by Neil Plakcy
Kenji stopped before a vendor’s stand and looked to Conner. “Have you ever had Ramune before?”
Conner glanced at the oddly shaped glass bottles sitting in ice, some filled with liquid in colors less than natural and wrapped in labels written in kanji that could warn of poison for all he knew. “No, I haven’t. What is it?”
“It’s similar to your American sodas.” Kenji pointed to the bottles. “Melon, orange, and peach are some flavors that would be most familiar to your tastes. Which would you like?”
“Orange sounds good.”
Kenji turned back to the vendor and ordered two bottles of the orange Ramune. He handed one to Conner.
Conner tore the plastic wrapping off the top and found himself faced with one of the greatest conundrums of his life. The wrapping had held a separate small, circular plastic piece atop the bottle, and the bottle itself was sealed with what appeared to be a glass marble. He reasoned that the separate piece must be a tool to open the bottle, but how to accomplish the feat was beyond him. He aimed a helpless look at Kenji.
Kenji laughed softly. “Let me.”
With deft skill, Kenji pushed on the small plastic piece until part of it broke away and he was left with a part that had a knob on one end. Setting the bottle on the vendor’s stand, he put the knob to the marble and pressed with the heel of his hand, forcing the marble down into the neck of the bottle, where indents in the glass prevented it from blocking the liquid and the narrow plastic top kept it from being swallowed. He kept the plastic piece in place for a few seconds until the fizz settled, then removed it and tossed it in the trash bin beside the stand.
Conner took the bottle and stared in amazement at the marble inside. He sipped the drink, discovering that the carbonation was high, the flavor very sweet but not that much different from other orange sodas.
Conner smiled and inclined his head toward Kenji. “Arigato.”
Kenji halted in his drinking and blurted out, “You speak Japanese!”
Conner raised one hand and waved at Kenji’s comment. “No, I really don’t! I know that and konnichiwa, and that’s about it, so I can tell you how glad I am that your English is flawless. The whole way here I was I trying to figure out how to talk to you.”
“But you said both so well,” Kenji chuckled, and began leading him through the crowd again, heading toward the shoreline. “I’ve worked very hard to have good English skills since I travel internationally so much, and I lived in California for a while training.”
“Did you like it there?”
“No, I didn’t. I was very homesick. There were some things I liked about the U.S. I enjoyed the movies, and…” Kenji paused, his expression revealing his concentration to come up with another thing. He shrugged in defeat. “Well, I’m sure there were other things I liked that I can’t think of right now. But of all the Americans I’ve talked with, I’ve never heard a dialect like yours before.”
A grin tipped one corner of Conner’s lips. “You picked up on that, huh? I’m from Texas, right near Corpus Christi. I grew up surfing the coast from San Padre to Galveston whenever a big storm or hurricane would be rolling in.”
“You’re a cowboy surfer!” Kenji laughed.
Conner joined Kenji’s laughter. “Shh! Don’t say that too loud. My sponsors will jump all over it and be calling me that just like yours dubbed you the Samurai of the Surf. But what you said ain’t that far from the truth. When the surf would be down, to keep our skills and adrenaline up, my buddies and me would saddle up one of our horses, tie one end of a rope to the horn on the saddle, the other end to a bodyboard, then take turns with one of us on the board, another riding to a gallop, and the rest holding their cell phones ready to call nine-one-one. And believe me, surfing dirt is a hell of a lot harder than surfing water.”
Kenji stopped at the water’s edge. “That’s similar to what my friends and I would do, except our horse was a motorcycle and we held a rope while riding a skateboard. The roads were easier to handle than dirt, but I’m certain the motorcycle went faster than a horse.”
“I’ll give you that.” Conner turned his gaze to the water. “Every wave that breaks looks freakin’ awesome.”
Kenji nodded. “They’re really good today. It should make the competition tight.”
“But you’re favored to win since this is your home turf.”
“All that means is that I know where the restrooms are. The water’s always changing. I’m just as likely to wipe out here as in Sydney or Hawaii.”
Conner smiled at him. “You’re modest.”
“Maybe a little. But I’ve seen your skill. You’ve got a good shot today.”
