14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Andy
Back in the Chashitsu house right outside the mansion, I stay behind Chi, with one eye on her and the other on the guests. I know Oxy and Cas are also looking for anything suspicious, but I feel hypervigilant in a way I never have before.
Everyone poses a threat, in my mind. Chi grabs a glass of Pinot Noir, just to calm her nerves and have something to hold, she promises. One of the men she met with during the beginning stages of her Omiai comes to shake her hand, the one with blinding white teeth and big romantic gestures makes a comment about being set up with another high-powered, beautiful Japanese woman. Chi pretends to care, but is half somewhere else the entire time. She smiles and nods and likely has no idea what he’s just said. He notices her indifference and walks away, mumbling to himself.
Her betrothed and his father, Mr. Shimizu, come to give their condolences. As we had worried about, his father brings up their engagement.
“Our deepest sympathies, Chichi-sama. We couldn’t help but notice that you are in this large mansion alone. We can offer you a place with us in our Japanese mansion on the cliffs, if you wish. It is beautiful this time of year. Well, it is beautiful all year round, really.”
“That won’t be necessary, but thank you so much for your offer.” Chi’s smile almost fools me this time. There’s no way it’s genuine, but she radiates gratitude. “We have so much to take care of here in America before we head to Japan. We plan to go make sure things are running smoothly there after a few more days here.”
“Of course,” the young man’s father says, “but perhaps when you come? You can stay for a short time, at least?”
I don’t like the pressure in his tone. The boy finally speaks up. “I have an entire game room, Chichi. You said you loved video games, right?”
I bite my lip to keep from smiling, but am surprised when Chi’s smile turns from expertly fake to unmistakably genuine. “I’d love that, Asuka-san,” she says, with a small tilt of her head. My smile drops immediately.
“I have every console you’ve ever heard of. And there is a wall, completely remote-controlled, that comes out with them all before you, so you can have a choice of which to play.”
She sniffs in appreciation, and her smile grows. “Thank you for that generous offer. I can’t wait to see it.”
I’m about ready to pull her away when Asuka’s father cuts in. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like to stay with us, my dear? I just worry, as a young girl… in the situation you find yourself in…”
Chi starts shaking her head, already saying no yet again, but the pushy, entitled little infant she’s about to marry cuts in once more. “Chichi-san, please come see my mansion! We can sit in the garden together.” He grabs her hand, and my own hand switches from my gun to my knife. One inch closer and I’ll cut them off, just one inch…
Instead of going completely homicidal, I somehow rein myself in. “Do you want me to take care of this asshole?” I whisper to Chi. She puts a gentle hand on my arm and shakes her head.
“Thank you for the generous offer. But again, I have to decline. I will likely be staying at the summer house with a hoard of guards around me.” She gives him a look of steel as her smile disappears. “Just in case my father and Daiki’s passing wasn’t simply random.”
His father backs off immediately, but Asuka still tugs Chi’s hand as his father pulls him back. “Of course, Chichi-sama. You have time now, also, to take care of yourself and investigate. I believe the extension was two months, correct?”
I’m certain he already knows the answer to this and is reminding her more than asking. It makes me want to rip his fucking head off.
Little Askuka chirps up. “Two months is such a long time. I think if you came to stay with us, I could offer comfort. I could offer—”
Finally, I step in — I can’t take it anymore. “Okay, fellas, I think that’s enough. Chi gave an answer.”
Asuka’s father gives me a quick nod, and tries to pull his son away, but Asuka continues. “Chichi, you must come play video games one day. They are the world’s best mood stabilizer.” He breaks away from his father and touches her shoulders with both hands. My fingers twitch toward my blade. I’ve never wanted to cut a man’s fingers off as badly as I do right now. And I’ve cut off a lot of fingers.
Now Chi’s smile has begun to sag a bit. “Asuka,” she says, removing his hands from her shoulders and holding them in front of her. “It is so sweet and honorable for you to try and help right now. But I won’t be able to come until I’m ready, and even when I do, I have much to take care of overseas. I don’t know how much time I’ll have, but I will certainly make it a point to see you.”
