned her position, leaving a note on the desk in Sho's study. It had come so suddenly that horrid little Philippa was wailing in French in the hallway, lamenting the loss of her teacher. Housemaids and footmen alike were dodging out of Sho's way as he stormed through the house, heading for the stables.
She'd left him. She'd left him! And all because of the stupid subplot with Philippa's not dead mother, who'd shown up at the house stark raving mad and intent upon kissing him. Somehow she'd looked a little too much like the Dragon Lady for Sho's comfort. It had all been a stupid misunderstanding.
Ohno was in the kitchen, stirring something in a bowl, stunned as Sho came flying through the room, Jun behind him. Sho entered the stables, calling for the groom to get his carriage ready to ride.
"Has she even indicated where in London she's gone?" Sho asked, stomping around and lamenting how vivid his dream was, smelling dung and horse all around him.
"No, my lord. She merely had Aiba assist with her trunks, though I would expect she's taken the noon stagecoach to Paddington. They'll stop halfway for the night, I'd wager..."
"And halfway is?"
"Aldershot perhaps. Or Guildford."
The groom brought the horses out while the other stable hands readied the two-horse carriage for the trip. There was a commotion as the driver came running from the house, hurrying at his master's sudden command for a side trip. He had a distinctly Sugita look about him, but with none of Sugita's assholish nature. Thank god.
"Then we ride for Aldershot and cut them off before she can get any further," Dream Sho declared, sounding downright authoritative. Sho put up with this needless scene, knowing that it was at least going to lead to Keiko in the end. There was no way she was getting away from him, not this time. Not until he'd confessed to her.
It was a key component in Operation Figure Out My Personal Life. Confessing to Miss Kitagawa would serve as Sho's dress rehearsal for the real deal. And then maybe he'd finally get to do something. It had been a long, stupid dream story and not much of a romance novel thus far. Not one love scene. Not like the movie Keiko was filming up in frigid Hokkaido with the smiling Nishikido Ryo for a kissing partner.
Soon Sho was off. The carriage tore away down the estate's gravel drive and finally it was on the open road, Sho sealed up inside with the knowledge that this truly was his last chance. Well, it was Dream Sho's last chance with Miss Kitagawa.
For once after so many months, the dream cut him some slack and fast forwarded in time. Sho lamented that there'd been no fast forward through all the interminable subplots, but at least something was finally going his way. The carriage pulled up to an inn in Aldershot at dusk, right alongside a stagecoach that was already parked. His driver had barely gotten the horses to the water trough before Sho launched himself from the carriage, holding his stupid but apparently necessary hat atop his head as his boots landed in the mud.
He entered the inn, slamming open the door and stunning an old woman who was knitting in the corner while a distinctly Yamashita Tomohisa-looking innkeeper stared at him. Sho stomped up to the counter, pulling himself to his full height. "Excuse me, is a Miss Keiko Kitagawa staying here tonight? She is unchaperoned."
Yamashita stared back at him. "We do not disclose information about guests to strangers."
But Sho knew he had something on his side. The same dumb title that gave him vast estates to manage and itchy suits to wear also gave him a bit of authority. "I am Sho Sakurai, the Earl of Gryffindor, and you will disclose whether Miss Kitagawa, my employee, is on your premises."
Of course, Sho had only discovered he was the Earl of "Gryffindor" after falling asleep watching Matsujun watch a Harry Potter DVD in the company van one morning en route to a location shoot. Stupid title or not, Yamashita turned white in fear, opening his guest ledger.
"Miss Kitagawa was with the stage that just arrived, my lord. She has been assigned to a room upstairs, and I'd be happy to have one of the maids send for her..."
"That won't be necessary," Sho said with a tip of his hat. "What is the room number?"
Yamapi the innkeep gulped. "Room eight, my lord."
He took the stairs two at a time, all set to pound on the door and holler "Miss Kitagawa!" but he'd made quite a clamor downstairs. He saw Miss Kitagawa just coming out of her room to inquire about the noise with a stern expression. At the sight of him she panicked. He pressed forward, meeting her just as she was about to shut the door in his face, sticking his foot out to keep it open. The Raffles Hotel in Singapore this was not. He wasn't going to miss his chance this time.
