by Koko Brown
“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind.” She frowned at the liquid muck skeptically.
Hyuk gave a slight chortle. “It tastes far better than it looks. Plus this is just meant to tide you over until I take you on a culinary experience.”
“Culinary experience? So what does that entail?”
“You’ll see just as soon as you drink and get ready.”
She eyed the concoction again.
“Sounds like a threat to me.”
“Just drink it.”
Fresh out of snarky comebacks she grabbed the cup determined to chug as much as possible before her taste buds got involved. She paused mid gulp as the sweet fresh taste of deliciousness hit her. It was fruity, completely unlike what she expected.
Two more gulps and she paused. “This is actually very good.”
“What is that American saying about judgment and the cover of books?”
“Yeah, yeah. So does the culinary experience call for another day of dress up?”
“No, this will be a completely casual outing.”
She beamed over the thought. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed her night out wearing the beautiful dress, but it wasn’t who she was or wanted to be on a daily basis.
“How long do I have to get ready?”
“How does an hour sound?”
She swallowed down the rest of the surprisingly tasty beverage, making a mental note to get the recipe later.
“Before you go whisking me away can you please tell me why you keep tigers in your town house?”
“That’s right you met one of them, what did you think?” He sounded so casually cool as if everyone in the neighborhood kept domesticated large cats.
“What did I think? Well after I jumped back into my skin and successfully stopped short of crapping my pants I thought he was beautiful, majestic even but to keep him and the other one cooped up in your yard seems a bit cruel.”
“I have a private wild life preserve that I’m able to get them to periodically.”
She tried to wrap her mind around the logistics of such an outing but decided against it.
Still she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“And they just comes along for these jaunts all obedient like?”
Hyuk shrugged. “I’ve never had an issue.”
“How do you domesticate a tiger, I mean it can’t really be possible to…” She cut her comment short. “Never mind, I’m still processing the idea of keeping a tiger as a pet. Everything else is so beyond my scope”
“Oh, he’s much more than a pet. He embodies the living symbol of the Chon clan.”
Great she was being culturally insensitive. “So, I think maybe I should mind my own business regarding the tigers and go get cleaned up,” she said and made for the kitchen door. In her wake she heard Hyuk’s throaty laughter.
Nestled in the back of the high end SUV Regina watched as they maneuvered through the early afternoon streets. Next to her Hyuk had taken a phone call but spoke in a foreign language. She couldn’t help but wonder if it were about Jay’s shooter. Had there been a development?
“You’re anxious?” Hyuk commented at the end of his call.
“What?” she turned to look at him.
“You’ve been tapping your foot since we got in the car.”
She looked down at the guilty foot as it continued the involuntary movement.
“Sorry.” She willed it to stop.
“Just a lot swirling around in my head. Jay’s shooter, tomorrow’s audition and man eating, domesticated tigers is all a bit much to take in within a forty-eight hour period.” Regina purposely excluded mentioning Hyuk’s dubious career or the fact that she was bothered by his disappearance that morning after what had seemed to be an enjoyable night of sexual release.
“Well I hope today’s excursion will help you to relax a bit.”
“Where exactly are we going?”
“The Korean festival, where there’s going to be great food and activities.”
She paused at his infomercial styled answer and honed in on one thing. “You’re Korean?” Regina felt silly asking, she’d been intimate with him and yet didn’t know something as minor as his ethnicity.
“Yes, Korean and Russians, I believe I mentioned my mother’s country of origin.”
“Yes, you did but I don’t think you mentioned your father’s background.”
He nodded with acceptance. “Have you ever attended a Korean festival before?”
“I can’t honestly say that I have.”
“Then you are in for a treat.” He punctuated his statement by reaching for her hand giving it a slight squeeze.
The feel of his warm flesh against hers had an oddly calming effect.
She was surprised by the unexpected reaction but slid closer to lay her head on his shoulder. A man like him should have her running for the hills but he drew her in with an undeniable gravitational pull.
His description of a treat was an understatement. Her senses were on high alert from the moment they stepped out of the open parking lot. The driver and a guard who’d ridden up front fell in step behind them but Regina completely dismissed their presence.
“Welcome to a taste of Korea at Saratoga Spa.”
There were make shift pavilions with the most delicious aromas traveling to greet them and areas partitioned off with an assortment of activities. Children ran about some dressed very western in jeans and shirts others in more brightly colored traditional dress.
“What should we do first?” she asked.
“I’m thinking food.”
At her agreement he took hold of her and Regina felt like a teen on her first date. Hyuk was right about the culinary treat. They sampled food whose names she couldn’t be expected to remember in just one pass. In the name of sincere cultural exchange she’d have to go back for seconds.
“This is delicious,” Regina said after devouring a piece of a brown cookie shaped like a flower.
“It’s called Yagkwa.”
