Sedonia Guillone

Now that Acts of Passion and Fallon’s Jewel have been turned in (still waiting, fingers crossed to hear back), my muse has blessed me with the creative energy to work on a couple of m/f/m menages, one of which is already in progress (title: She Belongs to Them All excerpt.

The other came to me this morning, title, characters, scenario and all. This is always a great thing because when such an inspiration occurs, I can basically sit down and write the story, beginning to end, in a way that just flows from my hands. One example of this is A Man for Michael which poured out of me not long after having watched Jet Li’s film, Unleashed.

Anyway, the title for this new one is Delicious Love Triangle and will be my first men/woman menage in which there’s sex between the guys too. For whatever reason, my stories haven’t had that and this one, by its nature includes that. Please be sure to check back in the next few days for blurb and teaser!

Also, coming this month, Yin Yang, part of my White Tigers series, is coming out both in AUDIO and single title e-book! Yay! I’m so excited. I can’t wait to “hear” the book. Releases will be announced as soon as they happen. Hugs, Sedonia

I finished writing Acts of Passion yesterday and sent to one of my editors. I’ll let you know how things go.

Now, my next task is to make some improvements to Fallon’s Jewel. My eidtor raised a few issues that need attention and then I can get it back to her. On that one, also, I’ll let you know what happens.

In the meantime, everyone, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I received the sweetest e-mail the other day from someone and it just made me float. I wanted to share it with you. (Please forgive me if it comes off as bragging, but I can’t help it. lol)
She wrote:
Had to let you know that I got White Tigers: Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss
several days ago and have re-read it almost daily! What a pleasure! True
romance and emotions with sex that turns to making love and a great story
line that is integral, not just something to string hot sex together. I was
planning on ordering several of the White Tigers this weekend, but it has
been a rough week already (and it is only Tuesday morning !) and I think I
need to Ryu’s story and Hiru’s story today to ease my stress! I will be
ordering Flying Fish but right now the White Tigers have my complete
interest. Thanks so much for a terrific world for me to explore.

I was so excited to find two more of my titles up at Amazon Kindle. (At the moment, the blurbs on their pages are the wrong blurbs! For books I didn’t even write. lol. But of course, excerpts and blurbs are available here on my site. Clicke here to purchase A Werewolf for Christmas (M/F; werewolf) at Kindle.

Click here to purchase A Man for Michael (GLBT; contemporary; multi-cultural) at Kindle!

Sorry I don’t have immediately exciting news to tell. But nowadays I’m grateful for quietness.

However, I AM excited that Yin Yang (White Tigers Series) has this new cover and is slated for single title release on December 21, 2009. Yay! As I mentioned earlier, it also is coming out in audio, I believe for this month but I don’t have a date yet. You will be able to load it into your I Pod if I’m not mistaken. That’s really cool. I can’t wait to hear the book.

Other than that, I’m still working on Acts of Passion. Finished that sex scene I needed to do and there are two more after that plus wrapping up the story in general, which I’m almost finished with. I’m hoping to have it finished within the next couple of weeks.

I’ve included a bit hotter snippet than the last one. Hope you like it! Here goes:

“I beg your pardon?” Cade’s eyebrows rose. The sleepy look washed from his rugged features.
Michael’s heart was already pounding from the restless night he’d spent pacing among unpacked boxes in his new apartment, thinking about the case and his blunder in the medical examiner’s office. Now, standing in front of Cade, the pounding worsened.
Without a shirt on, Cade seemed taller and broader than he had in daylight, dressed. The spikiness of the man’s dark blond hair was more pronounced in its mussed state. In those flashing instants while Cade obviously stood, stunned by his statement, Michael tried not to stare at the broad chest dusted with dark blond hair, at his small tawny nipples, or at the treasure trail down the tight centre of Cade’s abdomen.
“I need you to—“ Oh, shit. Michael nearly physically whacked himself in the head with the heel of his hand. What had he been thinking? Cade probably thought this was a come on. Hadn’t he blundered badly enough today? He was well into the process of alienating the Boston Police Department.
Wouldn’t be the first time he’d alienated detectives with his weirdness. “I meant…I mean, it’s about the case. I’ve been thinking about it all night, trying to put a more accurate picture together for you.” He raked a hand through his hair, relieved at the understanding in Cade’s face.
“Oh, I see.” The larger man stepped aside. “Come in and we’ll…discuss it.”
Michael stepped in and toed off his loafers, leaving on his trouser socks. It was a long-standing habit, learned from his Japanese grandparents and practiced in his parents’ home, even though his father was Italian by heritage and no one on that side of the family ever removed their shoes in the house, except to sleep.
Cade led him into the living space, cosy, with a few bookshelves and a black leather sofa and chair around a round contemporary coffee table. The area rug beneath it, a tasteful looking, somewhat thick carpet of muted swirls of earthtones, was large enough that it expanded well beyond the seating area. Cade stopped there. “Before we start, do you need something to drink? Tea or coffee?”
Michael hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since their meal in the pizzeria, but he shook his head. Bad enough he’d barged in here in the middle of the night. He wasn’t about to expect the man to serve him refreshments. “No, thank you.”
“All right then.” He lowered himself to a kneeling position on the rug. “Tell me what to do.”
Michael’s insides jumped. “Just stay there, like that,” he said. He stared at the man’s perfectly sculpted lines as he took his crumpled jacket off and laid it aside on the arm of the sofa. Tri-athlete, he guessed, judging by the Greek aesthetics of Cade’s physique. Not bulky like a weightlifter, not thin and sinewy like a long-distance runner, but with the in-between balance of someone with inter-disciplinary training. Even Cade’s profile, smooth nose, high forehead, slightly puckered lips, gave him the Grecian athlete look of the great sculptures.
Michael cleared his throat and went around behind Cade. “I was thinking and considering,” he began slowly, pulling his stare off the other man’s hard round bottom as it pressed against his thin cotton pyjama pants. “I’m having difficulty discerning whether the killer is male or female. Of course, even if the killer had a sexual relationship with the victim, we can’t know for certain that it was…heterosexual.” He paused, his mouth suddenly dry.
Cade inclined his head slightly, giving Michael an angle of his profile. “That’s correct,” he said softly.
Michael stood behind him and took a deep breath. Slowly, he lowered himself to his knees behind Cade. The closeness gave him a whiff of soap. Apparently, the man had showered not too long ago. “However, statistically speaking, female murderers don’t commonly stab their victims. Only a small percentage do.” He stared at Cade’s hairline as he spoke, at the tiny dark blond spikes against the strong column of his neck. “Men more often stab their victims. Women very often drug their victims.”
“True.”
“In this case, we have both.”
Cade nodded. “Forensically-speaking, a man would have very likely made the cross-cut stabs from the front and then made it appear to have been self-inflicted.”
“My thought exactly.” Michael moved a bit closer, his chest mere inches from Cade’s broad back. “So I tried to put myself in the killer’s place. She…or he…has a drugged man of average size kneeling on the floor. Does he or she simulate the cross-cuts with hands over the victim’s hands on the hilt of the knife? I couldn’t get a true feel for this without another person.
“Okay. Go ahead.”
Michael swallowed again, throat parched now. He rose up on his knees and pressed his front against Cade’s back. And pulled in a breath at the feel of hard muscle against his chest. Even through his thin dress shirt, the larger man’s body heat warmed his skin. He rested his palms on Cade’s arms. More hard muscle. He slid his hands down, over the bulges where shoulder blended into triceps, down to corded forearms dusted with soft hairs and on. Finally the pads of his fingertips slid over the tendons of Cade’s large hands and stopped.
Cade’s back rose and fell slightly more heavily than a moment before and the sound of both their breathing filled the space around them. Each push against his chest rubbed Michael’s nipples the tiniest bit. He held his breath a moment. Best to get this experiment done and pull away, before he completely embarrassed himself. “Okay,” he said in a near-whisper, “pretend there’s a knife in your hands and we’re both holding it. You’re weakened from the drugs in your system and unable to fight back effectively. Your body is sleepy and pliable in spite of your terror. You know what’s about to happen to you and are powerless to stop it.”
“Jesus, Di Santo, do you need to go there?” Cade sounded annoyed though his voice was slightly husky.
Michael’s cheeks burned. “Sorry.” He caught another whiff of Cade’s clean scent.
“It’s okay.”
Michael took a breath. He pushed more firmly into Cade’s back then pulled their hands. Slowly, firmly, he simulated the jumonji-giri. Cade’s torso was broad and filled his arms. The man’s breath came in short rasps. His clean male scent hovered in Michael’s senses. The tendons in Cade’s hands flexed against the flesh of Michael’s fingers and palms. It had been forever since he’d had physical contact like this. More than months. More than a year. Not since finding Peter…
He shifted slightly and Cade’s backside brushed his groin. Michael clenched his teeth as his erection, already at half-mast rose and pushed. Shit!
He released Cade and sank down on his heels. “I’m sorry,” he breathed and bowed over, the way he’d seen his Japanese grandparents do many times in his young life. His cheeks burned. Blood swirled through his cock. Every nerve ending in his skin crackled and his heart pumped. No doubt Cade had felt that hard-on press against him. Shit! This was awful. “I’m sorry.”
He could hear Cade turning around but didn’t look up. He was acting like a complete fuck-up but couldn’t stop.
“What are you sorry about, Di Santo?”
To his horror, Michael started panting. His hands started tingling. Dammit, he was starting to have an anxiety attack. “This was…I’m sorry.”
Large hands wrapped around his upper arms. “Hey, look up.”
Michael kept his gaze down. Maybe if he waited a bit, his raging boner would subside.
“Di Santo. Michael. Please, look up.”
Slowly, Michael raised his face.
Cade’s blue eyes stared down into his, full of concern. “You all right?”
Michael blinked. The blood had drained from his mind to his lower regions. Slowly, he nodded then looked down again. Hard to believe he was a man of forty, he felt so absolutely…small.
The corners of Jack’s lips quirked. “Can I call you Michael, now that we’ve been…intimate?” One hand left his arm. Firm fingertips under his chin made him look up.