“Oh, I know.”
Kenji gave him a playful shove on the shoulder. “You’re cocky!”
Conner dropped his gaze to his own groin and back up to Kenji. “Extremely.”
Sliding close to him, Kenji placed his arm around Conner’s shoulders. “Then how would you like to make a bet?”
Conner leaned into Kenji’s side. “What do have in mind?”
“How about”—Kenji brought his lips to Conner’s ear, and his voice shifted to a huskier timbre—“if I win, I get to be on top. If you win, you do.”
Conner looked at him as Kenji slowly drew back. “Sounds like even if I lose, I win.”
Kenji extended his hand to him. “That’s a good way to look at it. Then it’s on?”
Conner took Kenji’s hand and shook it. “It’s on.”
Lying on his stomach on his shortboard, Conner paddled out to catch his next and last wave. The water was all his; the guy who had been paired to come out with him had already taken his last wave. So far, he couldn’t complain at how his rides had been. His first wave had been a bit soft, but allowed for him to do some killer cutbacks and even catch a little air off the top. He had wiped out on his second wave, and on the third, the tube closed over him faster than he anticipated and sent him off balance, though he managed to ride through it.
Kenji would go out after him, and he already had a feeling that no matter what he did, no matter what tricks he pulled out or how smooth his ride, Kenji would outdo him. He smiled at the thought. Not that it was a bad thing.
He felt his cock hardening between his body and his board. He could almost imagine the solid board beneath him was Kenji’s firm body, his skin smooth, his muscles unyielding. He’d been unable to think of anything else since the bet had been made, his mind filled with their bodies in so many varied positions.
He sat up and straddled his board to better sight the waves coming in. His smile broadened. If he lost, this would be a nice position: Kenji beneath him, him riding Kenji’s hips.
Lost in his thoughts, he realized the water had changed; it moved faster, and more force pushed against him. He looked up and saw a prime wave coming in. He spun the board around and paddled quickly toward shore. The wave caught up to him, lifting him higher as it grew, and he knew he had nailed the timing.
In one leap, he popped up to his feet, shifting his weight to direct the board. He rode down the face of the wave as the crest began to form. With each second, it curled higher over him until he found himself at the edge of the tube. He kept his balance steady, his torso ducked low. Stretching his left hand out, he sliced the wall of water with his fingers.
He felt the momentum of the wave slowing as it neared the shore and he moved in harmony with it. The towering crest settled, and he made a couple sharp cutbacks as finishing maneuvers, though he knew he had executed the tube without fault, and that alone would earn him major points. Thanks to luck on his side granting him a good wave, he just might have a shot at winning.
He reached the shore, and lifting his board from the water and raising it above his head with both arms, trotted over the sand to praise and clapping from the crowd. The announcement came through the P.A. First place was his.
“Congratulations…for the moment.”
Conner spun at the sound of Kenji’s voice. “Just for the moment, huh?�
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“Maybe a few moments, until I go out.”
“Now look who’s being cocky!”
Kenji turned to walk away, giving him a smile and wink over his shoulder.
Conner watched Kenji’s graceful form disappear in the crowd, then whirled around to find a place where he’d have a good view of Kenji’s ride.
The MC announced Kenji in Japanese, and the voice of the second MC speaking in English was drowned out by screaming fans. While the other guy in Kenji’s round dove atop his board and hastened out to deeper water, Kenji calmly mounted his board, paddling languidly toward the horizon. He became a speck in the distance straddling his board, his eyes turned toward the incoming waves. One swell rose and fell under him. On the second, the other competitor took off. A third wave lifted Kenji, slightly larger than the one before it. The fourth rolled in, and even from where he stood, Conner saw the mass of it.
Kenji swung his board toward shore, his relaxed paddling from before replaced by powerful strokes. The wave came in fast, and Kenji sprang to his feet, his board pinned to the face of the swell. Almost as soon as he caught it, the height surged skyward. The foaming white crest curled over him; Kenji disappeared from sight. Fear fluttered through Conner that the wave would swallow him, but then Kenji shot out of the collapsing tube.
