Temper Dread: Book Two of the TEMPER Saga

by Lila Mina

  Yuki was so fierce that Lana couldn’t help it anymore; face in hands, she began to sob earnestly.

  “I need to say something now, and you will not be happy with me, goshujin sama,” Yuki went on after regaining her composure. She grabbed Lana’s hand and faced her husband, who was still staring at Lana as if he was trying to sort out an impossible puzzle.

  “There are a couple of things that need to change, if only gradually over the next months. I will never tell you what you should… feel and even less what you should do. However, I would like to recommend you think hard about Lana san’s position in this house. It breaks my heart she continues to feel like and be treated as a second-class member of this household despite her exemplary sense of duty and sacrifices and what she just offered us.”

  Lana winced and looked away. Yuki shook her head and went on, resolute. “Our own relationship, Lana san, is one thing, but maybe it’s not enough on the long run. I will not step in, judge and comment on what both of you do together, how and why you do it, because both of you need it, and as long as everyone enjoys themselves, this is all fine. But…” she added with strong emphasis, “if we want to succeed together, welcome this child together, give it a solid and loving family, then I don’t want to hear anything about ‘training’, ‘service’ and nonsense like that anymore. Goshujin sama, please realize that I care too much about Lana san and her emotional well-being to continue like this unconditionally. And what you offered us today, sweetling, is too valuable, too extraordinary, too generous for me to accept that your situation should remain forever as it is. Again, the law may say one thing, but our daily life can say something else altogether.”

  Yuki patted Lana’s cheek lovingly, landed a soft kiss on her lips and stood up. “Please excuse me now, it’s getting late. I’ll leave the two of you alone to talk about this.”

  Lana watched her go and bit her lip. Well, I didn’t see this coming, so much for my scenarios... She’s so kind and loving, but there’s no way it can go down well with him. Injecting more… feelings into the mix? Talk about a strict no-no...

  She blinked; Honda stared outside the windows, apparently lost in thought, his face a blank.

  Uh. What’s going on? By now, he should be raving… Did Yuki manage to get through this time? But you can’t force anyone, and certainly not yourself, to love somebody.

  That last thought made her chuckle. There was such a vast range of scenarios between tender romantic love, and being the sex maid of someone with a serious BDSM hitch fueled by supernatural influences…

  Am I really so needy and desperate?

  “Is there anything funny I am missing here? Would you care to share?” Honda’s abrasive voice disrupted her inner monologue. He was still gazing outside, his shoulders and neck betraying his tension.

  Lana straightened up. “Only my own silliness,” she replied with a soft smile. It backfired.

  “Oh yes, you are silly,” he retorted, pinning her with a thunderous glare. “But I don’t find this funny at all.” His harsh tone and insult made her blood boil. She growled, showing teeth, and leaned across the table, dangerous emotions sweeping everything aside like a tsunami.

  Honda snapped. In a blink, he invaded her sphere. Her back hit the floor, but he stopped short of making actual contact.

  “Do you think what we said tonight allows you suddenly to behave whatever way you want? Do you honestly believe that if I ever reconsidered my position, you would be allowed to show me one ounce less of respect?”

  His hands were on each side of her. Lana was almost flat on her back to avoid any contact, and this was much more painful than it used to be. She dismissed the discomfort though. She stared back at him, not bothering to hide her anger.

  “I will never show you any less respect, goshujin sama,” she said, voice low and flat. “My obedience and willingness to serve will always be the same, however you call it on your end. But,” Lana growled again, grabbing his lapel. She let all of her steel show through. “I will have yours. At all times. You don’t have to be sweet, or kind, because this is not who you are, and I don’t expect you to be like that. But don’t be demeaning when you want to reaffirm your authority. Don’t be rude, and above all else, don’t call me stupid!” she snarled. “I am no daft plaything who stays because she doesn’t know better, I thought it would be crystal clear by now. But perhaps I should know better, hm? Should I end this now before I can’t remember who I am or my self-worth?”