Sorry I haven’t posted in a week. I’m usually more frequent. Just been busy. Got lots of writing done on Acts of Passion. It looks like I’ll be ready to submit it in a couple of weeks if all goes well. I’ll keep you posted!HOWEVER, this month, I expect “Yin Yang” from the Fabulous Brits anthology to go to audio book! Wow, that’s exciting!

Darelle’s Trinity, my first release from Ellora’s Cave back in 2007 is going to print! Yay! I’m not sure of the exact release but it’s supposed to be out by March 2010. I believe the cover is going to be changed a bit for the print market. Whatever they do, I’m sure it will be awesome.

Also in book news, Thai’ing the Knot, book six in the White Tigers series is coming to Total-E-Bound in June 2010! Another yippee! I wish the release date weren’t so far away, but Total-E-Bound, being one of the hottest erotic romance publishers around these days, has quite a lineup and so it takes longer for a book to come out than it once did.

I’m still hard at work on Acts of Passion. I’d thought I stalled out on it since it’s been a few days since I’ve been able to sit down and write more, but I realize that in the process of writing a murder mystery, it sometimes is required to let the plot simmer in my brain, working out all the details and the best, most satisfying solution to the mystery as well as to the romance. I think I’ve got it now, by Jove and am back to the keyboard…

Those of you who know Elisa Rolle’s wonderful GLBT Livejournal know that she’s hosting the Rainbow Awards. I’m surprised and pleased to have found that Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss is a finalist for favorite Gay contemporary! Woo hoo! I hope you’ll vote for me or for any other of my fellow wonderful manlove authors you enjoy who have also finalled. Thank you for your support!! Sedonia

Available in e-book format at Total-E-Bound!