His body low, Kenji made a hard upward cut. The board darted high on the wave and took to the air. For an instant, Kenji’s body and board were silhouetted against the sky, his one arm raised above him, the other down gripping the edge of the board. With perfect precision, Kenji touched down to the wave and rode it in.
Conner smiled. Never in his life had he felt so happy to lose.
Conner’s hand in his, Kenji led him up the beach, the vast night sky covering them. Behind them, voices laughed in the distance, and from a radio came the sound of gentle violins and the smooth baritone of the Japanese superstar, Gackt, singing his ballad, “Love Letter.” Soon those were gone, leaving only the sound of the waves washing ashore.
“I’m glad you’re not bitter about second place,” Kenji said.
Conner gave him a crooked smirk. “There’s no shame in being behind you.”
Laughing under his breath, Kenji playfully bumped his shoulder against Conner’s.
Conner leaned into him as they walked. “I can’t believe how quiet it is now.”
“A lot of people head back to Tokyo at the end of the day. I would’ve driven back too, but,” he squeezed Conner’s hand, “I had something better to keep me here.”
“That’s where you live, isn’t it?”
Kenji nodded. “My apartment and surf shop are both in Shibuya. If you don’t have anything keeping you in Chiba, maybe you’d like to come back with me. I think you’d like my shop. I just got in the new line of Quicksilver. Some of it’s pretty cool.”
Conner stopped walking and faced Kenji. “I’d love to go back with you.”
Deciding the spot where they had stopped was good, Kenji unzipped the light blue duffel bag resting against his hip and drew out a blanket. “How long are you going to be in Japan?”
Conner took one end of the blanket, helping him to unfold it and lay it over the sand. “As long as I want. I don’t having anything calling me back home right now. I’m open until the next competition.”
“So am I. You should stay. I’ll take you to all the best surf spots.”
“That’d be awesome!”
Kenji pulled the strap of the duffel bag over his head and tossed the bag to the blanket. He nodded toward the water. “You want to go in?”
“Sure.”
Hooking his thumbs over the top of his board shorts, Kenji shoved them off his hips and down his legs, revealing his nudity beneath. “I’ll give you another chance to beat me. I’ll race you to the water.”
Conner stared at Kenji’s bare cock, entranced by the long, thick piece of hard flesh. Before he was done admiring it, Kenji turned and sprinted toward the water, leaving him with an equally fine view of the muscled mounds of his ass. He quickly shoved his own shorts down and chased after him.
Submerged to his knees, Kenji slowed to allow Conner to catch him. Conner clasped him around the waist, pressing his body firmly against the back of the Japanese man, his Japanese man. Kenji, so different from any man he had ever spoken to, let alone been intimate with. An inherent pride shone in Kenji, yet was tempered with humility. With Kenji’s high character and amazing appearance—a body of chiseled strength, his face of elegant features, his hair and eyes of shining black—Conner felt awestruck to be with someone like him.
Kenji turned in his arms and grabbed him by the back of his head, forcing Conner’s lips to his. Conner met him in the rough kiss, parting his lips to accept Kenji’s tongue. Enticing him to follow with their lips together, Kenji walked backward into deeper water. When it reached their waists, he stopped, and wrapping one arm around Conner’s lower back, pulled him tighter against him. The sides of their cocks slid along each other. Conner broke the kiss, exhaling a soft breath over Kenji’s lips.
Kenji drifted his hand down Conner’s chest. His fingertips traced the muscle in Conner’s stomach, and he followed the line of one hip down. Soft curls greeted his touch. He moved beyond, his fingers meeting Conner’s cock. He wrapped them around the thick base and stroked his hand up the length to the broad tip.
Conner’s breath shook in his throat. He moved his hands beneath the water as well, one going to Kenji’s ass, the other taking his cock in a firm grip. He squeezed against the hardness, savoring its unyielding firmness. He circled around the head with his thumb and teased the slit. Through the water he felt the thicker, slicker fluid leak from it.