"You quit."
"I did," she said with the haughty governess voice he'd grown so attached to over the past several months. He wondered if he'd ever get to hear it in real life.
They saw a maid coming out of another room, and for politeness sake, they moved their conversation from the hall and into her room. They'd been alone many opportune times in the story thus far, and yet they hadn't so much as held hands.
She stood before the bed while he stayed at the door. "Tell me," he said quietly. "Why did you quit? Philippa is already inconsolable."
She looked to her skirts. "I have my reasons."
"I should like to hear at least one. Is the pay unsatisfactory? Your accommodations? Is it Philippa? I know she can be a trying youngster..."
Miss Kitagawa met his eyes and after so very long, he finally saw it. That predatory stare that could only belong to the real Keiko. The eyes that met his after a take in the Hosho family dining room and implied that he could have his way with her on the dining table if only the crew would just leave.
"It is not the pay nor the accommodations nor is it Philippa. It is you, my lord."
"Me?" Dream Sho said, sounding heartbroken just as Reality Sho did jumping jacks of joy.
"I have feelings for you, my lord," Miss Kitagawa admitted. "Feelings that interfere with my ability to work. I am a failure as a governess, letting personal preferences override everything. It is something that cannot be, and thus I am extracting myself."
"I'll not allow that extraction," Dream Sho said confidently, striding forward and turning up the cheesy dialogue. "To hell with it. I must have you, Miss Kitagawa."
She turned away, blushing. "But I'll not be your mistress. You are an earl and I am a commoner..."
"Did you not hear me? I must have you," he repeated, flinging his top hat theatrically across the room. His subconscious was apparently going to push this over the top, and Sho didn't much mind. "You won't be a commoner for long. Be my bride."
Her eyes were soon brimming with tears. Well, Sho doubted Keiko would cry in such a situation, but the climactic scene was in overdrive, much like Dream Sho's libido.
"Do you mean it? Would you bestow such an honor upon someone like me?"
She gasped as he pulled her roughly into his arms, feeling her trembling in nervous joy. "I will take care of you forever, Miss Kitagawa. Without you I am nothing. I wish for you to be the Countess of Gryffindor, to be at my side. Without you I'd have never recovered. Without you there is no reason to be."
Sho wanted to gag, but apparently this stuff worked in horrible smutty fiction. He didn't even want to know how A Duke of My Own had gone when it came time for the lovers to confess their mutual adoration.
Instead he got the girl, taking her small, delicate face between his hands and kissing her soundly. In the novel, this would have been a time for lengthy descriptions of unbuttoning and sighing and gasping but Sho was apparently not entitled to this. He was just reaching to pull the pins from Keiko's hair when
--
"Come on," Sho grumbled when his door buzzer went off. "Sugita, I am going to murder you."
He climbed out of bed and pulled on some clothes when the buzzer sounded again, moving to the small video screen that showed the hall just outside his door. But instead of Sugita, it was one of the doormen from the building holding a box. Scratching his head in confusion, he opened the door.
"Good morning, Sakurai-san. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but this came via urgent delivery and contains perishables," the doorman explained. "We've gone ahead and signed for it so you don't have to do anything else. Once again, I apologize for the interruption."
"Thanks," he said, taking the box and closing the door.
Perishables? Well, security at his building was tight and the guys downstairs wouldn't sign for just anything. He brought the box into his living room, setting it on the floor and sitting cross-legged in front of it. Whatever was in the box had woken him from his victorious dream. He'd finally gotten Miss Kitagawa, had been on the precipice of taking her stuffy governess virginity, and now here he was, opening a parcel like a sucker.
The box was sent in the name of "A. Yamaguchi," and Sho didn't know any A. Yamaguchis, but it was postmarked from Abashiri, Hokkaido. He pulled the box open to find half a dozen cold packs inside preserving a couple sticks of "Hokkaido's Best" butter, a 500 ml bottle of "North Hokkaido Farms" milk, and five different kinds of cheese from various dairies. Also slipped inside the box was a book titled Abashiri Prison: The Untold Story and a sealed glass jar filled with water that had a sticker on it reading "Snow from Abashiri."
