4 comments/ 21697 views/ 2 favorites Twilight Express Ch. 13-21 By: MelinaReilly Chapter Thirteen: The Analysis The next morning was dreary and wet. Since he had originally planned to work on a new proposal during his time in the country, Shinichi rose quietly while Melina slept. He had watched her move restlessly in her sleep for much of the night, her eyes twitching as if she'd been having a bad dream. After about an hour's work on the proposal, Melina came into his cluttered little studio, still in her bathrobe and hair uncombed. Although her face was drawn, her mood was cheerful. She offered to bring him coffee. Perhaps they could venture out in the afternoon if the weather improved. As she softly closed the door to his studio, Shinichi watched her leave. Already he was dreading her departure, not only because of her physical absence, but because she might decide not to continue what would soon be a long-distance relationship. It had taken him so long to find her. The night before, he had realized he was concerned about Melina's opinion of what he had previously assumed was a shared sexual preference. He finally brought up the subject as they lay in bed together, speaking with some hesitation before asking a direct question. "Do you ever wonder why I enjoy doing things to you that suggest I'm, well, sadistic?" She was silent for a moment. "I can see why you would be concerned, but I admit I didn't wonder about your own motives. Or mine either, to tell the truth. I suppose the other half of the question should be 'Why didn't I stop you?'" She explained that she had come to view his dominance as an act that resulted in an odd freedom. "When you take control, you objectify me so that I'm nothing more - or less - than a body. The irony is that it frees my mind, simplifies things. I exist solely to be used by you, fucked by you, anything you want. And that's why it makes the sex so much more intense." She was quiet for a minute then continued. "Still, I suppose we're still wondering why we chose these roles. And I don't understand why I feel so powerful when I'm helpless." "I think I understand," he said. "You feel powerful because you are powerful. Without you, I can't be what really turns me on, which is dominant. Instead, I have to be a gentleman. And to meet a woman who attracts me sexually and also shares my preferences - the chances of that happening were pretty small." She snuggled closer to him. "I'm glad we got our chance. You rock my world, Shinichi-san." Chapter Fourteen: The Proclamation The next morning, Shinichi realized he was getting nowhere on the new proposal. During the weeks after he first saw and lost Melina at the party, his concentration had suffered as he fantasized about her. Now that he had found her, his concentration hadn't improved - it had become even worse. All he wanted was to be with her. He abruptly gave up and found Melina sitting on the leather sofa, still in her robe, painting her toenails cherry-blossom pink. "Would you like me to do your toes when I'm done?" she offered. "Would you like a spanking?" he countered. She kept him at bay with a wet nail polish brush. She asked him if they could stop by the rail station later in the day so she could rebook her ticket to Sapporo; something Shinichi was already dreading. Shopping was also on their list. Shinichi had noticed that almost all of Melina's outfits were too big for her, and was hoping she would allow him to buy her some new clothes. She had explained that her initial nervousness, especially during the first few weeks in Tokyo, had tied her stomach in knots and she had lost quite a bit of weight. "I would think that being homesick would have made things even worse," Shinichi said. He was surprised when she shook her head. "No, I wasn't really that homesick. I miss my friends in Boston, sure, but we're always emailing or chatting online." She went on to confess that she had told a girlfriend about him, and now they were the talk of the Boston office. Shinichi wondered why Melina said nothing about her parents. Certainly she missed them just a little, otherwise she would not have been carrying their picture with her. They set out in Shinichi's Lincoln after lunch. Since the weather was too damp for sightseeing, they headed for a local shopping precinct. After almost two hours of modeling outfits in a women's boutique, Melina chose a brown tweed Etro skirt suit, a silk blouse, and a retro-style Marni dress. Shinichi had picked out the dress and she had fallen in love with it before even trying it on. As she carefully laid the clothes in the back seat of the car, Melina asked if they could make the train station their next stop. Shinichi hesitated. Not only did he want to offer to drive her to Sapporo - it would give him a few more hours with her - he was convinced that it was time to talk seriously about their relationship, no matter how much he feared the possibility that she might not share his feelings. "How about we stop and have some coffee before the train station?" he