22. The Sensual Art of Tea
Chapter twenty-two
The Sensual Art of Tea
Monique
Lei turned his body to me, raised his hands to my head, and touched the soft hair. “Your hair is growing back.”
“It is.”
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. “Do you want me to shave your head for you?”
I chuckled. “Why did that question sound nasty as hell?”
“Because the mere thought of shaving your head made my cock begin to grow.”
“You are so nasty.”
“You make me that way.”
“I don’t.”
He slipped his hands along my head.
I shivered at his touch.
He traced soft circles along my head. “Are you going to let your hair grow or keep it bald?”
I bit my lip, feeling a familiar heat pooling between my thighs. “I was going to let it grow.”
“Interesting.”
“Why?”
“I’m intrigued with how you will look.”
“You like my head bald?”
He placed his view back on me and looked deeply into my eyes. “I like you. . .hair or no hair. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re by my side.”
My heart swelled at his words.
I swallowed. “Tell me more about the tea ceremony.”
“If he truly wanted to officially show you to the East in a traditional way, he would need the new Mountain Master and the Deputy. The old and the new. My father likes balance.”
“Okay.”
“Next, you have to think of the preparation.” Lei’s hand moved gently over my cheek, his fingers tracing delicate patterns against my skin. “Tomorrow morning, you will go into the kitchen and the chef will give you tons of bowls with the finest dried leaves already picked from my mother’s garden.”
The way he looked at me, with tenderness and affection, was enough to make my heart race and my breath catch.
I tried to focus on the topic and not his touch. “Okay. Then what?”
“You will spend an hour with the chef, carefully choosing the leaves for the tea. You’ll ask about their quality and aroma with the understanding that each leaf will symbolize a new beginning.”
Damn. This is a lot. I see why it couldn’t have just happened today.
This would not be a simple task of grabbing a tea bag and dropping it into hot water.
I made mental notes of everything.
“Once you have chosen the leaves, you will use my mother’s teapot. From what I saw in the kitchen just now, it will be the one that she used for her first cup of tea in the East.”
I widened my eyes. “You saw the tea set?”
“I did, and I remember the pictures from that moment as well as all the paintings my father did of it. There’s one in the Palace’s grand hall.”
“I want to go see that painting tonight.”
“We’ll go.” He slipped his fingers to my lips and traced their outline with his fingertip. “You’ll place the leaves in the pot and heat the water to the perfect temperature, neither too hot to scorch the delicate leaves nor too cool to leave the flavor dormant.”
“Okay.”
“The water must be pure and clear. Palace priests will come into kitchen, after being signaled from the chef.”
“Priests?”
He grinned. “Yes. If you don’t know by now, the East is anything but simple. Everything must be grand and over the top.”
“Alright. So priests bring the water in. And I assume they pray over it.”
“Of course. Now you’re getting the East.”
“And I’m getting why there would have been no way Leo would have tried to do this today.”
“There would have been no time. I would have been there with my sword slicing everyone’s heads off, even the priests.”
I frowned. “Lei.”
“I’m just telling you who I am, and how well my father knows me.”
“Okay.”
“Once the water bubbles, you will pour a small amount into the teapot to awaken the leaves. This moment is a gesture symbolizing the awakening of the senses and the opening of your heart.”
“Who will help me with that?”
“No one, but there will be photographers watching and snapping.”
“And where will you, Leo, and the rest of the guests be?”
“In the dining space at the table, doing our best to not kill each other in front of the cameras.”
“Not even your aunts will be in the kitchen with me?”
“Just you, the chef, and the priests.”
My nerves frazzled. “Okay.”
“But then, you’ll bring it all out to the table.”
“I won’t pour it all from the pot in the kitchen?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“The first pour is a ritual cleansing, both for the leaves and the teapot. You’ll swirl the water gently, allowing the leaves to release their bitter essence.” Lei stopped tracing my lips and smiled to himself. “My mother thought that this step symbolized the washing away of past grievances and misunderstandings. It was like. . .preparing a clean slate for the true essence of the tea to shine through.”
“Who came up with the tea ceremony?”
“My mother.”
“Now everything is making more sense.”
“Good.” He slipped his hands down my neck, along my arms, then began to caress my wrist. “Once the teapot is full, you will place the lid on it and allow the tea to steep.”
“And I go sit down and chill out?”
He chuckled. “No. Then, you do a speech in front of your guests.”
“Oh no. I don’t want to do a speech. . .and in front of all the cameras.”
“You just did a speech in front of cameras.”
“Yeah, but that was different.”
“By the way, did my father tell you to do it?”