He grabs both of her hands to his chest and steps closer. “You will be my wife, Chi. We are going to have so much fun together. I think you should let me show you how much when you come to Japan.”
Chi is now slightly annoyed and, I can tell, a bit embarrassed. I doubt he even realizes the implication of his words, but he’s making her uncomfortable, either way. Even though I know she doesn’t like it, his insistence is an unpleasant reminder that this little boy is going to be married to my girl in two months time, and it makes me insane. It makes me want to burn down this building, kill everyone, take Asuka’s head, and his father’s too.
“Asuka,” I hear her say assertively above the fury in my brain, “I am so grateful for such a caring fiancé. However, I have so many people to greet and such a small window of time today. I have to say thank you and move along.”
Asuka finally seems to get the hint. His smile falters, and it seems that he will finally step away, but instead, he gives Chi a hug. She clenches her teeth and tenses up but hugs him back anyway.
“I am so sorry for your loss, Chi. I’m not like everyone else here. I don’t care who sees it; I care about you. I am here for you.”
I can’t stand it anymore. I push him back by his shoulders. “Sorry, but I’ve given the order not to allow anyone too close to her today. We are still looking for her father’s killer, after all. We are being hypervigilant.”
Asuka looks at me with the indignance of a young child whose favorite toy is being taken away. “I’m her fiancé, you know!”
I lean forward, losing my shit completely and not caring about the consequences. “You have just embarrassed her and made an idiot of yourself in front of all these people. She has asked you to let her be multiple times. If you don’t get the fuck out of her way immediately, I don’t really care what your daddy does for a living, I’m going to—”
Chi can’t hear me, but she must sense that I’m about to say something I can’t come back from. She pulls me by my shoulder to stand next to her. “I will see you soon, Asuka-sama. Thank you so much for coming.”
She gives a quick bow and pulls me away. My thoughts are a haze until we leave the side room we’re in and walk into the main area, where more people mill around, taking little bites of their tiny hors d'oeuvres. I’m still keeping my eyes peeled for danger, but the encounter throbs in my skull, over and over again, building up in my chest and causing a ticking time bomb to begin. I can control it for now — I’ve controlled many of these, after all — but it’s persistent. I’m not sure when I’ll explode or how heavily.
Everyone poses a threat, but I’m no longer certain whether the threat is to Chi’s wellbeing or to me being with her. I have never been a possessive guy, but the urge to take out my gun, fire into the ceiling of this little guest house, and kill anyone who doesn’t scatter immediately is rapidly taking over my brain. I suddenly need to be alone in a room with Chi immediately.
Just a minute or so later, I grab her arm. “We need to go,” I say gruffly, pulling her.
She follows, but likely only because she doesn’t want to make a scene. “It’s over in ten minutes, Andy. I don’t want to be here anymore than you, trust me.” I almost laugh at the absurdity of Chi comforting me right now, but I don’t stop pulling her along.
I lead her straight into one of the guest bedrooms of the Tea House. As I turn to close the door, she starts to protest. “Is there actually a threat? Because—”
I whip around and sling my arm across her waist, crushing her to me. “That fucking guy,” I say into her mouth.
Her breath comes out faster now. “He’s just… excited. He—he likes me.”
I pull the zipper down Chi’s back seamlessly. “A little too fucking much,” I say harshly, backing off to rip the dress down her body.
She doesn’t squirm or try to get away, but she tries to pretend she’s putting up a fight anyway. “We can’t do this. These walls aren’t soundproof. People will know—”
I silence her with my mouth on hers again. When I speak, I’m not even sure if she can understand because I’m smashed up so close against her that our teeth clink as I speak. “You were distraught,” I whisper harshly against her, “and I was just helping you.” I grab her tits and squeeze so hard she yelps. “You needed a break.”
