Chapter 19 The Slave in the Cage #2
"Me?" Zo snorted. "No. Why would I know? I'm just the talented and very sexy stylist."
"Hiroko won't tell me anything."
"Then she won't tell me either." He tugged a strap tighter. "I just know it's going to be freaky. This whole island is freaky. That man in the cage over there is freaky."
He lowered his voice. "He purred at me earlier, Nyomi. Like a cat. I almost threw my martini at him."
I bit back a smile.
Zo stepped around to face me, examining his work. His eyes traveled down my body—the red leather stark against my brown skin, the straps accentuating curves I sometimes forgot I had.
Then his gaze stopped.
At my hips.
He tilted his head and squinted. "Nyomi."
"What?"
"Those hips are spreading."
I looked down. "What? No, they're not!"
"Girl, I know your body. I've been inside your body. Those hips are wider than they were six months ago." His eyes narrowed. "Are you pregnant?"
The room went quiet.
I felt Hiroko's gaze snap toward me. When I looked at her, her eyes had widened. Just slightly. Just enough.
"No. First of all, Kenji and I have just started having sex. It hasn’t even been that much time." I shook my head. "I'm not pregnant. I'm on birth control. The pill."
Hiroko's expression didn't relax. "I would double up."
I blinked. "What?"
"If the Dragon wants you pregnant, you will be pregnant.
" Her voice was matter-of-fact. "No birth control will stop him.
His bloodline has survived for centuries.
It has survived wars, famines, and assassinations.
It survives because when that bloodline chooses to create an heir, an heir is created. "
I stared at her.
Zo burst out laughing. "I bet his sperm comes with a flame torch. Could you imagine? And like, the sperm probably has several swords. Actually, a full security detail."
He mimed tiny warriors swimming. "They probably take out the other sperm on the way to the egg. Eliminate the competition."
"Zo." I pressed my hand to my forehead. "Please."
"I'm just saying!" He held up his hands. "That man's genetics are not playing fair. You better double up on everything. Triple up. Get a chastity belt."
"I'm not pregnant," I said firmly. To Hiroko. To Zo. To myself. "I take my pill every day. Same time. I'm careful."
Hiroko inclined her head. "Then you have nothing to worry about."
But something in her tone suggested she didn't quite believe me. Or maybe she just didn't believe birth control could stop the Dragon.
Knots formed in my stomach.
The assistants checked my hair and made sure my braids were all still in the bun that the other stylists had done earlier.
Hiroko watched. "Good. We can't have your hair down tonight. That would be unsafe."
Unsafe.
There was that word again.
Nothing on my skin. Hair pulled completely back. Whatever this scene was, it required me to be. . .on a high level of alert.
Zo circled me one final time, produced a small bottle of perfume, and then stopped. “Hiroko, can I spray her?”
"No." Hiroko shook her head. "Nothing on her skin."
Zo sighed dramatically. "Fine. She'll just have to be naturally delicious." He slipped the bottle back into his pocket. "Which she is, honestly. Remember that time in my apartment with the perfume bottle when—"
"Zo."
"Right. Not the time." He stepped back and admired his work. "You look incredible. Powerful. Sexy. Like you're about to either fuck someone or destroy them. Maybe both."
I looked at myself in the mirror.
Red leather straps crossed my body like war paint. Brown skin exposed everywhere else—shoulders, stomach, the curve of my waist, the tops of my thighs. Hair pulled high and tight. Neck bare. The bite marks visible. Undeniable.
I looked like I belonged to someone dangerous.
No.
I looked like I WAS someone dangerous.
Zo appeared behind me in the mirror and rested his chin on my shoulder. "There she is."
My throat tightened. Because he wasn't talking about the outfit. He was talking about me. The version of me that had been building since I set foot on this island.
"The Dragon is a lucky man," Zo said quietly. Then he straightened and clapped. "Now let's go before I cry and ruin my eyeliner."
“Yes.” Hiroko sighed. “She’s done. Get the cape so she won’t be cold.”
I looked back at them. “So now can I know what is going on?”
“You’ll know soon.”
Minutes later, we were back outside—Hiroko, her assistants, and me.
The golf cart hummed through the darkness.
Silent, Hiroko sat beside me.
Again, the assistants drove.
The night had deepened—stars scattered across the sky, lanterns glowing along the path, shadows pooling between the trees.
I waited for her to speak.
Finally, she did. "You've done two scenes now successfully. Both tested you and Kenji in different ways."
I nodded.
"But this scene will test you both on the highest level." She turned to look at me. "It's dangerous. The most dangerous element I'll ever work with."
Element?
I started running through the possibilities. Elements. The classical ones. The ones that made up the world.
Water. We'd already done that. The tub. The drowning. His hands holding me under.
Air. Breath control, in a way. The choking. The gasping. The moments when oxygen became a gift he could give or take.
Earth. Dirt. Mud. That didn't make sense. What would an earth scene even look like? Being buried alive? No. That was insane. That wasn't sexy. That was just murder.
Fire.
My whole body rejected the word. My skin tightened. My stomach dropped. Every nerve ending that had been scrubbed clean in that shower suddenly understood WHY they'd been scrubbed clean.
No oils.
No lotions.
Nothing flammable on the skin.
No. . .there’s no way we’re playing with fire tonight. That would be crazy and too dangerous. I’m not ready for that.
"Whatever you see when you walk in," Hiroko said, "remember that you can stop at any time."
I looked at her.
"Your safe word still applies. It will always apply. But also remember. . .the Dragon chose this for a reason. I don’t know why but. . .he wants to show you something about him. . .about yourself."
The cart slowed.
Through the trees, I could see a structure emerging. Traditional. Elegant. A tea house, glowing softly from within.
The cart stopped in front of it.
"One more thing." Hiroko's voice stopped me before I could move. "Be bold, Nyomi."
I turned back to her. “Okay.”
"You are his queen. You've already proven yourself as a woman who can stand beside him." Her eyes held mine. "Continue to do so. When you walk into that tea house, yank off your cape and stroll in with pure dominance."
“Alright.” I stepped out.
The red leather hugged my body. Even with the cape, the night air kissed my bare skin. My braids sat heavy in their bun, exposing my neck, my shoulders, the bite marks the Dragon had left on my flesh.
I walked toward the tea house.
My heels clicked against the cool stone.
Lanterns flickered on either side of the entrance. Through the paper screens, I could see light—warm, golden, dancing.
The assistants reached the door before us and slid it open.
Soon we stepped inside and my whole body went rigid.
Oh. . .
Because now, I understood why Hiroko wanted nothing on my skin.
Now, I understood why my hair had to be pulled back.
Now, I understood what we were playing with tonight.
Holy fuck. He is absolutely crazy!!