Koibumi

by Hildred Billings

  Reina stood in indignation while Jun laughed behind her and Haruka reddened. Yeah, yeah. Aiko confronted the T-shirt. “You want me to do it?”

  “She’s not feeling well,” Reina explained. “It’s best if we sit this one out.” She had half a mind to kick Jun forward, however. Her tits are nice. She couldn’t wait to inhale them later. Still, the award went to…

  “Who? Us?” Even in their endless naiveté, Haruka and Kaori knew what was going on. They exchanged exasperated looks when confronted with the T-shirt. Haruka shook her head and waved her hands before her. “No way!”

  When the T-shirt passed to Kaori, she almost fainted. “Dame! Muri yo!” She shoved herself back into the crowd and bumped into Jun. “Hazukashii!”

  Such a reaction summoned her girlfriend forward like a sudden, valiant hero. “Don’t worry, Kao-chan. I’ll do it.”

  The stripper smiled and tossed the T-shirt into Haruka’s hands.

  Two seconds later Aiko stepped forward as well. “Give me one!”

  “Eh? I thought you weren’t feeling well?” Reina said.

  She was met with a set jaw and furrowed brows. Oh, right. The boiling jealousy still rumbling in Aiko’s core from that one time Reina fucked Haruka without permission. Ever since then Aiko harbored a mixture of sexual attraction and bitterness for the tomboy. Have fun with that. Everyone’s seen your tits too.

  When the two of them disappeared into the restroom, Kaori almost fell over again.

  “I can’t believe she’s doing that! Everyone’s gonna see her…!”

  Jun sighed. “We can only hope.”

  “Stop it, you lecherous lesbian.”

  That garnered her a pinch on the thigh. “You don’t know how lecherous yet.”

  I have a good idea.

  One by one the women reemerged bedecked in their white T-shirts. The strippers inspected them all to make sure they were not wearing any bras beneath before telling them to go onto the stage. As the crowd surged forward, Reina, Jun and Kaori retreated to the bar where the two former could flirt under the cover of darkness and the latter could hide her undying embarrassment.

  “Cheer up,” Reina said, cigarette back in hand. “Your girlfriend’s building self-confidence.”

  Kaori’s teeth started to chatter.

  “Nee, Reina-san.” Jun was practically in Reina’s lap, snaking her arms around her torso and nibbling her ear. God! Fire shot up Reina’s spine and plowed into her brain – before sinking back into her groin, where it lingered. “After this is over, let’s get out of here.” Her tongue caressed cartilage. “You don’t know how much I want you.”

  Reina puffed on her cigarette like it was more interesting than the lesbian hanging on her. “And how much is that?”

  “Enough to make me consider asking these kids to come back to my room with us.”

  A snort. “That’s not gonna happen. You’ll have to choose. Me or them.”

  “Oh, well, I have to have you.”

  “And my wife.”

  “Of course.” Jun kissed the top of Reina’s shoulder and caressed the hand holding the cigarette. While Reina contemplated the smoke oozing from her tobacco, another woman’s dexterous fingers entwined with her own. “But you can’t really blame me. It’s been a while since I had a good orgy.”

  “Is five people an orgy?” Reina allowed herself to relax after Kaori turned away to look for Haruka on the stage. Another arm snaked around Reina’s back, and soon Jun really was in her lap, pecking the edges of her lips. “Sounds like a normal Saturday night to me.”

  Jun growled into the cusp of Reina’s mouth. “How lucky for you.” She lowered her lips to Reina’s throat and gently sucked her skin there, a hand pushing between legs. Reina deposited her cigarette into an ashtray so she could better hold the tall woman crawling all over her lap. She closed her eyes at the sensation of fingers scouring the crotch of her pants. But before she could finagle a way to reciprocate – I’d be lying if I said she didn’t have one of my favorite omanko – Jun whined and said, “You didn’t wear your cock tonight.”

  More feedback echoed in the club. “No, I didn’t.” As Reina’s gender dysphoria improved, she required less masculine role-playing throughout her day – which meant she wore her favorite strap-on out and about much less. The thought that she was somehow worth less without it grated her nerves, but she knew Jun didn’t know about any of that baggage outside of what Reina deigned okay to share. Which isn’t much. “Is that a deal breaker?”