“Well. . .when he saw the cameras out there, he was surprised—”
“I’m sure he was so surprised.” Lei rolled his eyes. “I bet he called them.”
“Well. . .he said that it may be good to give my condolences to the reporters, but only if I wanted to. . .if I felt the calling to do so. Also. . .he said that in regard to anything else, I could say whatever came to my heart, and that. . .if I had a good heart, I would say the right things.”
“Another test.”
I blinked. “Fuck. Are you serious?”
“I thought it was odd that there were already so many cameras down there, and how the rest came so quickly.”
“But. . .he didn’t know that he would. . .”
“What? Kidnap you? I’m sure he did, but he would have to do it, once I was near. That was the only way he would get out of the East and also have you and I in front of the cameras.”
Shocked, I sat up. “Hold on. He knew we would talk in front of the cameras?”
“He hoped we would. It was a test for us both.”
“A test.”
“The whole day was a bunch of tests. He wanted to make sure we will really do good by the East, when he is gone.”
“And what do you think? Did we pass?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Does it matter?”
A little embarrassed, I frowned. “Is it wrong that I want to pass?”
“No. All my life, when it came to my father’s tests, I always wanted to pass.” He rubbed the inner part of my wrist. “What is it about my father that makes people want to please him?”
“I wanted my speech to please you too.”
“It did.” He looked up at me. “More than you will ever know. When I saw you talking to the reporters, my entire soul was moved. I saw my mother, then. . .after the shock of it all. . .I saw my future wife. . .and. . .the mother of my kids.”
My whole being shook from that confession while my eyes widened and my mouth fell open in shock.
“So. . .you wonder if we passed my father’s tests, I know we did. I’m certain of it, but even more. . .I don’t give a fuck. I’m just happy you’re in my life.”
“I’m happy you’re in my life too, Lei.” I lay back down, but this time I rested my head on his chest, forcing him to roll onto his back.
He wrapped his arm around my waist. “After your speech at the tea ceremony—”
I groaned in annoyance.
He laughed. “You’ll wait. Mom said that. . .the process of steeping was a metaphor for patience and the unfolding of one’s true nature over time. It was a moment of quiet reflection, where the tea absorbs the essence of the leaves and transformed into amber liquid.”
“She was deep.” I looked up at him.
“She wanted to be a poet, but. . .”
“But what?”
“She ended up being the Mountain Mistress instead. . .my father would not let her have time for anything else, but the East and raising my sister and me.” He gazed down at me. “But you will have time for anything you want.”
“Damn right I will.” I gave him a nervous smile. “After the steeping is done, then what?”
“You will pour, and that is something my aunts will probably bother you about early in the morning. They’ll make you practice it over and over.”
“Why?”
“It’s a style called Practiced Grace. You’ll pour it, yet appear submissive. It will be at an odd angle and very uncomfortable.”
I was utterly confused, but took more mental notes.
“You’ll pour the tea into small, delicate cups. And. . .the idea is that. . .each cup is to be filled with not just tea, but with intention and care.”
Fuck. I would just like to make some tea and be done with it.
I let out a long breath.
Welcome to the East, indeed.
“But this is the most important part,” Lei continued. “You will offer the first cup to the man you love, and you will do so with both hands in a gesture of respect and humility.”
“This is why you knew your father figured you would be at the ceremony?”
“He knew I wouldn’t let it happen unless I was there. Your first cup of tea is mine , and no one else’s.” This fierce possessiveness flashed in his eyes. “Any man who grabbed that cup. . .”
“What?”
“I would cut off the hand that touched it.”
“Lei, you’re being extra—”
“I’m not—”
“I don’t like any violence over me—”
“Then, you should not have given me any pussy.”
I scowled at him.
“Back to the tea.” He winked at me. “When you bring my cup over.”
“Oh my God.”
“Our eyes will meet.”
I blushed.
“And. . .there will be this silent exchange between us.”
“What will our eyes say?”
“We should be thinking about our bond and loyalty, but I will be thinking about taking off your clothes and licking between your thighs as soon as the ceremony is over.”
“Don’t do that because I’ll see it in your eyes and drop the tea.”
“You better hold onto the cup tightly because apparently I am pussy whipped.”
I chuckled. “No. You’re just insane.”
“Regardless, the act of presenting your first cup of tea is a symbolic gesture of offering yourself to me. It’s about our trust and connection. And the cameras will record it all.”
“My first cup of tea in the East.”
“I’ll accept the cup with a nod of gratitude, acknowledging the effort and the love that went into each step.”
I grinned. “You better.”
“Then, I’ll lift the cup to my lips, inhale the aroma of the tea, and take a sip.” He smiled. “And. . .if you made it to my liking.”