asked. They settled for take-out lattes. Shinichi drove up a winding road to a small park overlooking the ocean. Although it was sunny, the sea wind made Melina shiver as they sat on a small bench. Shinichi found his Burberry raincoat in the car's trunk and draped it over her shoulders. Although he had rehearsed his words several times, Shinichi realized that he didn't know how to begin. Finally he began slowly and formally in English, thanking her again for accepting his offer to visit him. But it was all coming out wrong. Melina looked frightened. He stopped, took her hand between both of his own. "Melina, I have to tell you something. I'm falling in love with you." Her reaction was the only one he had not considered. She began to cry. Not knowing what else to do, he held her close. She hid her face against his shirt front, embarrassed but unable to stop crying. She kept trying to speak, only to manage a word or two before tears took over again. Shinichi rocked her gently, trying to console her but inwardly panicking. Was she upset because she couldn't return his feelings? After a minute or two she began to calm down. Shinichi produced a clean handkerchief from the raincoat's pocket. After attempting to remove her ruined makeup with it, Melina tried to dry his shirt with the now-soggy handkerchief. The result was that his shirt was not only wet, it was also smeared with black streaks. "I'm sorry I've gone and upset you. It's not what it looks like." He assured her that he wasn't upset, although his heart was beating like a bird's. "When you brought me here, I thought you were going to tell me that you'd enjoyed my visit and would call me after I got settled in Sapporo. You know, the usual things men say when the fling's over. So I was bracing myself to hear that. And when you said what you said, I just ..." She paused for a second. "I wasn't expecting it." She blew her nose before she continued. "I don't know why I was so sure you were going to dump me. I think it's because you looked so serious when you suggested we drive up here. The look on your face convinced me that you were going to give me some bad news." Shinichi shook his head, tried to smile but failed. He waited for her to continue, knowing her next few words could either crush or elate him. Finally she looked up at him, her nose pink, her lashes wet and matted. "Shinichi, this crybaby's falling in love with you, too." Chapter Fifteen: The Bargain They stayed at the park for another half-hour, kissing madly like teenagers when they had the park to themselves and talking when others were around. Shinichi eventually asked Melina how her feelings for him had evolved. "At first I liked your hands, then your eyes," she began. "After that, it took me a while to get used to the idea that you could actually be a boyfriend candidate." She explained that ever since her arrival in Japan, she had been so busy and stressed that romance had never entered her mind. But her explanation still wasn't enough. He had always wondered what had tipped the situation in his favor. Why had she eventually trusted him enough to accept his invitation to his home? "It was after we'd played cards for a while," she said. "It was kind of a test, and you passed." "How did I pass if I didn't win?" She explained that she felt that a person's true character surfaced during competition. It didn't really matter what type of game they played; his reactions to winning or losing would have been equally indicative of his inner self if they were playing golf or Monopoly. "If you had lost your temper because you were losing at cards, I would have stayed on the train," she admitted. "The way I see it, anyone who gets angry during a meaningless game is not going to cope well when a real problem shows up. And they always do, sooner or later." He thought about her hypothesis. She had a point. "It's just as well I didn't catch you cheating, my love," he said. She looked up, wary; he kissed her to show he was kidding. "Listen, my firefly. By the time we were playing cards, I would have let you take all my money, even if I'd known you were cheating. And I would have thanked you for spending the time with me." She blushed pink, trying to hide her face between her hands. It was the first time he'd seen her blush; something he looked forward to causing again, although he expected it would be a challenge. They stopped at the nearby sushi bar for an early dinner, saying little as they ate, trying not to look publicly love-struck. However, Shinichi found himself feeding Melina when nobody was looking. Simply watching her open her mouth to take the sushi from his fingers was, in itself, an erotic sight. Once back at the house, Melina had gone to hang up her new clothes before joining Shinichi in the kitchen for tea. They had stood in the kitchen for several minutes, talking about future weekends together, before Melina realized that neither of them had turned on the burner. Tea was never served. The harvest moon had risen when Shinichi awoke. It was about 2:00 