“But—but—” she tries to back up, but I move the one step with her and then imprison her inside my iron grip. “But they’ll hear us,” she groans, even as I feel the goosebumps bloom over her skin.
I whip my jacket and shirt off, and then push her down on the bed. “I don’t-” I slide my belt through the loops, leaving barely enough room between us as I smoosh her into the mattress, “fucking,” I throw it off the bed and pull my pants down, rubbing my hard cock against her wet pussy, “care.”
She lets out a quiet, high-pitched moan as I tease her opening with my rock hard erection. “You like that, baby?” She looks toward the door, but I grab her chin roughly and turn her face back to mine. “Hey, eyes here, Princess. Or, should I say, Queen?” I grab her nipples and twist, but soothe them a moment later by running the pads of my thumbs over her breasts in circles. She yelps but says nothing.
“I’ve taken you, so what does that make me, Queen Chee-chee? The villain who wants a king’s ransom?”
“Yes,” she says, as she goes to grab my hips and slide me into her. She’s far too short though, and ends up around my lower rib cage. It’s not even close.
I tsk her. “Oh, I don’t think so. The villain won’t let you have whatever you want. He’ll make you wait. He’ll teach you patience and manners.” I squeeze a fistful of her ass cheek and manipulate her body slightly, so that she’s sideways between my legs, before yanking her arms behind her back and holding them with one hand. “Someone needs to put Queen Chee-chee in her place, right?” I squeeze her ass a second time, priming it for the beating it’s about to take, and she moans before I bring my hand down solidly against it with a loud ‘thwack.’
“Oh!” she cries in apparent shock. “Ouch, Andy! That was really—” I bring my hand down again, and this time she squashes her cry a bit better but still gives a loud intake of breath.
“Andy, that fucking hurts!” she whispers in a trembling voice. “Plus, I’m pretty sure everyone can hear — ah!” I smack her again to silence her.
“Shut up,” I say, pushing her face into the mattress with my knee so that her voice is muffled. I give her another smack, and she cries out into the bedspread. “Let them hear. Let them hear Andy Scutari dominating his queen.” I smack her again, and this time, she sobs. She hasn’t smacked the mattress, though. I’m not stopping. “Let them hear that you’re mine , Chi. You’re fucking mine .”
I give her one last smack, and she’s in full-on tears when I’m done. I lift her head off the mattress by her hair and lick a streaming tear straight from her chin to her cheekbone. As I pull back, I see her looking at me out of the corner of her eye with the same desire I always see, along with something else. Like she’s seeing me in a different light. Like some new element of our relationship has revealed itself.
“You want them to hear, don’t you, Chi? You want them to know who you belong to?”
I turn her underneath me so she can focus fully on my face. She takes my cue. Her gaze hyper-fixates on mine, and she nods.
“Say it. Full sentences.”
“I want them to hear me. I want everyone to know who I belong to.”
“Good girl,” I breathe out on a sigh before plunging my cock into her dripping wet center. She throws her head to the side and screams into the pillow as I do it, over and over again, slamming against her. I’m glad everything in this mansion is the best money can buy, because as hard as her head hits the bedpost, the bed never creaks.
She comes almost immediately, and I plow right through it as her entire body sags down onto the mattress, until she tenses up again and comes harder the second time. Finally, I grab her under her ass cheeks and pull her midsection up against mine. I pound into her a few more times, grinding against her on the last as she cries and comes hard, making sure that I’m as deep inside of her as I can go when I finish. After I’m done, instead of crashing down on her immediately, I hold her limp form against me in the same way, for a full minute before I lay her back down.
“You’re not his, Chi. You’ll never be his.” I push my fingers into her cheek, opening her mouth as if I can force her to answer this, even though I haven’t asked a question. But she’s always been a quick study, and she reinforces my words anyway.
“I love you , Andy.” A tear slips from her closed eye, and she kisses my fingers. “I’ll never be his. I’m yours.”