A deep groan rumbled from Kenji’s throat. He brought their cocks together and clamped his hand around them both. Conner moved his other hand to join his first in gripping Kenji’s ass. Kenji nipped lightly along Conner’s shoulder, and reaching the curve of his neck, took his skin between his teeth in a firmer bite. Conner gasped, and his short fingernails sank into the soft skin of Kenji’s asscheeks, causing the other man to moan.
Conner felt Kenji’s body tense against him, telling him the champion surfer was about to climax. The knowledge made his own orgasm impossible to hold back. He expelled a choked groan, each heartbeat-like pulse of his cock sending shocks of ecstasy through him. He heard Kenji’s voice deepen in a groan, and against Conner’s own cock, Kenji’s organ throbbed as it spilled his release as well.
Both stopped their motions, clinging to each other for support.
Kenji found Conner’s lips, delivering a tender kiss. “Ready to head back to shore?”
Conner nodded and wrapped his arm around Kenji’s waist. Holding each other, they trudged through the water and back to the blanket. Conner collapsed down to his back, a smile on his lips as his eyes focused on the white stars above. Kenji kneeled on the blanket and reached for his duffel bag. He pulled out a bottle of sake, opened it, and extended it to him.
Conner braced himself on one elbow and took it. “Thanks.”
Kenji nodded, his eyes on Conner’s half-raised cock.
Seeing where Kenji’s eyes were focused, Conner moved his gaze between Kenji’s legs and noticed he was in an equally semisatisfied state. As he lifted the bottle to take a drink, the fragrant, earthy scent floated from it. The alcohol moved down his throat, leaving warmness in its wake. He handed the bottle back to Kenji, meeting his eyes and giving him a knowing grin. Kenji took the sake, smiling as he raised it to his lips. He set the bottle aside and sat fully on the blanket, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Conner shifted up to his knees and walked across the blanket on them. He straddled Kenji’s thighs and took a seat on his lap facing him, his fingers combing though Kenji’s hair.
“I think I’m going to have trouble getting enough of you tonight.”
Kenji looked into Conner’s eyes, captivated by the icy irises edging the ebony pupils. “Then we’ll have to stretch tonight into many because I’m feeli
ng the same toward you.”
Conner brought his lips to Kenji’s in a slow, deep kiss. A groan left Kenji’s mouth and slipped into Conner’s. His cock began filling again, brushing against Conner’s sac as it rose.
Conner adjusted his position more forward so his own refreshed cock could rest its hardness against Kenji’s. He brought both hands to Kenji’s shoulders and moved across them in the lightest of touches. He traveled down Kenji’s sleek arms to his forearms corded in muscle. He caressed Kenji’s sides and each rib until he reached his chest. Cupping Kenji’s pectorals, he squeezed against their strength, then circled and teased his nipples until they perked up.
Kenji bowed his head and kissed down Conner’s throat. His tongue darted out to lick the hollow. He traced along Conner’s finely formed collarbone to the left, then back to the right. He dipped his head lower, and Conner leaned back, arching to expose his chest to him. Kenji covered one nipple with his mouth, sucking and flicking his tongue over it.
Conner slid back on Kenji’s legs and found his hands. He eased off him, going to his back and giving Kenji’s hands a gentle tug to follow him down. Kenji moved over him, settling some of his weight on him, and took possession of his mouth once again. Conner rubbed his legs along Kenji’s and up his sides, resting his calves on his hips. Yearning grew inside him to feel Kenji stretching him open, to be drained of his own fluid and filled with Kenji’s.
Kenji lifted himself up and reached once again for his duffel bag. He retrieved lube and a condom, and looked back to Conner. “I’ll wrap it if you want me to.”
Conner flipped over to his stomach and glanced at him over his shoulder. “You’ve got nothing to worry about from me.”
“And you’re good with me too.”
Kenji moved between Conner’s legs and kneeled, his gaze gliding over the flawless skin of his back. His eyes stopped on the solid humps of his ass, and lowering his torso, he brought his lips to the cheeks, kissing and licking the untanned, ivory skin. He lightly nipped Conner’s tailbone, making him shudder in pleasure, then followed his tailbone up to his spine, licking a wet trail to his shoulders. Brushing Conner’s sandy-colored hair aside, he kissed the back of his neck.