a.m. Leaning on one elbow, he looked down at his lover and wondered how the reality of her could be so much better than his month of fantasies. He brushed the hair from the side of her face. "I'll always protect you," he whispered. As she lay with one arm outstretched, he noticed a bluish oval mark on her wrist. He put on his glasses and turned on the bedside light for a closer look, realizing that the mark was actually a bruise. He carefully lifted her arm, only to find more, smaller bruises. The arm's owner awoke. "What's wrong? I didn't wake you, did I?" He shook his head and kissed the marks his fingers had left on her wrist. She inspected it, realized what he had found. "I wonder when those happened," she said, with no anger in her voice. "I ... I think I know," Shinichi said. "I'm so sorry." She looked at him. "I think I know too." She closed her eyes and stretched like a sleepy cat before rolling over to face him. "I didn't feel a thing - at least not anything like you hurting me. Quite the opposite, you may have noticed." After an hour of lovemaking, Melina had ended up under Shinichi, her arms above her as she held onto the headboard to steady herself. Her auburn hair had spread itself in waves across the white linen sheets as he drove himself into her. She had looked up at him, whispered that she would always be his, nobody else's. His reaction had been to reach for her wrists, holding her down while he forcefully sealed the bargain, his eyes burning into her own. Chapter Sixteen: The Departure It is more often than not that love brings pain. Therefore, those of us who somehow beat the romantic odds feel a vast sense of relief. The next morning, Shinichi belonged to this small and fortunate group. He had finally begun making progress on the proposal he'd begun several days ago. His concentration had returned after yesterday's events. Combined with Melina's presence, he felt content, relaxed. Suddenly she burst into his office, spilling her coffee down her shirt. "Guess what? I don't have to be in Sapporo until next Wednesday!" She had just spoken to her assistant Yoko, who was already in Sapporo. Yoko had reported that the computer system for the research department had been delivered with the wrong configuration. The mistake hadn't been discovered until the IT department had installed the software, only to discover that it wouldn't run. The reconfigured system wouldn't arrive until Tuesday at the earliest. Before Shinichi could respond, she suddenly went quiet. "I'm not real bright sometimes, am I? I don't even know what your work schedule is for next week, and I'm already assuming you can take off." "Come here, my love." He sat her in his lap and hugged her a bit too vigorously. Now they were both wearing her coffee. "There are certain advantages to being the boss. One of them is taking days off without having to explain why." He realized that he had never told Melina the details of his company. "I don't have to answer to anyone but the owner. And the sole owner of my business is ... well ... me." Shinichi explained that, when he decided to set up his own firm, Hitoshi had been his primary investor. "He owed me for all the hours I spent helping him study for exams." He noticed that Melina's expression had changed. "Is this a problem for you?" he said. "I can make you owner instead, if you like. Reilly Architects has a nice sound to it." "No, no, that's not it. Not really, anyway." She paused. "It's just that I used to date someone who was from a really rich family. What we would call 'old money'. After a while, it started causing some problems. I felt I didn't really fit in with his friends, and his family didn't seem that keen that he date me. Maybe I was just too young to handle the situation." "I see," he said. He took a sip of her coffee before he continued. "I don't know what to say, except I've never held the notion that money somehow makes you better. Usually it seems to work the other way around. You should meet some of my nouveau-riche clients. And you can't buy anyone else's love - not love worth having, anyway." She kissed him. His sentimental nature charmed her. "If the Beatles said it, it has to be true." An hour later, they drove into town for groceries. Melina had eaten her way through his stash of sugar cookies and Shinichi had decided to FedEx his proposal to his new client. Melina wore her new dress and put her hair into a ponytail; it was an old-fashioned look that Shinichi loved. Once, while opening the car door for her, he impulsively kissed the back of her neck. She quickly crossed her arms across her chest, which seemed an odd reaction until they were both in the car. Then she shyly uncrossed her arms to reveal her nipples standing rigidly at attention. "Shinichi-san. If you ever get the urge for a quick shag, just do that again. I felt that kiss all the way down." "Perhaps you were a geisha in a former life," he said, smiling. "They apply their white makeup in a special pattern on the nape of their neck. It's considered highly