She tried the name feeling proud of his approval over her pronunciation.
“Let’s go over here for the Nol-Ttwigi.”
“Okay, what you said.”
Hyuk chuckled and repeated the word slowly.
“Nol-Ttwigi,” she mimicked.
“Perfect, it’s the word for a see saw. We’ll have you speaking Korean in no time.”
“Don’t put too much hope in that bank. Me and foreign languages have not been good bedfellows, hence my C- in Spanish for two years.”
“I don’t know, I may have a more persuasive teaching method.”
“Oh yeah? Like?”
“Later,” he promised.
As they approached a crowd of people near one of the sectioned off areas Regina witnessed the group parting to allow them a front row position. Several men, women and even children bowed in his direction.
“I’m having another god father moment,” she whispered then instantly felt an acknowledging squeeze of her hand.
“It’s just a show of respect.”
Regina opened her mouth to answer but found the sight in front of her very distracting. “When you said see saw I wasn’t quite expecting this.”
In the center of the cordoned off area two women stood on either end of a very traditional see saw with what Regina could only assume were two female spotters. The women were dressed in loose fitting white pantaloons and colorful white green and red tops. Their hair pulled back in tight pony tails were secured with red ribbons. The women started by jumping on either end of the see saw propelling their counterpart higher in the air. For Regina that was enough to draw some awe inspiring gasps but then came the series of tricks from flexible in air splits, kicks and flips. The women were then handed props like tambourines and hoola hoops to add to their already impressive routines.
“I’m exhausted just from watching them,” Regina said giddily at the end of the performance. “I couldn’t imagine having the fearlessness or coordination to do that
.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, but there is more to see. It looks like they are setting up for the tight rope walker.”
That piqued her interest and she looked to where Hyuk indicated. “What are we waiting for, let’s beat the crowd.”
“That isn’t necessary he said casually.”
“Right, because of your special mojo with here,” she said feeling a thrill ripple up her spine. She had to admit a certain appeal at watching the way people interacted with him. It was more than obvious that he was well known. People watched him when they assumed he wasn’t paying attention, nodding respectively when he was in their general area. None were intrusive nor seemed to talk out of turn unless he spoke to them first.
If the women on the see saws was a marvel the tight rope walking display was phenomenal. The lone man jumped up and down on the rope with ease and somersaulted with agility all the while telling jokes or at least that was what Hyuk explained because of course he only spoke in Korean. If the crowd were any indication he was quite amusing. Regina didn’t need the commentary, perfectly content with the performance.
They moved throughout the festival alternating between pavilions and scheduled performances until the sun threatened to dip into the horizon. The cool air transitioned to nippy and Regina found herself shivering several times but neither Hyuk nor his guards seemed the least bit bothered by the cold. In fact there wasn’t a jacket to be found among the throng of participants, even those in short sleeves looked completely comfortable with drop in temperature.
“It’s getting late, why don’t we get you home,” Hyuk suggested.
Regina didn’t argue although the festival seemed to be in full swing and other performers were setting up.
Inside the car Hyuk pulled her close, heat from him penetrated the chill in her body until she was comfortable. He was like having her own personal furnace and she snuggled in deeper until she found just the right spot. Feeling the safest she’d ever felt in her life Regina drifted off to sleep.
SIX
The gentle jarring of being carried woke her in time to see Hyuk entering the elevator of his town house. He cradled her in his arms as if she weighed no more than a small child.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
“It was a long day,” he answered. The elevator chimed and she immediately recognized the floor of Hyuk’s personal floor.
“You’re suite?”
He stared down at her curiously. “You sound surprised.”
“I thought… this morning when you were gone… so I wasn’t sure… that is I thought what happened last night was a one-time thing.”
“You thought one night would be enough for both of us?” He was in his room now but didn’t stop there carrying her through to his private bath that put the one in her room to shame by comparison.
“I didn’t want to assume.”
He dropped her legs but held her close to his body until she felt herself sliding down his length. Regina’s feet barely touched the floor before his head descended towards hers. She tilted her head upward for what was to come. Their lips brushed in a teasing kiss and he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth slowly.
“You are mine Regina, even after our thousandth time together I’ll still want you.”
She tried not to focus on his words, they were just unnecessary terms of endearment and she didn’t need sweetness to comply. Hands caught between their bodies she pushed with enough force to give them some space but Hyuk didn’t budge. He drew back and frowned down at her with a questioning looking in his eyes.
“I just wanted to get out of these clothes. I assume you brought me in here for a reason?”
He didn’t speak but his arms loosened and eventually dropped to allow her to put some distance between them. She stripped out of her clothes in a leisurely fashion intended to torment what she hadn’t planned for was Hyuk matching her item for item until they both stood nude. She yelped when he lifted her in the air and headed for the open shower. Its spacious interior was done in a smooth stone. Warm sprays hit them from all directions as soon as they were inside.