  Honda pressed his body all against hers. He was shaking, and his warmth penetrating through her clothes heated up her skin; his body mass reminded her how much she loved being crushed under him. She mentally slapped herself.

  And that’s why touching is a truly bad idea!

  “You—!” Honda uttered before catching himself. “Ah. You have my full respect, Lana san,” he articulated slowly. “I don’t question your intelligence, your worth. I have no excuse for this off-hand and petty insult. I should know better.”

  Lana let out an exasperated puff of breath while he rubbed his face and leaned away from her.

  “Yuki did not need to rub it on my face, but I suppose she had the right to do it. I am painfully aware of what you are sacrificing for me, of what you agree to go through for my sake. I am amazed at what you proposed tonight. I don’t want to change our ways together, and how we express them. But you are not a ‘second-class’ partner, even less a ‘plaything’. You have a maddening way to slip past my defenses... but like I have already told you, time and time again, none of this can end well if sentiment gets in the way and clouds our judgement. Never forget what hangs over our heads!”

  Her heart did a round of somersaults while her eyes dropped to his razor-thin lips and the lines around his mouth that gave him a perpetual scowl. Then to his neck and the exposed area at the top of his chest she loved to lick, to settle on the second button of his shirt.

  Hm, how hard would it be to tear it off with my teeth only?... I’ve never tried that…

  Lana huffed. The fight was over, and she hadn’t lost it. She reclined her head on the tatami, lowering all her defenses, and once again submitted. Honda shifted over her. Anybody else would now take her in their arms, and cuddle for a while, but she hadn’t signed up for the standard package, had she? She pouted when the warmth of his body-blanket went away, but to her surprise, he lay alongside her, propped up on his elbow.

  “Am I demanding too much of you? Regardless of your pregnancy, of our predicament, am I pushing you too hard? We are so stubborn, you and I. Maybe I don’t see it because I don’t want to, and because you are not telling me.”

  Lana pressed her palms on her eyes and groaned. “Well, right now, you are pushing it, because I just want to sleep but I don’t think we will have this conversation in broad daylight. So…” She turned on her side to face him.

  “Maybe there is something terribly wrong with me, maybe I am under a real spell, and I am a lost cause, but I have no complaint about your extreme physical demands. Our safe word works and the trust we share is… amazing and remarkable. I have nothing against your ridiculously high standards in terms of discipline. It clearly helps us keep things under control, and also believe it or not, I want to grow and improve…. No, don’t frown at me like that, please,” she tutted, pressing one finger on his chest when Honda reacted at her words.

  She took a deep breath. “And tonight has been… enlightening. If we can talk about it without too much drama, then everything is fine. Sincerely, it is.” She offered him a thin smile. “May we call it a night now? I have four meetings tomorrow.”

  He stared at her until Lana’s spine tingled; she wet her lips with trepidation. Why did she feel like a hapless deer all of a sudden? With lightning speed, he was again on her, his tongue invading her mouth possessively.

  At the same time irritated and turned on, she groaned and moaned before returning the favor; from merely deep, their kiss became passionate. When he broke it to catch his breath, she was panting hard.


  “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t you be taking care of… Yuki sama? It’s her… her birthday after all!”

  His teeth caught her lower lip and chewed it for a while. Then he gave her swollen mouth a smug look and his hand went inside her pants, zeroing on her clit with practiced ease.

  “Who said I haven’t already done so today, and extensively at that?” he purred, two fingers slipping inside her.

  “Uhhh… hm… well then…” Lana stuttered, still trying to keep a grip on her reactions. “But… I have to get… up early…” It was pointless; her eyes were already rolling back. He knew exactly where to hit, and it was so hard to resist when all she wanted was to grind herself on his thick fingers.

  Honda’s thumb began a complex dance on her bundle of nerves and he chuckled in her ear. “It seems like your body has something else in mind.”

  Lana hissed and let her hips rock against him despite her best judgement.