I scowled at him. “You better like it.”
“We’ll see.”
I tapped his hard chest. “I’m not playing with you, Lei.”
He laughed. “Once I show my approval, then you’ll give cups of tea to the other unimportant guests.”
I smirked at him saying unimportant . “So. . .I should serve the Grand Mountain Master next?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes.”
“Then, Uncle Song?”
“Not if you want Chen to resent you for the rest of the year.”
“So, first you—”
“I am always first—”
“Okay, Lei. We got it. You get my first cup of tea.”
“Damn right I do.”
I laughed. “Then, I serve your father—”
“Yes. If I haven’t killed him by then—”
“Lei, that’s not funny.”
He rolled his eyes again and let out a long sigh. “Fine. Yes. My father is second.”
“Then, Chen.”
Lei nodded. “He’ll feel respected.”
“Then, Uncle Song.”
“Yes.”
“Which aunt gets served first?”
“Aunt Suzi. Higher rank and older sibling.”
“She put your father in place today.”
“She always puts him in place.”
“You won’t fight your father tomorrow?”
“The tea ceremony is important to you. It’ll be a somewhat official introduction to the East.”
“What would be my official one?”
“A small party with important families and officials. Of course the news will be there for that too.”
“Lots of traditions and ceremonies.”
“Many of them.”
I returned my thoughts to the tea ceremony. It was a beautifully choreographed dance, where each step was infused with meaning and poetry. The preparation of the leaves, the careful heating of the water, the ritual cleansing, and the patient steeping all spoke of a deeper understanding of life and relationships.
Even the act of pouring and presenting the tea was a silent dialogue, a way of expressing feelings that words could not capture.
I looked back at him and raised my hand to touch his hair. “So. . .there was no tea or press conference today.”
“Just my father testing and plotting. Even when you think you know his intentions, you still have no clue. He’s always three steps ahead, always playing a game that’s nearly impossible to decipher.”
A knot of anxiety tightened in my chest.
Lei continued, “He’s testing you, testing us. Every move he makes is calculated, every word has a purpose. The tea ceremony, the changes to Lotus Blossom, even his approval of your answers today. . .there’s a deeper reason behind it all.”
“All of that puts me on edge.”
“It’ll be fine, we just have to trust each other and always keep the other informed.”
“Okay.”
“And. . .” Lei gave me a sad smile. “I bet. . .my statement just now is something he wanted me to say to you.”
“He wants us to trust each other.”
“He does, and I’m sure he wanted me to explain the tea ceremony to you which would mean that you would have had to convince me to do it in the first place.”
“Another test?”
“Can you get me to bend to your will. . .that was his question.”
“And what is the answer?”
“Fuck yes. You can get me to do whatever you want.” The levity in his voice brought a small smile to my face, diffusing the tension knotting my insides.
“I’ll do what you want.” Then, he pulled me closer to him. “As long as it’s reasonable.”
“I’ll try to be reasonable.”
“We’ll see.” Fast, he rolled me onto my back and hovered over me.
I gasped and looked up at him.
“Make sure Banks knows to bring your sisters after the tea ceremony is done and the reporters are off the property, I want their first visit to their home to be peaceful.”
Loving his thoughtfulness for my sisters, my voice went soft. “I want their visit to be peaceful too.”
“Good,” he murmured, his eyes full of hidden meanings as they searched mine. “God, I’m falling for you so hard, I can’t even process it.”
I shivered. “Me too.”
Slowly, deliberately, he leaned in and pressed his lips against my forehead, and his kiss was as light as a petal falling from a blossom.
Next, his lips moved lower to my eyelids.
I shut my eyes, and he kissed each one lightly.
My heart fluttered at the tender gesture.
I felt my cheeks warm up with an emotion that I could not name but felt deeply within my soul.
Then, like the dance of the tea leaves with hot water, he leaned in closer still until our lips finally met.
I opened my eyes, coming alive from the intensity of our kiss. It was no rushed affair like those stolen kisses in the past but a slow exploration as if we were discovering each other all over again.
His hand traced down my arm causing an electrifying shiver to run through me. His fingers started a journey from my shoulder towards my waistline, igniting sparks wherever they touched.
He deepened the kiss.
I let out a gasp which he seized eagerly, kissing me deeper and sending me into an abyss of forgotten thoughts and feelings that had been dammed up for days. The words remained unspoken, but their meaning hung heavily between us—we belonged to each other.
When he pulled back, I saw fire blazing in his eyes. “Now it’s time for the dragon to feast.”
I grinned. “You’re hungry for this pussy?”
“Starved.”