“I think you wanted me to chase you like a damn hero in those stupid comics.”
“I don’t know. I was scared. You hit me.”
“He hit you.” Kai pointed at her. “He did. Just like he was in bed with another woman.”
“You couldn’t have wrested control away from him before that?”
“I thought it was best to let him assuage some physical needs.”
“Why not with me?”
“Because you were mine. Not his. The one thing I would not share with him. The one thing I could have all to myself.” Kai leaned in and kissed her cheek sadly. “But now, it seems that’s been taken away from me too. You want him.”
“I want you,” she said and wrapped her arms around him.
“I will not share you. It’s not right.”
“You weren’t present while he was with Miyo?”
Kai shrugged. “It wasn’t as if I could go out to a movie.”
“But couldn’t you have locked yourself away, like you locked him away?”
“Not when he was in control, no.”
“So you and he were making love to Miyo.”
“He was. I was watching.”
“And you don’t understand why I was angry?”
“I understand,” he said. “I can even forgive you leaving. But not returning calls? Not letting me know you were safe? That was childish and cruel.”
Ashley blinked back tears. “Maybe. I didn’t think of it from your side. I figured Miyo was everything I wasn’t. You had been so distant. In your zone, like you said. Terasaka was obsessed with stalking the streets of Tokyo, looking for things to dig up or kill. I thought maybe that was your way of saying goodbye to the gaijin. It was fun. Now, it’s over. Please go home.”
Kai’s jaw dropped and worked as words formed, but didn’t get spoken. “I cared for you deeply.”
“I got that. Sometimes. Other times, I felt like I was just there for fantastic sex and company when you weren’t writing.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Then I was spending more time with him. He was taking me on these grand adventures all over the country. I liked him, but he wasn’t you. But he was paying more attention to me than you were.”
“He knew not to try to kiss you or seduce you. He knew that would bring me forefront to lock him away.”
“Yet you pushed us together.”
“Ashley, I was working.”
“So was I. You make it sound like I was a leech. I worked and, at the end of the day, I would come to see you. But you weren’t there. Even if you were.”
“So you left me.”
“I did.”
“And I thought that if I could get rid of Terasaka maybe you would come back to me. Instead, I’m locked even deeper with him. That is your fault. I can’t forgive you for that.”
Ashley shook her head. “You can’t blame that on me.”
“If it wasn’t for you, I would still be in control of my body.”
“You are still in control of your body. I just saw you fight him when you said Sada’s name.”
The stairwell door opened above them and Ashley looked up to see a woman coming towards them.
“You’re an idiot,” he said and when she looked back, it was Terasaka looking at her.
“I’ve found you both at last.” The woman was dressed in a red silk kimono, Americanized to look like a short shift. Black, thigh high heeled boots clicked their way down the stairs. She had curly blonde hair, but her eyes were an iris-less flat green, like an emerald without facets.
“Sada,” Ashley said.
“Stop saying her name,” Terasaka snarled and then pushed her behind him. “Go back to the party. I will join you shortly.”
“She’s so pretty, Kichimon. I can see why you like her.”
“She can’t possess me without my consent,” Ashley said.
Sada’s laughter was a sadistic trill. “And so naive, like I was.”
“Go.”
“If I go, I will never see you again.”
Terasaka took his eyes off Sada to glance at her. “Would you like that?”
“Not anymore.”
“Go. I will find you.”
“But Kai—”
“Not now,” he said urgently and gave Ashley a shove.
“I ain’t afraid of no ghosts,” she muttered under her breath, but at the gleam of unearthly avarice emanating from Sada, Ashley hurried back to the party.
Feeling a little uncomfortable and exposed now that Kai wasn’t next to her, Ashley tugged down her skirt and made an effort to mingle through the party. Her legs were still tingly from the rocking orgasm Kai had given her. It had always been that explosive between them. Grabbing a glass of champagne, she headed over to some of her friends that she hadn’t seen since she left Tokyo. When she felt a masculine presence next to her, she was disappointed that it was Julien instead of Kai.