erotic." She sighed. "I've missed my calling." On the way out of town, a large and ugly delivery truck suddenly backed out of an alley in front of them, causing Shinichi to slam on the brakes. The Lincoln skidded and ended up less than a foot away from the truck's side. Shinichi swore in Japanese and glared at the driver, who pretended nothing was wrong. As they drove away, Shinichi realized that Melina was hunched down almost below the dashboard. "Are you okay?" He looked closely at her and realized she was shaking. She nodded but said nothing. After a few seconds, she slowly sat up straight again, but for the rest of the way home she looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Later in the day, Shinichi decided to go shopping again, this time on his own. He wanted to replace the lingerie he'd enjoyed destroying a couple of evenings ago, and also planned to look for a gift to present to Melina when they arrived in Sapporo. She had no problem with his going alone, explaining that she needed to catch up on paperwork. His mind set on some La Perla lingerie he'd spotted in a magazine, Shinichi was gone for three hours. It was almost dark when he returned. Holding the brightly-wrapped package behind his back, Shinichi knocked on the guest room door. There was no answer. He waited, knocked again and finally opened the door. He saw that her laptop was gone and the bed was made. He opened the closet door. In a dreadful second, he realized that all of her things - clothes, shoes, even her overnight bag - had disappeared. He searched every room, looking for a note, a message, any explanation. Not a trace of Melina remained. It was if she had never been there. He ran outside, hoping she was in the garden. She wasn't there. He went back inside, going from one room to another, shaking. Eventually he realized that he was sitting on the floor of the living room, still holding the gift box. Trying to regain his composure, Shinichi began to review the day's events, trying to identify an incident that could have triggered her departure. Her reaction to their near-collision with the truck had struck him as odd, but they had also discussed money. Or had she decided that his friends and family would not approve of a foreigner as his lover? The helplessness of his situation drove him near-mad with worry. Searching for her wasn't an option; she could have gone anywhere. Finally he poured himself a drink and sat down on the sofa, his cell phone next to him in case she called. He turned on the television but paid no attention to it. His mind kept turning the day's events over and over like an over-wound watch. He finished his drink too quickly, poured himself another. Chapter Seventeen: The Secret Shinichi woke up on the sofa before dawn. At first he wondered where Melina was, hoping she wasn't nearly as hung over as he was. Then he remembered: she was gone. He half-walked, half-ran outside and was violently ill. Eventually he made it to the shower, avoiding his reflection in the mirror. As he stood under the hot water, he suddenly realized there was still one place he hadn't yet searched. He turned on his laptop and began searching for Melina's company. He looked at his watch, counted forward on his fingers. It was about 8:30 p.m. in Boston - not too late to call. After phoning two people who only knew Melina slightly, he was given the number of another researcher. Cathie was described as "one of Mel's best buds". With shaking fingers he dialed her number. An answering machine finally switched on. Not sure what to say, he finally left a halting message saying that he was a friend of Melina's and could she please call him back collect as soon as possible. He returned to the sofa to wait, staring at the television's blank screen. After about two hours, the telephone rang. "Are you Mr., uh, Shinichi? This is Mel's friend Cathie." She spoke with what Melina would have described as a Baahston accent. "Yes it is. Thank you so very much for calling. You should have called collect." Cathie assured him that she could afford the call. She also admitted that Melina had e-mailed her and mentioned him. Shinichi began to describe the week's events slowly, nervous but thankful he wasn't starting from scratch. When he explained that Melina had suddenly disappeared, Cathie interrupted. "What? When? It doesn't make any sense. She's crazy about you." This last statement was followed by an embarrassed silence. "Oops. She'd kill me if she knew I said that." "Please. It's okay. Do you have any idea why she left, or where she is?" Twilight Express Ch. 13-21 "After what you've told me, and what Mel told me in her e-mail, I'm as confused as you are. It's not like her. My only guess - and it's just a guess - is that it might have been that truck pulling out in front of you. It was a lot like what happened to her parents." "What do you mean, her parents?" "Mel never told you about them?" "Nothing at all." Cathie was silent. "So she never told you how they died." He leaned against the wall. "I didn't