  “Damn it… I’m so weak… ngg… oh...” It wasn’t only about getting up early in the morning. It was also a matter of pride. But her pride seemed happy to take a break as his tongue lazily probed her ear while his fingers stretched her.

  He kept on taunting her. “With more self-control, you would be able to resist… We need to work on that...”

  Her fingers dug hard into his flanks and she bit his neck wherever the skin showed; to her satisfaction, he shuddered above her.

  “As if… as if you would… let it go… you would just… push me... further...” she gasped.

  He pressed himself against her dripping core; she hadn’t even seen him unbuckle his pants.

  “Yes, most certainly,” he rumbled and slid inside her in one quick stroke.

  Her back arched. “Ah yes… damn you… that’s too... good…”

  To her astonishment, he went with a slow, surprisingly careful pace. He nestled her head in the crook of his arm to make her more comfortable and placed her leg over his hip. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  With a heavy sigh, he plunged deep inside her and stayed there, unmoving, enjoying her velvety walls closing around his length. His mouth found hers once again and for the first time since they had begun this dangerous game, Lana realized they were making love and not just expressing pure lust and raw need.

  What a mess… no sentiment, yeah right…

  Overcome by treacherous emotions, she came hard, with a muffled gasp. Honda broke their kiss and nuzzled his nose against her neck, licking her perspiration leisurely. She gave his chest a soft shove to make him recline on his back and put a hand on his rock-hard erection.

  “Let me take care of this, please,” she whispered.

  Alternating gentle suction and tongue twirling, Lana engulfed him slowly. His hand caressed her hair and slid down to her neck to squeeze it gently. His body relaxed under her and he closed his eyes. She cupped his balls and rolled them between her fingers, continuing her tongue work until he came hard in her mouth with a long growl of satisfaction. Lana didn’t release him until she had caught every drop.

  It was tempting to lie on his chest and fall asleep but she decided otherwise. She sat up in seiza next to him and straightened up her spine along with her clothes. Their basic rules of engagement hadn’t changed, despite his indirect admission, and it was time to reset the clocks to avoid any misunderstanding. Honda followed suit, proving her instincts right.

  “Thank you very much for our conversation and very pleasant gift, goshujin sama,” Lana said smoothly, bowing as much as the small football in her belly would allow her.

  He mirrored her gesture to a lesser extent. “I thank you for your devotion, as always, Lana san. You should retire now, you do not wish to miss too much of your beauty sleep, do you?”

  A quirked eyebrow was her only reply; she decided against taking the bait even though his half-smile told her she could have taken a shot.

  “Indeed not; I bid you goodnight,” she replied formally, bowing again and taking her leave.

  28 New Clouds on the Horizon

  It had been only a week since she had left M&F, but Lana was already restless. Sitting at the kitchen table with her two companions, she nibbled at her bowl of rice and ginger pickles with little interest for her breakfast. She stared at the last orange and red leaves hanging on the three majestic maple trees of the garden.

  How will the weekly staff meeting go today, and who stepped up to take my place to lead it? Ayumi? She has great potential but has to work on her self-confidence. On top of it, she has problems with delivering actual results. Matthew? Hm, no, it’s the opposite, he’s an arrogant prick, and lacks any serious leadership skills, nobody really listens to him…

  “Lana san, would you like more tea? Lana san?” Yuki’s warm voice finally cut through Lana’s mental fog.

  “Uh, what?” A furious blush turned her cheeks beetle red. “Oh, my apologies Yuki sama…” It was sometimes easy to slip back into her bachelor’s habits.

  “You seem to have a lot on your mind, even though you should be relaxing now and taking things slow. Anything we can do to help?”

  “No, I must learn to let go of my job and stop wondering how people are handling it without me. I'm... just… bored, I guess? I've never been good at taking long holidays, anyway.”

  Honda huffed, and Yuki’s smile broadened. “Oh, I have the perfect solution. It’s already December, and we must plan for osoji. There are plenty of things to do around the house you can help me with, without pushing yourself.”