Tenzin will pleasure Lily, taste her and caress her with every erotic art he possesses – and prove to her that not all vampires should be slain.

Lily Tan is a Tigress, an immortal practitioner of the erotic arts. She gives men erotic pleasure in return for their life force, but gives her heart to no man. When she wins a mysterious and handsome Tibetan wanderer in an underground poker game, Lily’s control over her heart and body begin to slip. His potent maleness and gentle caresses prove a combination that may tame even the wildest Tigress.

Ex-monk Tenzin Gayatsu has a secret – he was attacked by a demon and made a vampire. A living vampire. The raging desires for blood and flesh send him looking for a teacher, one who can teach him to make desire his ally. He finds that teacher in Lily, but cannot reveal his secret shame especially once she tells him of her hatred for vampires.

Tenzin’s loving hands and kisses ease away the wall she’s built around her heart. He brings her to heights of ecstasy she’s never known before. Yet just as she’s beginning to trust him, a tragic event reveals that Tenzin is a vampire, a member of the race that once enslaved and tortured her.

Lily wants to push him away but she cannot. Another vampire is out to kill everyone Lily loves and she needs Tenzin’s help. She must trust him and pray he is the man he claims to be. She must hope he will truly be the jade dragon she so desperately needs…

Reader Advisory: This book contains violence, voyeurism, and exhibitionism.

Publisher note: This book has previously been released with another publisher under a different title. It has been re-edited and expanded for release with Total-E-Bound.

Excerpt:

Lily led Tenzin to her bath chamber where Fei Liu had filled the tub with steaming, scented water. Fei Liu stood, her head bowed, an empty bucket hanging from her hands. From the corner of her eye, Lily saw her favorite Tigress cub steal a glance at Tenzin.

A sliver of guilt stabbed Lily that she was keeping Tenzin to herself. Normally, she gave Fei Liu a chance to practice the exercises with a man of whom she had approved. Lily told herself that Tenzin was too green, too in need of preparation, and must remain with the experienced teacher.

“Do you need anything else, Mistress Lily?” Fei Liu’s voice was soft and conveyed her admiration of the man before her.

“No, thank you, Fei Liu.” Lily made certain her tone dismissed the woman, gently but firmly.

Fei Liu nodded and shuffled from the room on her bound feet.

Alone with Tenzin, Lily was eager to see his body naked. Her heartbeat sped up slightly, and she took a deep breath before turning her attention to him. When she did, the Tibetan stood, hands at his sides, his gaze humble yet still simmering.

She appraised him a moment longer. So far, the fortune sticks had spoken the truth. Tenzin’s eyes radiated compassion and devotion while his body emitted a sense of coiled strength and power, even through the worn, baggy clothing.

Before having him undress, she scanned every inch of his sleek, muscular body, lingering on the sheen of his dark golden skin, the carved strength of his arm muscles, his high dignified cheekbones, as well as the sensuous pout of his lips surrounded by the darkness of clean shaven cheeks and jaw. Lily’s body tingled, and already she felt her yin dew rise, as it had in the gambling parlor. Her female energy rendered her body softer and more pliant in accord with his male hardness. “Undress, please,” she said, affecting the silky tone customary for a Tigress in the process of seduction.

Tenzin’s hands went to the frog closures of his vest. Thick, strong fingers worked open the wooden toggles until the rumpled fabric fell open, revealing his smoothly muscled chest. His pectorals were wide and round, topped with dark, cocoa brown nipples.
Lily watched him slide the vest off, down his strong arms, gazing at him with the appreciation intended to bolster his confidence. In this instance, her enjoyment was entirely sincere, and when his cheeks colored slightly, she averted her eyes enough to allow him to collect himself.

Unlike most other men she’d practiced with, Tenzin shed his clothes slowly, with a sense of modesty that made him seem vulnerable. With each small movement, the cords of muscle in his forearms flexed, as did the carved muscles of his abdomen. Her heartbeat rising, Lily stepped forward and took his vest from him. She folded it and set it on a nearby chair before turning to watch him remove his pants.