“So, I see that you and your ex came in together. Where is he?”
“I don’t appreciate you giving out my home address to anyone who asks.”
“I figured you’d been moping around here too long, so I played Cupid. What can I say? It worked. You should be thanking me.”
“I should be reporting you to Human Resources, but I’m not going to.” Ashley held up a hand to stop him from protesting. “I talked to Kai and you’re on your own about the byline.”
“Thanks for giving me the inside track,” Julien said. He was sincere and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
“Kai doesn’t work well with others. You might not get anywhere.” Ashley knew that more than anyone. Her heart thumped a little when he said he cared for her deeply. He had never used the “L” word, but she thought he felt it. Lord knows she was head over heels for him to put up with this shit.
Julien shrugged. “Got to at least try, right?”
“Right,” she said and toasted her glass at him. “Good luck.” Good luck to all of us. Would Terasaka make him see reason?
Julien squeezed her arm and moved off. The party was dwindling down and there still wasn’t any sign of Kai or Sada. Ashley even took a peek in the stairwell where she last saw them, but they were gone. The only evidence that they had been there was a button from Kai’s shirt that probably wasn’t sewn on all that well. As she looked at it, a feeling in the pit of her stomach made her wish she had stopped at one glass of champagne. Heading up the stairs, she listened to see if she could hear any sounds of battle or merry making. If she caught Terasaka fucking another chick, she was going to throw something at him—from a long distance and ran like hell before he could catch her. A loud crashing sound from the floor above had her running to the next landing.
Pulling open the door, she saw the suite was completely trashed. Cubicle walls were leveled, cut in half and burning with green ooze. The copier had sailed across the room, judging from the dent in the wall and the toner spackling everything. From down the hall, she could hear Sada shrieking about taking Terasaka back to the underworld where he could be judged for his sins.
“You first, Sada.”
When Ashley caught up to them, the two were grappling on the floor, but in battle, not lust. Terasaka had his forearm on Sada’s chin to block her gaze from touching him. She, in turn, had her claws deep into his arms, shredding his shirt and jacket. They both were trying to push the soul out of each other. Rolling around the room, jockeying for position, not gaining any ground. Ashley could only wonder what Terasaka and Sada’s hosts were feeling.
She crept into the battle, brandishing a large, cut class vase she pulled off one of the desks. Just as she was about to smash it on Sada’s head, the woman’s neck moved like a snake and locked onto Ashley.
“No,” Terasaka said and covered Sada’s eyes.
The smell of burning flesh had him yelping and when Sada’s claws eased out of him, he rolled away. Ashley was caught in the beam of Sada’s eyes and the vase clunked harmlessly to the carpet.
The offi
ce faded away and they were in a cherry blossom grove in the middle of a field full of flowers and willows. A low wooden table was set up and they were kneeling across it. They were both dressed as geishas, the heavy silk obi felt as real as the make-up on her face. Sada was sipping tea, only she wasn’t the blond American whose body she had possessed in the office. She looked enough like Miyo to be her older sister. Sada gave her an amused look when Ashley said as much.
“Do you think that was a coincidence?”
Shamisen music played on the wind and leaves danced to it, swirling around the table.
“Why have you brought me here? For battle?”
“Oh no, dear, the battle is already won. We are one now. Currently we are unconscious on the floor, but I imagine that we’ll be waking up in Terasaka’s arms in short order.”
“So he gets his foursome after all,” Ashley said and slurped her tea.
Sada fanned herself. “Indeed.”
“So when we wake up, are we’re going to wrestle for control?”
“It will hurt less if you just give in.”
Ashley knew she should be freaking out, but maybe spending all of her time watching Kai and Terasaka made her a little ambivalent to things like possession. She didn’t feel any different. In fact, maybe there could be a way to make this work. Sada could have Terasaka and she could have Kai. She wondered if she could spin it so Kai would agree to at least try it. That is unless Sada was a crazy, evil demon beyond redemption. Then it could get tricky.