know they were dead." Melina had been visiting her parents one winter weekend, during her second year of college. She was packed and ready to catch the Sunday afternoon train back to school, but her parents eventually decided to drive her back. She had been suffering from migraine all day and the train's bright lights would make it worse. Shortly after they began their journey, it began to snow. As the flurries turned into a blizzard, Melina's headache became almost unbearable. She lay down in the back seat of the old car. Her mother covered her with a blanket. Less than a minute later, a container truck skidded and ended up sideways across the freeway ahead of them. Their car crashed into the truck's heavy freight container. More vehicles crashed into them, pushing the car under the truck's container and killing both of her parents instantly. Melina's decision to lie down on the back seat saved her, as she ended up on the floorboard still wrapped in the blanket. But she was trapped for over an hour before firemen were able to free her. The paramedics had first thought she was seriously injured, only to realize that she was covered with her parents' blood, not her own. She escaped with a broken arm and a concussion. She was 19 years old. "I'm so sorry to have had to tell you all this. But I hope you can understand why Melina didn't tell you. It's pretty painful for me to talk about, and they weren't my parents." "Mr. Sakakura? Are you still there?" "I'm here." For once, he was glad he was alone. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you this. How did she cope with losing her parents?" "She was like she's been all her life. Stoic. She never let anyone see her cry, not even me. The college offered her a semester off, but she decided to stay in school. She said her parents would have wanted it that way. I think it kept her from going crazy." Cathie excused herself for minute, then returned. "But I still can't tell you why she's disappeared like she has. Maybe it's something to do with being Catholic. I think she still wonders why she lived and her parents didn't." She promised to call Shinichi if she heard from Melina. "Otherwise we may just have to sit it out until next week. I can't see her walking away from her job. Until she met you, it was pretty much all she had." Shinichi suddenly remembered something. "Did you try calling her cell phone? I don't have the number, but she has mine." "I tried calling her before I called you. She's either switched it off, or the battery's dead." Chapter Eighteen: The Reunion Cathie gave Shinichi the number of the Sapporo office and Melina's cell phone number. As he hung up, Shinichi dreaded the night ahead of him. He could do little except hope that Melina called or returned, and he knew that sleep was out of the question, even though he was worn out by worry and sadness. Worst of all was the knowledge that he was still unsure of her reason for leaving. It was like preparing to fight a battle without knowing what weapon the enemy carried. He spent most of the night searching the Internet for her without success and periodically dialling her cell phone, which remained switched off. Eventually he lay down on the sofa to wait for dawn; the bedroom was too lonely. Finally the sky began to lighten. Shinichi decided to take a hike in the woods adjacent to the house. Leaving the front door open, he walked faster and faster in the hopes he could tire himself out. After a few minutes he spotted what looked like a row of tiny artificial flowers on the gravel path. It was strangely familiar. He picked it up, turned it over. It was the hair barrette Melina had been wearing during their last trip into town. He broke into a run, telling himself that it had to be hers, couldn't possibly belong to anyone else. After several minutes he slowed down. He stood still, breathing hard, looking and listening for her. There was nothing. Leaning against a tree, he slid to the ground slowly, feeling totally defeated. He wondered if the barrette really belonged to Melina after all, or if he simply wanted to believe that it did. Eventually he drifted off to sleep, the barrette still in his hand. He dreamed that he was walking through an Osaka red light district. Everything seemed normal until he realized he was wearing a rented wedding tuxedo. He eventually entered a soapland favored by some of his friends. He looked through the catalog, chose a girl. He went into her suite's shower room, took off his wedding tuxedo and waited. A small Japanese girl with dyed red hair came in, bowed politely. He paid for the body bath but decided against sex. She bathed him, covered him with lotion and slid herself against him. As she continued, she realized his body was not showing the slightest reaction to her skills. She tried different techniques; still, nothing. As he turned to leave, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned. The Japanese girl had disappeared; in her place stood Melina. She looked hurt but said nothing. Shinichi woke, still