With his eyes downcast, he pulled the drawstring of his pants and held the waist so they wouldn’t drop at his feet. His thigh muscles clenched as he lifted each foot and carefully stepped out of his pant legs. Again she reached out and retrieved his pants, resisting the urge to stare blatantly at his round, hard buttocks.

He surrendered his clothing, an uncertain look moved across his eyes. Lily allowed her fingers to brush against his, enjoying the surge of yang force she sensed in him. The musky scent of his skin mingled in the air heated from bath water and herbs. Her insides jumped, and she took a deep breath as she set the remainder of his clothing on the chair.

She turned and nearly gasped. Yin surged in her body, and she felt her feminine instinct to melt against Tenzin’s hard physique. It wasn’t time yet for that. She turned halfway from him and gestured toward the tub. “I hope the water is to your liking,” she said in a silky voice.

“It looks very nice,” she heard him say. “I am grateful for the luxury.”

His gratitude sounded genuine, and this only fueled her natural instinct to join with him. Lily surreptitiously squeezed her hands into fists, and dug her nails into her palms, anything to stem her yin tide and distract herself from staring at his naked physique.
The lower part of the man was as beautifully formed as the top. His trim waist tapered into narrow hips, which drew her gaze to what was in the center. His dragon was thick and full, just as the contours of it through the loincloth had hinted. The reddish-gold shaft stood in a partial erection, and the tapered head, plump and very suckable, had already seeped a glistening dragon’s tear at the tiny opening. The yang droplet made her very mouth water to lick it off.

Tenzin’s dragon twitched as if aware of her gaze on it. His body was nearly hairless with the exception of a small ebony thatch around the base of his dragon. That sight roused the most intense need within her to taste him, to feel what looked like velvety skin over the hardness of male muscle.

Lily allowed herself a brief perusal of the full sac of his yang pearls below his dragon, then slid her gaze down his thick, sloping thighs and calves.

She cleared her throat. “Go on. Get in.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” His eyes reflected uncertainty, but he turned, obedient, and stepped into the tub, giving Lily a perfect view of his bottom.

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. Tightening her fists, she wondered at the effect he was having on her. The only explanation certainly was his overabundance of yang, causing the imbalance happening within her own body.

Tenzin held the sides of the tub, strong fingers gripping as he lowered his powerful build into the water. Judging by the delicious scent that emanated from him and his obviously clean appearance, he didn’t need a bath, but the ritual of washing a man, relaxing him, ministering to him as she was about to, was what a Tigress did with her partner. The more at ease he was and comfortable, the more freely his yang would flow.

She knelt by the tub. Tenzin’s male scent, diffused into the air by the steamy water, surrounded her. She cleared her throat with as delicate a sound as she could, in spite of the sudden tightness.

Picking up a washcloth, she dipped it into the hot water and smoothed it across his back. The water streamed down his muscles. She wet the cloth again and ran it over his neck.

A tiny sigh escaped the Tibetan’s throat. He took a deep breath, and his shoulders sagged ever so slightly. His eyelids fluttered, and his fingertips relaxed their grip on the sides of the tub.

She frowned. Could he be nervous? She never thought of men as nervous, especially with women, the power-wielding creatures the other sex were … she couldn’t imagine it. Men had the power to determine whether a girl underwent the painful, harrowing process of having her feet bound, or of being enslaved for life to a man who could beat her with impunity. And yet, she was forced to admit, she’d never met a man who’d bowed down before her as this one had. She could only imagine he would be nervous about being with a woman again after his long abstinence.

Lest he see her musing, she worked her lips into a smile and continued to wash him. With a hand on his shoulder, she bid him to lean back in the tub. The hard muscle quivered under her fingertips, but he yielded under her touch, letting her guide him to recline in the tub.