“And, if I give in, will you start abusing my body with sex and drugs, like you did the others?”
“Of course,” Sada said.
“Why?”
“It feels good.”
“But you’re temporary. You’ll always have to find a new host.”
Sada gave a graceful shrug of one shoulder. “There are always others.”
“And you chose me because Terasaka loves me?”
She snapped her fan closed with a lethal snick, blood dripped from the blades and peppered the silk tablecloth. Staring at her nicked finger, Sada said, “He does not love you, you foolish girl. Don’t you know men will say these things to bed you?”
“I don’t know, Sada. He’s using my boyfriend’s body. Sometimes, it seems all the same to me. Like he and Kai are the same person, just with different personalities.”
“Your precious Kai has not said he loves you.”
Ashley grimaced and drank more tea. She was right, which was why it had been easier to leave him. But she saw his pain when they talked in the stairwell and she couldn’t shake the feeling that Kai was leaving her to keep her safe, not because he wanted to. They just needed to talk without all the distractions of ghosts around.
Sada’s face smoothed of anger and she ran the fan up Ashley’s arm. “We will have our revenge against all of them and our pleasure too. It is not a bad way to die.”
“What revenge? It’s not like you can get him pregnant and convince him to commit seppuku.”
The fan slashed across Ashley’s face. The blades were so sharp, she didn’t feel the pain until she saw the blood splattered on the silk. “I will cut your offending tongue off next.”
Ashley touched the deep cut. “Bitch, it’s on.” She threw her teacup at Sada.
When Sada batted it effortless away with the fan, she was distracted enough so when Ashley overturned the table and landed on top of it, Sada’s arms were trapped.
“I. Outweigh. You. By. A. Good. Fifty. Pounds,” Ashley said, grabbing Sada’s perfectly coiffed hair and slamming her head into the ground with each word. Because Ashley was kneeling on the table, she effectively pinned Sada in place.
The wood splintered as Sada worked the fan blade through the table. It sliced at the heavy silk of the kimono, but Ashley didn’t stop her attack until Sada’s eyes rolled back. Ashley gave Sada a final kick before the bucolic scene faded and she woke up entwined in black satin sheets.
Sitting up, the sheets pooled at her waist and Ashley realized she was naked. It was pitch dark in the room. When hands reached out to grab her breasts and pull her against a hard chest, she was surprised because she thought she had been alone.
“I see you are awake.” Was it Terasaka or Kai who was plucking her nipples like they were the delicate strings of the shamisen? His hand slid down her belly, to her inner thigh and pulled, so she was open to him. Soft lips pressed hot kisses against her neck, and she felt the slight scrape of his beard. It must be very late if his whiskers had darkened his jaw line. Ashley arched into the kiss as his fingers plunged inside of her.
“Oh,” she breathed. She didn’t want to stop the beautiful caress of his hands on her body. Leaning against him like a sybarite, she let his mouth devour her throat, his hand play over her breasts and his talented fingers dip in and out of her until she was wet and panting.
“So sweet, you are. So very ready for me.”
“Yes,” Ashley whispered and tensed as his long shaft replaced his fingers. She tightened down on him and was rewarded with his grunt. Suddenly, she was on all fours and he was taking her hard and fast, his cock pistoning in and out of her as his hips slapped against hers. She was delirious with the feel of him after so long. A tiny part of her niggled her conscious. This could be Terasaka thinking it was Sada. How would she explain it to Kai?
Thrusting her hips back at him, she growled, “More.”
He increased his pace and her orgasm continued to build. Maybe she could convince them that Sada was still in control of her and she wasn’t to blame for letting him pleasure her.