thinking of the small hand on his shoulder. After a few seconds, he realized that the hand wasn't a dream. He opened his eyes and saw Melina leaning over him, her sorrowful face framed by tangled hair. She dropped to her knees. Chapter Nineteen: North of Niigata They held each other for several minutes, saying nothing. Shinichi felt weak with disbelief, then relief. He thought he could feel Melina's body trembling before he realized that he was the one with the shakes. Eventually he realized that she had spent the night outdoors; her clothes held traces of earth and leaves. "I want to try to explain," she finally said. "It can wait." He didn't want to release her, fearing she might disappear. "Please. I feel so awful." He looked down, realized her face was wet. After the near-collision with the truck, the renewed memory of the loss of of her parents, combined with unresolved grief and guilt, took over. She had gradually become overcome with fears about the relationship, about her own self-worth. Convinced that Shinichi was better off without her, she packed her things and boarded the train to Sapporo. But she ended up spending the night in a dingy hotel north of Niigata instead. "I was sitting there looking out the train window, and it just hit me. I couldn't make a clean getaway that day, or any other day. I already loved you." She'd boarded the southbound train yesterday afternoon, arriving at the house late last night - probably during his conversation with Cathie. But she couldn't bring herself to enter or even knock, as she was ashamed of her cowardice and hated herself for running away. She was so sorry she'd hurt him. He held her closer. "You thought you were doing the right thing. Just please, please, come talk to me the next time you're ... feeling unsure of anything." The pain of the last day and a half was floating away from him, dissolving into the blue sky. "Let's go home." He took her hand and led her down the trail. After a few minutes, she detoured into the woods and found her overnight bag hidden underneath some low-growing shrubs. He realized that she had spent the night there. As he took her bag, Melina asked him to stop. She took some vines from a tree and wound them clumsily around her wrists before holding them toward him. The vines were thin but tough, with thorns. "Tie me, please," she whispered. He hesitated. "Are you sure?" She nodded. To find a lost treasure, especially one that had seemed to be gone forever, brings a unique sense of elation. This is how Shinichi was feeling, even though he also knew he was as unwashed, crumpled and vulnerable as Melina. He reached for the vines, cutting them shorter with his penknife before tying them in a knot. A bright, thin line of blood appeared on the back of her hand. He reached over and tasted it with his tongue. Now she was inside him. He dragged her down with him to the ground, pulling off her shoes and jeans before turning her over on her elbows and knees. She cradled her face in her forearms, her bleeding wrists in front of her. Kneeling behind her, he spread her knees wide apart. Her shirt and camisole slid down to her armpits. With a minimum of undressing he pushed himself into her, his need to possess her taking over. He dug his fingers into her soft skin as he watched his angry cock sliding into her. He could hear her crying out but it was a faint sound, as if she were standing a hundred yards away. Finally he slowed, slid his hands over her. He pulled out of her slowly; he was shiny with her wetness. He moved upward and slid himself against her ass in preparation to sodomize her. As he began to push into her, he felt her body stiffen. He stopped. "Have you never ...?" he whispered. She shook her head. "But I want you to do it." He slid one wet fingertip into her ass, then reached underneath and massaged her clit until he could feel her beginning to relax. He continued until he sensed her orgasm beginning, then pushed his finger entirely inside her, fascinated by her grip on him as she came. She fell forward, breathing in ragged gasps. After several minutes he gently pulled her back onto her knees. He had found a small tube of sunscreen in his trouser pocket and now he applied half of it to his finger, the other half onto the tiny flower of her bottom. He pushed his finger inside her ass, forcing the lotion in. After covering his cock with lotion, he entered her ass less than an inch before pulling out. He repeated the action until she felt fully relaxed, then began to push inside her further in tiny increments, watching for her reaction. If she could take his cock head comfortably, she could take all of him. As he continued, she suddenly pushed backwards, allowing about half of him inside. He could feel her sphincter tighten deliciously around his shaft. "I'm ready," she whispered. He began fucking her ass carefully, going deeper inside her with every third or fourth stroke. Her wrists still bound, she marveled at the new experience. It was darkly taboo yet intensely, surprisingly