A slice of heat went through her middle, and Lily avoided his eyes until she could collect herself. When she did look at him, his gaze locked with hers. He regarded her through half-closed lids. His amber irises simmered with the strangest blend of wonder and need. Droplets of water beaded off his skin, and a sheen of moisture from the steam made his skin glow. He parted his full soft lips as if he were about to speak but remained silent, and she could hear the steady pulse of his slightly ragged breaths.
Swallowing past the dryness in her throat, she lifted her hand from his shoulder. “Give me your hand,” she said softly.

He slid up a bit in the tub, giving Lily a glance of his dragon, harder than it had been before. The plump lobes of the head were visible even through the depths of the water. With that wondrous gaze still on hers, he lifted his hand, surrendered to her hold.
Lily took his hand between hers, smoothed her fingertips gently over the callused skin of his palm, and then looked at it. Tenzin’s fingers were wide and strong, the hands of a man who worked hard, yet whose nails were perfectly clean and trimmed. A strange blend of contradictions, this man was. He appeared poor, but his worn clothing was clean and smelled of the spicy musk that he carried on his skin. Perhaps he’d simply cleaned himself up before presenting himself as a prize in the card game. That seemed the most logical answer.

She began to massage the palm of his hand, pressing gentle circles into the soft flesh below his thumb. Again, he sighed, the soft whoosh of breath almost a moan. His fingers curled slightly, and his hand grew more slack between hers. Lily couldn’t help the flush of pleasure she felt in seeing that he seemed to enjoy her ministrations so much.

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Book five in the White Tigers Series

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A weekend of passionate sex with a master White Tiger changes the course of Hiru’s life forever…

Since an injury cut short his career as a champion martial artist, Hiru has lived a quiet dutiful life consumed mostly by his job and his ever-unsuccessful attempts to meet a woman. When his best friend and co-worker, Koji, finds love and happiness…with a man…and leaves the firm to pursue a new life, Hiru misses Koji so much he begins to suspect his difficulty with women is something other than he thought.

Maybe…just maybe…he wants men too? Well, there’s only one way to find out – stay at the White Tiger, Tokyo’s most luxurious love-hotel for gay men and be massaged, caressed and…more by Quan Chan, one of Koji’s incredibly handsome fellow White Tigers.

Quan Chan is still nursing a broken heart when he’s asked to attend to Koji’s friend Hiru. So he’s completely unprepared for his sudden intense attraction to Hiru’s boyish good looks and incredible brawny physique. Hiru is like a human supply of catnip to the White Tiger inside him. All Quan Chan wants to do is purr and rub up against the other man.

In spite of the temptation that awaits him back in Shanghai, Quan Chan spends an incredible weekend with Hiru, an encounter that launches him into ecstasy for the first time in what feels like forever.

However, when circumstances force Quan Chan back to Shanghai without the promise of return, the connection between him and Hiru proves stronger than a simple weekend of pleasurable exploration and Quan Chan finds himself suspended between Hiru and Wu Li, the most alluring and sensuous young man in Shanghai, a Golden Dragon, said to launch a man into bliss by a mere glance.

Back in Tokyo, Hiru feels Quan Chan slipping away from him. All he can do is follow his heart and hope it’s not too late…

Snippet:

Another friendly moment of quiet passed between them before Koji spoke again. “I hope you’ll like Quan Chan,” he said. “We call him Chan Chan. He’s a wonderful person, considerate, gentle and very sweet.” Koji’s cheeks coloured a bit and he leaned forward as if someone might be eavesdropping. “And he’s a master White Tiger.” The pointed tone in Koji’s voice conveyed his meaning. “That’s why he has the tiger tattoo on his front. It denotes a very high level of practice. To get the tattoo, a person must be able to meditate himself into ecstasy.” A mischievous look came into Koji’s eyes, a side of his friend Hiru had never seen. Koji put his hand to the side of his mouth, the way one does when telling a secret in someone’s ear. “That means without using his hand.” Koji winked.
Hiru felt his cheeks burn and stared at the other man. This place had brought out a more different Koji than he’d ever imagined. He and Koji had seen each other naked in the baths a million times over the years, but never, not once, had they discussed sex, beyond the occasional brief conversation about dating women.
Clearing his throat, Hiru pulled a bit at the knot of his tie, loosening it to let some air cool the sudden heat around his collar. “He seems to be all you’ve said he is.”
Koji smiled at him and the corners of his eyes crinkled. Hiru caught himself staring again, this time realising how much he’d always liked Koji’s smile, much less rare now than it had always been. Koji had hardly ever smiled over the years. “Kiku-sensei has tried to make this a place where men can come from everywhere and be together, regardless of their race or nationality,” Koji went on, as if he’d intuitively understood some of his friend’s thoughts. He looked at Hiru. “You don’t mind, right? I mean, you’re an accepting person but I know about your grandfather. It’s hard not to have certain feelings and we’ve never discussed it. I apologise for not asking you before you got here.” Koji frowned.
Hiru stared at his friend. Koji was sensitive like that, often when you least expected it. One of the qualities that had always struck him was how perceptive Koji was even when he appeared completely distracted or upset. Bowing his head, Hiru sighed. “I have felt prejudice in the past, but it’s the wrong way to live,” he said softly. “I’m nervous enough. I don’t want to have such feelings guide me.” A gentle hand on his arm made him look up.
Koji’s eyes radiated compassion and he smiled.
A strange jolt of energy went through Hiru at the look, followed by that sense of regret he’d been plagued with since Koji had left Toshio Systems as a full-time employee to consult from home. Why had it taken so damn long to realise the truth? Why couldn’t he have discovered it before it was too late and Koji was completely in love with someone else?
“It’s all right, Hiru-chan.”
There wasn’t time to say more. Just then a knock sounded on the soji screen and the door slid open at Koji’s call.
Hiru’s stomach tightened. It was Quan Chan, bearing a tray with a saké decanter and three cups. Hiru watched him kneel and set the tray down, then turn and slide the screen closed before rising again bringing the tray over to them. Quan Chan’s gaze met briefly with Hiru’s and he smiled.
Hiru felt his cheeks burn. He returned the smile but Quan Chan was already setting the cups on the low table and pouring the saké. A sense of relief filled him that Quan Chan would have a cup too.
Koji lifted his cup and Hiru followed his friend’s lead. Having Koji here helped soothe his nerves a bit, but what about when Koji left him alone with Quan Chan? Best not to think about that.
“Kampai,” Koji toasted and sipped from his cup. Again, Hiru followed, glancing at Quan Chan as if to make sure the other man would also drink. He did and Hiru couldn’t help glancing at Quan Chan’s throat as he swallowed. The man’s Adam’s apple slid up and down and other tiny muscles in his neck worked. That led Hiru to notice Quan Chan’s skin, a rich golden colour and flawlessly smooth, like Koji’s. Hiru had spent a lot of time studying Koji’s skin and so the comparison came to his mind.
Hiru tipped his head back and gulped the saké. As large as he was, the tiny cup was a mere sip. The clear liquid burned pleasantly in his throat and he instantly felt the relaxing tingle it brought to his limbs and brain. Carefully he set the cup down, politely refusing the offer of a refill.
Koji, too, set his cup down and smiled at Hiru. “I must go for now, Hiru-chan,” he said. “I’ll see you a little later, okay?”
Tension clenched Hiru’s back and shoulders and his heart immediately pounded. Not wanting to be impolite, he nodded, standing to offer a handshake to Koji.
Koji took his hand warmly but then used it to pull him into an embrace. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he said again.