  “I'd be happy to, but you’ll need to guide me through it because I’ve never done the traditional New Year cleaning.”

  “You also have to come up with suggestions for Nakazawa sama, don't you?” Honda reminded her while finishing his grilled fish.

  “I do, but first I have to meet with him again and receive more information on the internal organization chart of the holdings, hard figures and projections regarding overseas expansion. It wasn't possible until last week,” Lana pointed out.

  Snapping her fingers, Yuki got up from her chair. “Oh, I forgot, mail came for you this morning.” She left the kitchen to fetch it.

  Lana hummed and emptied her cup of tea. “This reminds me I should really update all my official contact details with the authorities and city services. The mail forwarding service only lasts one year, right?”

  “Yes, but I would have thought you would have done it by now.”

  “I hate paperwork and I’m bad at taking care of these things in my personal life, so I should get onto it before I run out of time.”

  A dangerous glint appeared in Honda’s eyes. “Should I set up a special session to teach you how to handle paperwork?”

  “That’s right, you do enjoy seeing me writhe in pain. But this would push me… way beyond my limits,” she teased, feeling bold.

  Honda put away his plates in the dishwasher and, to her surprise, chuckled. “Well, given your condition, physical discipline is not in order, so why not use a form safe for you and the little one?”

  Lana crossed her arms over her round belly and snickered. “With paperwork? I’m afraid I’d fall asleep immediately, and… it’s not the goal, right?”

  Honda towered over her, one hand on the back of her chair, the other on the table. “Have you ever felt bored under my ministrations?” he challenged her with a whisper, voice thick with dark undercurrents.

  Lana’s body reacted; she tilted her head and swirled on her chair until their bodies touched.

  “This is physically and mentally impossible,” she deadpanned. “You could read me the tax code until I wept, but with this voice and stare, I would still go down in flames.”

  His triumphant smile should have irked her to no end; he was so full of himself. But it only fueled her arousal because hard facts backed his incredible self-confidence in his ability to make her come undone.

  “This kind of distraction is always welcome but today, my schedule is tight.”

  To her dismay, he
took a step back and just like that, the tickling tension evaporated.

  “Here you go Lana san.” Back in the kitchen, Yuki handed her younger companion three envelopes.

  “Thank you so much. Bills and bills… Oh! This one must be the invitation to the New Year party of the Italian Embassy in January!” she exclaimed showing the envelope to her companions.

  Lana opened it and was glad to see she was right.

  “It’s one of those yearly events the foreign community loves. The food and drinks are great and between you and me, they make up for the insufferable jet-set attitude of the majority of the guests who show up. We can usually bring up to three people with us, so would you be interested in joining me?” She handed out the invitation to Honda. “I'm sure Nakazawa sama must have gotten one himself, with the Holding's expansion into Italy.”

  “It would be useful to have you there should he decide to go, to spot any other… potentially problematic individuals; please add our names. I imagine Gabriella san will also attend?” he asked, going over the letter

  “Gabriella never misses an opportunity to enjoy free Italian cheese.” Her smile vanished, and she pouted. “Oh no… no deli meat nor wine for me this year…”

  Yuki’s fingers brushed Lana’s neck. “I am sure they also offer plenty of gelato you can indulge in to compensate, don’t they?”

  Lana’s grin came back, full force. “Or even better, Nutella-based torta della nonna! You’re right, nothing is lost yet.”

  “Well, she’s a lost cause, but I can count on your self-discipline for the buffet, hm?” Yuki chided her husband with a wagging finger. Lana had to turn away to hide her smirk.

  “You know my preferences,” Honda replied, sounding almost hurt. “You shouldn’t fear for my diet. But I will enjoy a glass or two of red wine.”

  His wife gave him a small smirk then turned serious. “Speaking of indulging in too many good things to eat. I know you should be on your way, but we need to give an answer to okaa sama about oshogatsu. She called again yesterday, and I’ve run out of excuses to explain our lack of firm reply.”