erotic. She could feel Shinichi pulling her ass cheeks apart with his thumbs, inspecting his act of deflowerment, his cock completely inside her. She reached toward her clit with her bound hands, her face on the soft earth. She touched his balls with her fingertips, and realized that she could stroke them easily. She heard him groan like an animal, felt his balls suddenly harden and draw upwards as he began to come. Chapter Twenty: Sapporo Melina sat in her small office surrounded by moving boxes. Her assignment in Sapporo was over and she was attempting to separate the business and personal items as she packed. As usual, she was regretting her pack rat housekeeping methods. She finished emptying one drawer of her desk and pulled the next one open. She smiled to herself when she saw its contents. This drawer contained six months of souvenirs of her relationship with Shinichi. She took out a battered ski pass, thinking of their visit to Furano. Sapporo was near several popular ski resorts, so they had booked a weekend at the Furano resort in January. Most of their time was spent helping each other up after yet another fall, as neither had skiied in years. After three hours of ending up like what Melina described as "yard sales" - their skis and poles scattered around them - they gave up and spend the rest of the afternoon drinking Irish coffees before retiring to their room early. For once, they had both been too worn out for sex. The drawer held a collection of boarding passes and rail tickets. There had also been plenty of weekend stays at his country home - the venue they both preferred. It had a nostalgic value; it was where they had discovered each other, fallen in love. Their sexual encounters were almost always more intense when they met there. However, their weekends in Osaka had not gone entirely to waste. Shinichi told Melina of his fantasy of fucking her on his desk, which led to the fantasy becoming near-reality one Friday afternoon after she arrived from Sapporo. After she spent several minutes on her knees sucking his cock, he had bent her over his desk face down, her ass in the air, before pulling up her skirt. He had just finished pulling her panties down when his office manager suddenly came in unannounced, looking for a report. Both women had screamed in unison, with Melina diving under the desk and the office manager running backwards out of Shinichi's office as he stood red-faced, both hands over his wilting penis. She found a large brown envelope and carefully poured the contents of the desk drawer into it before sealing it with masking tape. She put the envelope in her briefcase. It was time to get dressed for her farewell dinner. When she arrived at the restaurant, the head of the Sapporo office was there, together with several other senior colleagues. There was also a dinner guest she hadn't expected to see. Hitoshi Miyahara, the head of her company's Japan operations, sat at the head of the table. He rose, pulled out her chair for her. "You're looking very well, Miss Reilly," he said. "And, as usual, your reviews have been excellent." Dinner was a tasteless blur. She couldn't imagine why Mr. Miyahara would have traveled all the way to Sapporo to attend her going-away dinner. She began to wonder if she was going to be unofficially chastised for her relationship with Shinichi, although she had never asked for a single day off during the last six months, and had even been careful to never call him using the company phone. Finally the dinner plates were taken away and the men started in on the cognac. She decided to play it safe and ordered coffee. After everyone had finished one drink, Hitoshi stood. He did not need to tap on a glass for attention. His speech was mercifully short. He thanked the Boston office for their assistance and support during the in-house research project. He quoted some quarterly sales figures that received a polite round of applause. Finally he turned to Melina. "I think everyone here will be pleased with the contents of this envelope, especially Miss Reilly," he said. He handed her a plain white envelope with her name typed on it. She bowed, thanked him for what she was sure was a bonus check. She sat down and put the envelope in her handbag, only to realize that Hitoshi was still looking at her. "I think we would all prefer it if you opened the envelope now, please," he said. She tore the envelope open, pulled out a single sheet of business stationery. It was a letter. She read it twice before she realized that the permanent position of Vice President of Research was being offered to her, that it included a generous salary and benefits, and that she would be based in the company's Osaka office should she accept the offer of employment. The letter was signed by Hitoshi Miyahara. She stood up, trying not to sniffle. "I would be most honored to accept your offer, Mr. Miyahara. Thank you so much." During the last months, Melina and Shinichi had been plotting, discussing and discarding several methods of remaining together after