  “Goodness, no. But I was looking forward to the way you fuck with it.”

  “We don’t have to go to your hotel room. I have a bedroom with all my cocks.”

  Balance disrupted, Jun slipped off Reina’s lap and back into her seat. “Sounds cozy. We might have to do that.”

  As Reina smiled at the thought of sharing her own bed with Jun that night, she noticed Kaori gaping at them from behind the back of her hand. What a little voyeur. That somehow didn’t surprise her. The quiet ones always liked to watch. If they weren’t still haunted by business etiquette, Reina would seriously consider taking Jun’s advice and asking Kaori and Haruka for a group event later.

  “Hontou ni sumimasen!” Caught, Kaori spun away and pretended to be distracted by the stage. “I’m so sorry for my rudeness.”

  Jun started laughing. “Trust us, we wouldn’t do anything in public we wouldn’t mind being watched for.”

  Kaori turned her head back. “I was…surprised. I know that Reina-san is married and…”

  “Polyamory. Look it up.” Reina stifled her own laugh.

  “I’m kinda Reina-san’s girlfriend.”

  “You are not!” She totally is.

  Before they could have a faux argument over the matter, the proprietor announced the beginning of their competition. Reina searched the stage full of over a dozen women, including Chloe, and found Aiko at the far end standing next to Haruka. They stood in their white T-shirts, one of them glaring while the other crossed her arms over her braless breasts.

  Cheers erupted as strippers carrying pitchers of ice water ascended the stage. The proprietor announced the beginning of the contest, and the first contestant stepped forward: a thin femme with long black hair and nipples already protruding from her shirt.

  The ice water made both her vocal chords shriek in surprise and her nipples harden more. The crowd enjoyed both equally.

  As the strippers made their way down the line, the proprietor called for the audience to cheer for their favorite pair of breasts. I would lose so fast. Jun might have won. No comment on Kaori, since Reina still wasn’t comfortable seeing her ex-coworker as a sexual being. It’s probably ridiculously likewise.

  Chloe screamed like a banshee when the water coursed over her chest. The crowd gave her a special round of applause for showing them her American breasts. Damn. They weren’t too bad. Not humongous like Americans were famous for, but nice and round. Large nipples punched through the soaked T-shirt.

  “That foreigner is fucking fine,” Jun said.

  Reina didn’t argue it. Still annoying though.

  Aiko braced herself as the strippers reached her. Although her face never improved its bearing, she still stood upright in expectation of the freezing water. But nothing could have prepared her for the bone-chilling cold coursing down her chest and clinging to the contours of her breasts. She squealed and jumped back, breasts leaping up with her to the delight of the crowd. These people should see them up close. Some of them had.

  “And of course, Aiko-san is beautiful as well.”

  That left Haruka at the end, her face pale and her arms refusing to drop. When the strippers finally coaxed them down, Haruka acquired a splash of fear on her cheeks that betrayed her cool image. The first course of ice water tumbled down her breasts and instantly clung to every curve and cranny. She bit her lip and held her ground as her nipples popped out like springtime pebbles; the white T-shirt clung on all sides, most of all below. A shiver rippled through her and
made her breasts jiggle. The crowd roared harder.

  Jun let out an admiring whistle. “Your girlfriend has great breasts,” she said to Kaori as if complimenting Haruka’s jacket.

  “A…arigatou…”

  Reina once again made no comment. All she could think of was that one hour she spent with Haruka a few months before. Tits everywhere. She wished they were in greater darkness so she could sneak a feel of Jun’s breasts. She would let her.

  The proprietor hopped on the stage as the strippers cleared the way. All of the women, except for Haruka and Aiko, jumped up and down to the cheers and cries of the horny audience. Aiko still looked like she was about to murder everyone; Haruka was pinker in the face than in her pussy. I would know.