Sho finally laughed when he unearthed a pink envelope adorned with cat stickers from beneath one of the blocks of cheese. "To Kageyama," it was labeled. He tore it open, finding neat handwriting on some cat stationery.
Greetings from Abashiri, where I have spent the last few weeks making snowballs (and filming)! My manager sent this to you in his name, so I apologize for any confusion. I hope it is a fun surprise. Please do enjoy the many wonderful dairy products. I'd have sent along some ramen, but it wouldn't have kept well. The snow has probably melted, but there isn't much I could do about that. I saw the book in one of the local shops here, and thought it would be interesting to you. Finding it actually prompted me to send this whole box, I guess I got carried away. It's bitterly cold up here, but Nishikido-kun has been good company. He sends his best wishes along to you.
The letter was signed "Hosho Reiko" with another smily face.
Sho sat there, letter in hand, for a while before realizing that he needed to put his food in the fridge. He hurried to put the butter, milk, and cheese away, still a bit dumbstruck by all that had just taken place. And then it came to him.
This was Nishikido's doing, Sho was certain of it. Because why out of nowhere would Kitagawa Keiko send him a box of cheese and melted snow after not having seen him for months? Had Ryo dared to tell Keiko about their ramen meeting among men? Sho wouldn't do something like that, blabbing love secrets that weren't his to tell. But then again, he was slow and a little too polite and thus he'd spent months fantasizing about a woman he hadn't even spoken with or seen in person. Maybe Ryo had just done him a huge favor.
It was more than a New Year's card with a smily face. Perhaps it was her way of stating her openness to being pursued. There was no need to get the horses ready and chase her down with a carriage. There was no need for Sugita to run interference for him, no need for another uncomfortable Arashi intervention. Months of terrible dreams had certainly made him more comfortable with the thought of being with her. Sure his spring was looking horrific, with a new variety show and a drama starting. But what was one more complication? He wasn't looking for a marriage partner right off the bat, a countess to his earl. He'd never know what Keiko could be to him if he didn't simply try harder.
Maybe he just hadn't fully realized before that Kitagawa Keiko was more than just a pair of eyes staring him down, looking for a decent lay. She was all the things he'd said to Ryo too. Fun and weird and conniving enough to send care packages to one of Japan's national idols via her manager's name. She was everything that scared him and everything that drew him in. With their careers, it was always going to be bad timing. But that didn't mean giving up and running away.
He still had her email address from the summer, having sent her some photos he'd taken in Singapore while they were filming. He wrote thirteen different messages before finally settling down and skipping his usual formality.
Oujo-sama, thanks for the dairy, he wrote. When you're back in town, maybe we could catch up sometime.
--
He hadn't dreamt about Miss Kitagawa and the manor house in three weeks. Perhaps A Duke of My Own had finally run its strange, recurring course.
He'd taken three different taxis over here, more than his usual subterfuge efforts. It was 1:30 in the morning, and it was much different than the Raffles Hotel. For one, she knew he was coming, and for two, she'd gifted him with the six-digit security code to the door of her building and the four-digit code for the elevator so he could slip inside without having to check in with the doorman.
Sho ignored the fear and the doubt that were warring in his stomach, looking back on the months of sexless stupidity he'd just endured. After all, he was in Kitagawa Keiko's apartment building in the wee hours of the morning, a FRIDAY exclusive if there ever was one. They could have scheduled coffee or a meal or anything else, but she'd been the first to suggest a personal visit. He'd replied in the affirmative within seconds.
He pressed the buzzer for her door and stood with his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking, shooting a look down the corridor in hopes that none of her neighbors came through. She saved him though, opening the door quickly enough.
She was a mirror image of the previous summer with her hair pulled back and a pair of thick black frames perched on her nose. There was none of the Hosho Reiko glamor, only a Meiji University t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms. He'd almost forgotten how short she was without Reiko's high heels. She hadn't bothered with makeup, just what seemed like a quick layer of shiny lip balm. "Hurry up and come inside," she said, waving him in. "Before the cat gets any ideas. You're not allergic, are you?"
"I'm not," he said, and she let him in.