her assignment in Japan ended. But there had always been a sticking point. Although Shinichi was willing to marry Melina, he did not want to schedule his proposal according to a deadline imposed by the immigration authorities. Melina was willing to bring Shinichi to Boston and help him settle there, but they reluctantly agreed that he probably wouldn't be happy, especially since she had come to prefer Japan to the United States. And Shinichi had just recently made amends with his father, who to everyone's surprise, had taken an immediate liking to Melina when introduced to her. She was leaving Sapporo next morning to join Shinichi at his country house. He had arranged two weeks off to spend with her. She couldn't stop smiling when she thought of showing him the letter. It was the perfect solution for both of them. As she returned home in a taxi, she decided she couldn't wait to share her news. She pulled out her cell phone to call Shinichi, but stopped in mid-dial. Had Shinichi gone to Hitoshi and asked him to make the job offer? She tried to convince herself that he had nothing to do with it. Shinichi was well aware that she took her job seriously. Certainly he knew that she wouldn't be happy with a job that only existed as the result of a personal favor. Melina took the letter out and read it again. There was nothing out of order; it was as cut and dried as any standard offer of employment. Finally she took out her phone, realizing that she couldn't postpone the call. "Mr. Miyahara? I apologize for calling you this late." "It's no problem, Miss Reilly, just be glad the karaoke hasn't begun yet." He sounded a little drunk. "May I ask you one question about the job offer? I'm afraid it's rather personal, but I have to ask." "It's no problem, dear, go right ahead." "Did Mr. Sakakura have anything to do with this job offer?" Hitoshi paused. "Not really, no. Except for one thing ..." Her heart sank to the floor. "Before I met with my senior staff to discuss your job offer, I asked Shinichi what the odds were that you would accept the job. You see, there were several people I had to convince of your worth to the company before making you the offer, and I didn't want to go through all that if you weren't interested in the first place." She felt her heart shift into reverse. "So he didn't ask you to offer me a job?" Hitoshi snorted. "Of course not. You heard how much money we've saved going in-house with research. Bringing you in full time will save more. I'm a banker, not a mi-ai. Shinichi can find his own girlfriends without my help." She giggled, thinking of Hitoshi working as a professional matchmaker, or who the locals referred to as a mi-ai. "Thank you, sir. I'm looking forward to being your employee." He wasn't quite finished. "One last thing, Miss Reilly." "Yes?" "I may be a cranky old man, but I'm very pleased that Shinichi and you are, well, a couple. I've never seen him happier." Chapter Twenty-One: Twilight Express Sleep was out of the question that night. After the movers arrived, Melina walked to her favorite café carrying her overnight bag. She tried to stretch out breakfast but only ended up drinking too much coffee. Several times she almost dialed Shinichi's number, but she decided it would be more fun to show him the letter in person. She took a taxi to the train station, settled into a coffee shop, ordered a decaf, ate a small lunch. Finally the square blue train cars of the Twilight Express pulled into Sapporo station. As she settled into the salon car with a book, the conductor approached her. "Miss, why aren't you in your suite? There's no need to you to come here for a drink." She found her ticket and showed it to the conductor. He compared it to his notes. "Come with me, please." He led her to the most luxurious suite on the train and stopped. "This is yours, miss." He took her ticket, handed her another. Slowly, she opened the door, half-suspecting to walk in on a stranger. There was no stranger. Shinichi rose as she entered, dressed in his best suit, a rose in his lapel. He bowed. "Will you join me?" Twilight Express Ch. 13-21 He had spared no expense. There were bouquets of roses and freesias and orchids, champagne on ice. A dusty pink satin gown trimmed with black lace lay on the bed. She sat down, overwhelmed by the show and by the suite itself. Then she went to Shinichi, sat in his lap and kissed him. She felt his cock begin to harden beneath her as she pushed her tongue into his mouth. She squirmed in his lap, rubbing her crotch against him, teasing him. Usually this sort of encouragement brought out his most dominant sexual inclinations. Suddenly she pulled away from him and stood up. "Shinichi. I know you know about the job offer. But how did you know I took the job?" "Simple. You're here, aren't you?" She paused, more questions creeping into her mind like ugly little insects. Then she closed her eyes. No more questions, she said to herself. It doesn't matter. Instead, she reached for her overnight bag. "Would you like to play cards?"