“Please,” she cried and tried to arch up, but he slammed his hands down on her shoulder blades and her cheek slid against the pillow. Her nipples dragged against the satin sheets, the sweet friction yet another pleasure as he continued to pummel inside of her. Each thrust jolted through her with the sweet tang of pleasure and desire. She was shaking now from need and writhed against him, wanting more. Why did she leave him? It was a silly reason now. His hands gripped into her shoulders and he gave a rough shout as he came. She quivered when it didn’t stop him. He moved his hands to her hips and increased his pace, juggling her faster on his cock until mewling sounds of pleasure were torn from her and she screamed into the mattress, climbing to the pinnacle and parachuting down.
While she drifted, he effortlessly flipped her over. Clenching her eyes shut so he wouldn’t see she wasn’t possessed, she groped for him. He guided his cock into her mouth. She tasted herself and sucked on him hard. His hands gripped the bed beside her head.
“Take it all,” he said and she bobbed her head down as far as it would go before easing up. Her hand fisted around him and she lavished her tongue over his swollen tip until he hissed his pleasure. She stroked him in strong quick pulls, licking and sucking before taking him all in again.
“So beautiful,” he said and turned his body to press kisses on her ankle. Swirling his tongue up her legs, he smoothed his hand over her belly and hips.
Ashley parted her legs, eager to feel his face at the juncture of her thighs. He gave a warm chuckle and covered her opening with his mouth. At the first touch of his playful tongue, she deep throated him and wrapped her arms around his finely toned ass.
She loved the rasp of his cheeks against his thighs, the thickness of him in her mouth and the feel of his body pressed to hers. They rocked like that, pleasuring each other with their tongues and mouths. Ashley was quivering with excitement and shuddering in pleasure as their love play brought them closer to the pinnacle again. She was screaming around his cock and flailing against his tormenting probes. Her thighs crushed against his cheeks when the second orgasm hit her. Moments later, his come coated the back of her throat.
He slid away from her. Cold air between them made her creep across the bed to be near him and he cuddled her against his chest. Ashley knew she couldn’t keep the ruse up, but didn’t want to end this perfect moment. Kissing up his neck to his mouth, she looked into his eyes.
“Ter
asaka,” she said in surprise. Deep down, she had thought—hoped—it had been Kai. Guilt tickled her stomach and she flushed.
“Koneko.” He kissed her possessively. “Tell me how you defeated the kami?”
“I hit her with the table.”
He laughed. “I’m not even going to begin to understand that.”
“Is Kai mad?” she asked in a small voice.
“He is, though he has no reason to be. He broke up with you in the stairwell. His loss, my gain. But he’s not seeing that way. And, no, you can’t talk to him. He doesn’t have anything nice to say about you right now.”
Ashley glided her hand down his stomach and leg, feeling like she had been kicked in the gut. “I can understand. I am his girlfriend.”
“Was his girlfriend. You are now mine.”
“But you’re going to have to give him control sooner or later. It is his body.”
“Not until the kami is destroyed.”
“Where did she go? Will she attempt to take over the same woman from the office again?”
“No, I cut a protection rune into her.”
Ashley flinched.
“It will keep her safe.”
“Will you do the same for me?”
“I could, but I fear it wouldn’t work. You ejected her and she’ll be after you with all her power.”
“How can you kill her? Wouldn’t you only kill her host?”
“I have to rip her soul out of her host’s body.”
“Then what will you do with it?”
“I will use my tanto to cut her in four pieces. One for each of the elements.”
“Is that how Kai would have gotten rid of you?”
“Yes,” he said. The word seemed to echo in the dark hotel room.
So this was it. She’d lost Kai and eventually she would lose Terasaka. Then she’d really be alone with only her manga to comfort her. Well, that and her memories. Still, there might be a way to get Kai to talk to her.
Ashley straddled him. Terasaka was still half hard, but he perked up against her heat and wetness.
“Are you trying to kill me, koneko?”
Running her fingernails down his chest, she leaned over and dangled her breasts in his face. “Just fulfilling a fantasy. I figured I’d get them in now before he takes you back to Tokyo.”
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