Sho recognized a bit of himself in Keiko's apartment. There was a small table in her genkan piled high with mail, the sign of a person who was away from home often. They passed the kitchen, and there weren't any dirty dishes, the sign of someone who ordered in a lot. A large orange and white cat with a bushy tail kept watch from the table in her living room.
"This is my roommate, Jill," Keiko said, presenting the cat. "We come as a package deal."
"Is that so?" He approached slowly, holding out his fingers. The cat sniffed them indifferently, then hopped down from the table and headed off to do his own thing.
"He's going to sniff your shoes," Keiko explained. "Don't worry, he's not the jealous type so he won't puke in them."
"Good to know."
Her TV was on, and from what Sho could understand, it seemed like a Takarazuka DVD. Dancers in feathered glittery costumes that put some of the Johnny's costumes to shame were gliding around the stage. She'd turned the sound down, and that left the pair of them standing together waiting for the other person to say something.
"The timing could not be worse," he finally admitted. "Worse than last summer."
She cocked her head, grinning. "But here you are."
"You did send me food. I'm easily won over with regional specialties." He took off the cap he'd worn, setting it on her table and running a hand through his hair. "I've liked you for a long time, you know."
She nodded. "I've known that for a while. I kind of liked seeing you try and pretend you didn't."
He chuckled. "Guilty."
"And I'm equally guilty of teasing you," she explained. "But it's only because I figured that Arashi's Sakurai Sho was too difficult a target. So I had my fun with that in mind, the impossibility of it. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable while we were working, that was not my intention."
He took a deep breath. "It's not impossible. It would be difficult, but not impossible. If it's still something you'd like to try out."
She smiled genuinely, heading for her couch and sitting down. She patted the cushion beside her. "Come here."
He padded over, sitting down and trying not to freak out. She wasn't looking at him like a piece of meat. Maybe because she was already in home territory she didn't have to. She already had him right where she wanted him. He sat with his back to the cushion, and she sat sideways facing him, resting an elbow on the cushion to prop up her head.
She simply stared at him for a while, and he didn't know where to look. He found himself watching the figures on TV, the graceful women who dressed as ideal, romantic men who were unashamed of declaring their love. He could see the appeal of it. He couldn't hear the songs, only seeing mouths open and close, arms held theatrically wide.
"Sho-kun."
"Hmm?"
"You don't need to be so frightened of me."
He tilted his head, saw she was smiling at him. Her legs were curled up, her small, green-socked feet poking out from the bottom of her pajamas. She was normal and calm at home and hadn't gone out of her way to dress up for him. There was nothing fake or calculated about it, no manipulation. She simply waited for him to meet her halfway.
"I like my privacy, too," she said, stretching out her free hand and skimming a finger up and down his thigh. "If there are top secret Arashi relationship-hiding forms to fill out, I'll sign them all. And I like my free time. I have friends. My work is important. We don't need to be on seven days a week. I wouldn't demand or expect that from you. I get who you are and what you do."
"What if I told you I haven't been with anyone in almost a year because I couldn't stop thinking about you?"
Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Really? That's..."
He laughed. "Sad, right? And creepy." And he hadn't even told her about the dreams yet.
She gave his knee a pat. "I think it's charming. You weren't lonely?"
"Oh I was lonely all right."
He wasn't at all ashamed to hear her laugh at him. Finally the hand on his leg grew a bit more insistent. "If I sit on your lap, will you kiss me?"
"Sure."
And then it was finally happening. She shifted beside him, moving almost painfully slowly, turning to put a leg on either side of him, resting an arm on either side of his head. He slipped her glasses from her nose, setting them on the other cushion and his fingers found the back of her neck, drawing her close. He could smell something minty, probably toothpaste, before bringing his mouth to hers.
Here he was, Kitagawa Keiko in his lap at last. The Takarazuka Revue was a blur of color behind her, and her cat was probably scratching his sneakers. He'd made her wait a long time and tried to make up for it by holding her close, kissing her with everything he had. Her fingers bunched in his t-shirt, stretching the fabric. Finally, his brain was cheering. Finally!
There was a thump, and she moved back to frown at the sight of her cat sniffing at her glasses on the cushion beside them. "Jill-san," she addressed the animal. "Don't be creepy."
"I thought you said he wasn't the jealous type," he said quietly, stroking his fingers up and down her back.