  In the end, Reina would have said she saw the outcome from a kilometer away. Heck, it went as she thought it should. Her wife put up a valiant effort with her palm-sized breasts, but the true champion of the mammary games was Haruka, who garnered a deafening roar when the proprietor asked about her. The only ones not cheering were Kaori, who remained in a state of mortification, and Reina and Jun, who were too polite for their own good. Haruka was presented with a small token and the promise of free admission to the strip club for a year. Now that made Reina a little bitter that her wife didn’t win.

  Haruka zoomed off the stage once released, Aiko sauntering after her into the restroom. Soon the atmosphere returned to normal, save for the dark cloud hanging over Kaori’s head.

  “My girlfriend won such a thing…”

  “Think of it as a great compliment to your tastes,” Reina said. “And a testament to how lucky you are. Because now everyone in this room is going to want to sleep with your girlfriend tonight.” She ignored Jun’s slight nod to her left.

  Kaori bristled. “Even you, Reina-san?”

  Damn! She had to keep cool, lest she betray the “I already did that, thanks,” look on her face. I would do it again. “Doesn’t matter, because I’m busy tonight anyway.” She clutched Jun’s knee and waited for her to swoon.

  When their partners rejoined them, Aiko was still grumpy and Haruka still embarrassed, but they were dry and back in their normal clothes. Aiko slipped into Reina’s free arm and rested her head on her shoulder; Haruka buried her face beneath her jacket at the counter. “Congratulations,” Jun said, “you won the best genetics.”

  “Sorry I didn’t win,” Aiko mumbled.

  “You did better than I would have.”

  Haruka lifted her head. Her eyes met Reina’s for a brief second, and she saw it: that look of knowing that said, “Remember when?” She looked away again. “This is so surreal. I didn’t think anyone would care about my…about my…I mean besides…” She tried to focus on her girlfriend, but her eyes darted once to Reina. Keep it cool, kid.

  Before the awkwardness could increase ten-fold, Reina noticed a rumble in her stomach and decided it pertinent to retreat somewhere private. She slipped off her stool and announced she was going to the restroom for a few minutes, leaving Aiko to steal her seat from her. Maybe Jun can flirt some life back into her.

  The restroom was mostly clear when Reina went in, leaving her to do her business without wait or interruption. Although only in there for a minute or so, it was ample time for other women to come and go.

  When Reina emerged from her stall, she expected to see Aiko standing before the sinks.

  “Doushita?” That was not the face of a woman waiting to use the toilet. That was the face of a woman about to cry, yell, or maybe vomit. Reina hoped to God it was not the latter. “What’s wrong tonight?” She looped an arm around her wife’s shoulders.

  Aiko immediately leaned into her embrace. “I want to go home,” she said. “I feel so awful today. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Do you need anything?”

  “No. I’ll leave right now so you can have your fun.” Aiko nuzzled her nose against Reina’s arm. “If you don’t text me, I’ll assume you went with Jun-san to her hotel. I only care about going to sleep.”

  Reina kissed her wife’s forehead. “If I go, I won’t be home until lunch tomorrow.” Sunday was a day for sleeping in, regardless of whose bed she was in.

  “That’s fine. I don’t mind. Really.”

  She kissed her again. “Are you sure you’re not sick?” Feeling Aiko’s forehead didn’t produce any odd heat.

  “I don’t know. I’ve been off all day. I’m gonna go home and sleep it off. The last thing I should be doing is having a threesome.”

  How about an orgy? Reina hugged her and pulled her toward the bathroom door. “Do you need money?”

  “No. I have change for the train.”

  They settled the last of such matters as they meandered through the club in search of their friends. By the time they reached the bar, however, a new parasite had latched itself to the arm of the only other redhead in the room.

  “Reina! Aiko!” Chloe threw her arms into the air, Jun’s arm wrapped around her shoulders. Are you fucking kidding me. That smarmy half-smile on Jun’s visage said it all. And if it didn’t, then Chloe leaning in to rub against her cheek sealed that deal. Are you fucking kidding me! “I was wondering where you two went. I was getting to know your friend from out of town. Did you know she speaks English?”

  “Yes, I do,” Jun said with a semi-thick accent. “I don’t think Reina-san knew it.”

  “Even I didn’t know it,” Aiko said. “You speak English?”