Regina wrapped her legs around his waist and secured her arms behind his neck. The heated water barely had a chance to wash over them before Hyuk was inside of her. His thick cock stretching her in its quest for complete entry.
“Hyuk,” she gasped but the rest of what she wanted to say was lost the moment his lips took hers in a kiss that consumed her. She felt the slick wall against her back Hyuk’s hands gripped her hips. He shifted impaling her further but managing to fit her clit between them. He ground against her and the tendrils of desire she’d felt began to snake their way through her belly.
She’d never been so turned on for a man without some sort of foreplay to prime her body. He pumped her up and down on his thick rod.
“Your pussy is so tight and hot I never want to leave,” he said against her lips his words were guttural as if speech was a struggle. Then his mouth was back, demanding and all she could do was give in to his plundering.
She liked that she had that type of effect on him. Her arousal piqued and began to spiral inside. He was stroking her clit in just the right way and filling her so completely she had no choice but to surrender to the pleasure. And then she was coming. She tilted her head back for air and screamed her release but it didn’t stop Hyuk’s questing mouth and long strokes. Her vagina began to contract, pulse around his cock and he jerked before finding a more frenzied pace. His deep throaty moan against her neck joined the tail end of her orgasmic scream. He pumped into her again and again until his body succumbed to a series of spasms.
Unknown moments later they were still in entwined in the shower. Hyuk sat her down on her feet gently.
“Now for that shower.”
Regina was drained and quiet while Hyuk attended to her like a dutiful lover, scrubbing her body and washing her hair.
“Hyuk?” she ventured as he toweled her down outside of the shower.
“We didn’t use a condom.”
He didn’t pause in his task. “I know.”
“Don’t you think that was just a little bit irresponsible of us?”
“No,” his answer was definitive.
“We can’t be so careless in the future.”
He tossed the towel into a corner hamper before turning back to her, the look on his face pensive. “We’ve both reassured the other that there isn’t anything to worry about, right?”
“Yes but-“
“You’re not ovulating Regina so there is nothing else to be concerned about.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
He tapped the tip of his nose.
“You need some rest,” he said taking her hand and guiding her back into bedroom.
“Hyuk, I’m being serious here.”
“So am I or have you forgotten about your audition tomorrow.” He stopped on one side of the bed drew the covers back and motioned for her to climb in.
Regina stood her ground. “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. We can’t play loose and free with protection.”
“Are you opposed to children?”
“I… no, but that’s not the point. We barely know each other and once this thing with Jay is put to rest we’ll be going back to our regular lives. Why complicate things?”
“Is that what you want, to walk away after I’ve seen to Jay’s difficulties?”
“Yes, I mean we both had our lives before this… at any rate you can’t possibly know if I’m ovulating just by smell.”
“I can and trust me if you were no amount of condoms could stop the inevitable.”
“Inevitable?”
“Why don’t we table this conversation for another time? You need your rest and I’m trying to be supportive. Get in bed Regina.”
A part of her wanted to defy his request but she thought better of it. He was right, she needed rest and naked arguing with Hyuk wasn’t exactly how she wanted to end her day.
&
nbsp; She settled in bed and listened as he flipped the light switch leaving only a small stream of moonlight to find its way through the partially drawn curtains. The bed shifted beneath his weight and he slid to its center seconds before his hand snaked out to capture her in the middle and draw her towards him. Wordlessly, she let herself be pulled backwards trying not to think about how wonderful he felt fitted against her back.
“Are you this demanding with every woman you… have a fling with?”
“I don’t have flings, date, or have girlfriends for that matter so no.”
“Well you certainly weren’t a virgin,” she said quietly.
He sighed. “Of course not.”
She took his response as a dismissal and was therefore surprised when he continued.
“If I wanted the companionship of a woman I had it, without expectations or consequence.”
“That doesn’t sound like companionship it sounds like sex.”
“I’ve always considered the two interchangeable.”
She bit back her response.
“I take it you don’t approve.”
“It’s none of my business. Besides we’re doing the same thing, satiating some primal attraction and when it’s over we’ll be on to life’s next conquest.”
Hyuk forced her onto her back none-to-gently and she gasped at the sudden movement. In the dark she couldn’t fully make out his features but she swore she could feel his glower.
“I don’t like you talking about moving on to another man.”
“To everything there’s a season.”
“That might have been true in our past but now that I have you in my life Regina I can’t just let you walk away.”
“I don’t’ know what I’m supposed to say to that.”
“Nothing. The only thing you need to do now is sleep.”
This time when Hyuk suggested it she latched on to the idea like a life preserver, rolling back on to her side but half expecting him to stop her.
He didn’t.
“Good night Hyuk.”
One arm around her waist drew her in close again. “Good night.”