"I have to be honest with you, Sho-kun. I haven't had anyone male over in so long that I think the poor cat is confused."
"Impossible. You seem like you'd be very popular," he said, leaning forward to nuzzle against her neck, earning a chuckle.
"It's true," she replied, sighing as she moved up and off of him. She held out her hand. "Come on, let's leave him to his feelings."
He took her hand and let her pull him up. She didn't let go, turning to lead him around to her bathroom. She got up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "The soap in the pink dispenser smells like oranges. In the blue one is vanilla."
"Mm, what if I try both?" he teased, trying to kiss her again. "Will I smell like an ice cream bar, those orange ones?"
"You're weird," she complained, pushing him away.
She left him to it, and he took what was probably the world's quickest shower. He'd opted for the orange and toweled off hoping he'd made the right choice. He picked up his clothes, snagging his wallet from the pocket of his jeans and grabbing the foil condom packet he'd stuffed inside. Her room was tidy and fairly small, mostly because she'd filled much of the space with a queen bed.
He closed the door behind him to keep the damn cat from interfering any further. She'd left on the lamp on her bedside table, and he saw that she'd pointedly left her t-shirt, pajama bottoms and green socks on the floor along with a pair of soft pink underwear. He dumped his clothes beside hers and saw that she was under her blanket, eyes shut.
He slid into the bed, sighing. "You're not asleep."
She was laying on her side and kept her eyes shut, grinning. "I'm not."
He leaned forward, slipping the blanket from her hands and pulling it down. In the warm glow of the lamp light he was able to enjoy the shape of her. Small breasts, the dip of her waist and slight swell of her hips. She bit her lip as he brought his fingers to her skin, tracing the way she curved, delighting in the way that even the outwardly confident Kitagawa Keiko shivered a bit at his teasing touch, her breaths uneven. She was warm, soft, and waiting for him.
"You're definitely not asleep. Then why are your eyes closed?"
"Because I've thought about it for so long, I just want to take my time and enjoy it."
Sho knew the feeling. He moved her so she was on her back, hearing her sigh appreciatively as he kissed his way from collarbone to navel, trying to keep himself together long enough to make this as worthwhile as she wanted it to be. He detoured back up from her stomach to the softness of her breasts, eliciting his name from her lips without honorifics for the very first time when his tongue found one of her nipples. Her hand came to rest on the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair as he kissed and sucked, sneaking a hand down her abdomen to the growing heat between her legs.
She was wet for him already, allowing him to slip a finger inside her, hearing her hum appreciatively as he stroked. "Tell me when," he whispered against her skin. "Just tell me when you want me, my lady."
"My lady?" she laughed.
"Force of habit," he murmured, enjoying how she was trembling from his touch, from the closeness of him.
Try as she did to fight it, her hips couldn't help but arch up against his hand. He took that as a sign, increasing his pace until she was muttering his name again. He was hard, knowing she could feel the insistent press of him against her. He took his fingers back from the warm heat of her, stroking until her sharp gasp of pleasure told him he'd found the right spot. He lingered there, teasing and teasing as her words grew indistinct in favor of letting her hips do the talking for her. She was so close to coming, so close it was driving him crazy to not yet be inside her. But he kept on.
"Keiko," he breathed out against her skin. Not "Miss" Kitagawa the English nanny, not Kitagawa-san his colleague. But Keiko, she was just Keiko. The woman who oh so easily checked out his ass when the staff weren't looking, the woman he'd been so afraid of being unable to satisfy. She was no longer cool and collected now. He loved this new side she was letting him see. She allowed herself to give in to his touch, to his unrelenting need to see her come and come because of him.
"Please," she begged him. "Sho..."
And in seconds she was lost in it, almost crying, her body spasming around his hand. Completely out of control with need for him, with the happiness she was experiencing. He only stopped when it seemed to be too much, when her shaking hand came to try and push him away.
He finally turned away, fumbling for the wrapper. The mattress creaked as he moved to kneel between her still trembling legs, pushing them further apart. He was seconds from getting where he'd wanted to be for over a year. He leaned over her, his body fitting so perfectly between her thighs, clearing his throat. "You still don't want to look at me?" he asked haughtily. "With all the top secret Arashi paperwork you'll have to sign? At least see what you're signing for."