  Jun slipped back into Japanese. “It’s a necessary language in my business. If your guests don’t speak Japanese, odds are they speak English.” She clutched Chloe to her chest and waved to everyone. “We’re going to head out for the night. You take care of your sick wife, Reina-san. I’ll be back again next month.” She winked; Reina winced. They are not fucking kidding me.

  Chloe giggled like a schoolgirl as Jun led her out of the strip club. There they went, off to Jun’s lavish hotel room to fuck like bunnies. That should’ve been me! Reina could have kicked the counter if Haruka and Kaori were still not sitting at it. But Aiko tugged on her arm and reiterated her desire to leave. Without a date, Reina decided to go home with her.

  After saying curt farewells to Haruka and Kaori, Reina and Aiko ambled out of the strip club and climbed the stairs outside to return to the Ni-chome streets. Saturday night festivities were happening in every alley around them: two meters away from the stair entrance were two women humping like bonobos, five meters away was one woman vomiting into the sewer drain while two others held her hair back, and one whole block away was a group of drunken men attempting to split into pairs to go tear up a love hotel. Reina took her wife’s hand and led her out to the main street.

  Scents of alcohol, spurts of laughter, and the happy sounds of electronic music filled the air as all the gay bars left their doors open to let in the summer breezes. Most nights Reina would revel in the sounds of homoerotic merrymaking, but for once she was not going somewhere to create her own. No, just going home. She wouldn’t lie and say she wasn’t disappointed. Even if Aiko was out of commission and going home to sleep, Reina still figured she should have been able to count on Jun. Probably halfway to Shibuya by now. With that obnoxious foreigner. Hope they pull a groin muscle.

  Aiko squeezed her hand as they passed one of their favorite haunts. “I’m sorry. It’s because of me you don’t get to have fun tonight.”

  “No, no.” Reina swung their hands back and forth in time to their steps. “It’s fine.”

  “No it’s not. You wanted to be with her.”

  Reina didn’t deny it. “I wanted to be with the both of you.”

  “Me too, a little.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. Everything. There’s a lot on my mind.”

  “You’ve been off for a few days now.”

  “I know.”

  Reina stopped them in the middle of the street, her fingers brushing against Aiko’s cheek. “You can tell me anything,” she said. “If you’re unhappy, I want
to know.”

  Averting her eyes, Aiko lessened her grip on Reina’s hand. “I’m over-thinking things.”

  “Like what?”

  “You know…” She mumbled something beneath her breath.

  Against her better judgment, Reina pressed on – she began a countdown until she heard what she didn’t want to hear. “Money?” It was the number one thing they fought about, even above Reina’s philandering.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it matters if it bothers you.”

  Their fingers barely touched. “I want things that you can’t give me.”

  Reina dropped her jaw, the humidity crawling beneath her jacket. Something tumbled in her stomach. “And what’s that?” she asked carefully.

  “A baby, for one.”

  Not this again! Yet somehow Reina managed to control the outbursts fighting behind her teeth. Instead she took in a deep breath and searched for her wife’s hand again. “You’re still thinking about that?”

  “I haven’t stopped.” Aiko would still not look at her. When Reina tried to tip her chin toward her, she was met with a fierce shrug and a shake of the head. “It’s all I think about sometimes now. I want to be a mother!”

  Her last words echoed in the street, above the thumping bass of the nearby music and the honking cars on the main street. Before anyone around them could pretend that they hadn’t heard anything, Aiko shook her spouse’s hand off her and covered her face with her wrists. A sob wracked her features.

  “Ai-chan…”

  “But I can’t be, can I? I’ll never know what it’s like to be pregnant, or to give birth, or to hold my baby in my arms. I’ll never know what it’s like to see my child grow up and have a life of their own. And worst of all, I’ll never be able to do it with you.” Tears fell down her cheeks; people turned to look at them.

  Reina tried to calm her down with gentle words and gentler touches. This is not happening! “Let’s go home and talk about this, okay?” Even as she said that her stomach did a round of jumping jacks. Reina had hoped this baby phase would have passed already. Now she’s foregoing sex over it. What would be next? Breathing?