“Me too.” Hiru hugged him as closely as he dared, unable to ignore the warm press of Koji’s bare chest against his front. Koji smelled really good too. Hiru hadn’t ever really gotten this close to him before and hadn’t known his friend smelled like clean laundry hanging to dry in fresh air. He was both relieved and disappointed when Koji pulled gently away. “See you at supper.”
Koji nodded. “Definitely.” He waved to Quan Chan and slipped out of the room.
Hiru cleared his throat. Heat flared again around his neck, wherever his collar touched his skin, and more heat made his armpits feel like small infernos. He looked at Quan Chan who had also stood when Koji was leaving. As Hiru had noticed before, Quan Chan had a very attractive face, finely arched brows, high cheekbones and beautifully-shaped eyes, like very large almonds with long lashes. His lips, too, were really nice, full and soft-looking. Hiru caught himself starting to look lower but then stopped, remembering suddenly what Koji had said about the tiger tattoo. He cleared his throat again and found his hand once more on the knot of his tie.
“Here, allow me.” Before he realised what was happening, Quan Chan had stepped up to him and put a hand over his.
Hiru froze. Suddenly, Quan Chan’s nationality wasn’t even remotely an issue. Quan Chan was a man and was about to help him…undress. Among other things. For one brief moment, Hiru almost backed away, claiming he’d made a mistake. But then what would he do? Leave and go home to his lonely apartment? Go to a hostess club and upset another woman with his ineptitude? Or maybe, spend another night in front of the television set with a beer in his hand, missing Koji.
No. As frightened as he was, the alternative was nightmarish. He’d lived so long in fearful seclusion. It had already cost him an opportunity with the first person in over a decade he’d felt he could love since Megumi. At thirty-three, he wasn’t getting any younger. Simply getting older wasn’t going to make his life better.
“Yes,” he said, nearly in a whisper, “thank you.” He allowed Quan Chan to draw his hand back down to his side and then begin to work the knot open with both hands. The gentle tugging on his neck as the tie loosened turned out to be quite pleasant, as was the brush of the other man’s fingertips against his chest, even through the material of his shirt.
“I’ll do everything I can to make your stay pleasant for you, Hiru-san.” Quan Chan’s low tone echoed the soothing movement of his fingertips. His expression looked sincere as he slid the tie out from under Hiru’s collar and hung it over his own shoulder before reaching out again, his fingertips landing on the top button of Hiru’s shirt. He paused and peered into Hiru’s eyes, a concerned look on his face. “You don’t mind my touching you, do you? If you feel at all uncomfortable, you’re under no obligation to me.” He smiled gently. Like his face and mannerisms, Quan Chan’s voice was also agreeable, a smooth tenor that was as refined as his appearance.
Hiru stared a moment, sensing a hidden message in Quan Chan’s words. Was the other man so sensitive he picked up on the Chinese issue? Shit, that would simply be the worst. He’d never truly, deep down believed his father and realised with a flash that whatever prejudice he’d harboured had been inherited, not organic to his nature. Quickly he shook his head. “No, not at all. You’re…I mean, I don’t mind at all. You’re a good…toucher.” Toucher? What the hell kind of word was that he’d just made up? What the hell was happening to his tongue, getting so loose all of a sudden? His cheeks flared again with heat and he watched Quan Chan for a response.
The other man’s smile widened. “Thank you very much, Hiru-san.” He worked open the top button then pulled away, bowing politely to him and gesturing to the bed. “Please make yourself comfortable,” he said kindly. “I need a moment to prepare the room for your relaxation.”
With his stomach flopping like a landed fish, Hiru obeyed, going to the edge of the bed and sitting. He watched Quan Chan drape the tie over the back of a chair, light a stick of incense which he set delicately on the bedside table then turn a knob in the wall. The gentle sound of traditional bamboo flute and shamisen music floated into the air. The elegant room, already inviting and warm in its traditional Japanese simplicity, became even more peaceful and soothing.
Which was good, because Hiru felt a trembling inside him, a tremor that emanated from his bones and made him feel shaken deep down in a place he was usually unaware of. His awareness now, however, was sharp, as sharp as when he’d been on the judo mat, facing an opponent. He heard every footfall loud and clear as Quan Chan approached the bed and knelt down before him.
“Are you all right, Hiru-san?” he asked. “May I call you that?”
Hiru nodded without hesitation. He didn’t think he could bear having Quan Chan address him by his last name, especially if they were going to be doing…well, the things they were probably about to do.