Her eyelids fluttered open, her cheeks pink and breaths coming in quick succession. Totally perfect. "Hi."
"Hi."
She let out the oddest little gleeful chuckle, unashamed of letting him see how he made her feel. She was still shaking a bit, her skin slick with sweat. She raised her arms up over her head, encouraging him to twine their fingers together against her sheets. With a quick little nod from her, he positioned himself, aligning their bodies and watching her watch him as he pressed forward.
Her hands squeezed his tighter and tighter as he moved to fill her completely. He kissed her and withdrew slightly only to push home a bit harder. She squeezed his hands again, nodding. He moved back, rocked forward hard, this time earning a cry of surprise. In this manner, with her gasps of encouragement, he gave in, faster and harder, driving into the tight, hot depths of her. She only managed to keep her eyes on him as long as he managed to keep his eyes on her. Before too long his eyes were shut, giving in to it and giving up on coherent thought. All he knew was the sound of her breath and the headboard thumping with the steady rhythm.
It only took one more sigh from her to bring him over, burying his gasp in her hair. There was little time to bask in it because Keiko's roommate made his presence known within moments. There was a scratch scratch scratch at the door. He released her hands and made to move, enjoying the quiet little "mmm" noise of disappointment she made as he pulled away.
"Do I let him in?" he grumbled, moving off of her. "Is he going to leave claw marks in my ass?"
She laughed again, leaning over to kiss his cheek and run her fingers down his chest. "Be quiet."
There was no sign of the cat when she opened the door, slipping into the bathroom. She returned quickly, watching him clean himself off with the tissue from her bedside table with a pleased, almost possessive look in her eyes. It was wonderful to see that look again and not be in a TV studio where they couldn't do a thing about it. She leaned against the doorframe, still completely naked and flushed. "When do you have to leave?"
"I have a night shoot tomorrow, call time's 8:00 PM. I'll stay until you boot me out."
"Lucky me," she said.
"Do you make breakfast?"
She shook her head, stepping forward and picking up his t-shirt from the floor. He held his breath in as she slipped it over her head, the bottom of the shirt just grazing her hips. "I never make breakfast. That a problem?"
Soon she was under him again, letting him kiss her and wearing his shirt like a trophy. Sho didn't think breakfast was so necessary.
--
He stood up to let her into the aisle, feeling the brush of her blouse against him as she moved past and went to open the overhead bin. Sugita's seat across from them was empty courtesy of yet another monstrosity of an iced coffee. Manager Yamaguchi was furiously typing on a laptop, ignoring the world around him. Shiina-san and his manager were in the row in front of them, both watching some action movie on the small screens in the back of the seats. Keiko pulled a book from her bag and slipped back into her seat, buckling her belt.
Sho's eyes widened at the cover.
"Where did you get that?"
"Amazon Japan," she murmured, slipping her bookmark out. "I read English books when I need extra practice." She turned to him, poking his sleeve. "Did you want to borrow it? Maybe it'll help with the stage greetings. I'm going to make you look bad."
They were five hours from Singapore and all too soon the movie premiere. They'd be greeting the fans in English, and Sho definitely needed the practice. But all he could do was laugh at the cover - the man with the massive chest, the blonde with the curls.
"A Duke of My Own," he read out loud in English, poking at the book with his finger.
"It's a romance," she explained, moving closer to the window and away from him. "Don't make fun."
He looked around quickly, seeing that the flight attendants were elsewhere and nobody else was watching. He leaned over, invading her space to read over her shoulder, enjoying Keiko's blush but still unable to get more than a word per sentence. He brushed her hair aside, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.
"I'm sure it's a great book," he mumbled. She slipped further away, wiggling her finger at him in warning. As though she had a sixth sense, Sho turned to his right to see Sugita returning, buckling himself in. He moved away from her, leaning on his other armrest and clearing his throat.
"Keep it in your pants," he heard his manager mumble. Before Sho could protest, Sugita yanked the Japan Airlines magazine from his seat pocket, shoving it across the aisle harder than necessary. It hit Sho in the chest.
"And read your fucking magazine."