Chapter 4
Kyoko was standing to the side when Ren pulled up in his white BMW. All he saw of her was a long black wool coat that hit down to her knee and a pair of metallic leather strap heels. It covered her entire foot except a small glimpse of her toes and around her heel. The flashiness of the shoes made him wondered what she was wearing underneath.
She slipped into the warm car with a smile. Her lips were a dark red and her cheeks were a little flushed.
"Good Evening, Tsuruga-san. It's getting colder, isn't it?" She shivered in the seat next to him, placing her hands in front of the vent. He thought of better ways to get her hands warm but refrained.
"Yes, it is. I gather it will probably snow soon. Are you ready for tonight?" He asked as he maneuvered out into the street.
"I guess. I still don't understand where we are going." She was staring into the city lights of Tokyo as they drove.
"I told you, we are going to show you how to flirt. The best way to learn something is to be shown right? Just like how we did the catwalk for Natsu," he replied.
"Why can't you simply show me then? Why must we go out?" Kyoko blushed as she held her jacket tighter together. That made him even more curious as to what was underneath.
He would love to show her but couldn't do it alone in his place with the opportunity to take advantage of her so available. Not to mention, the mere sight of him trying to seduce her turned her white as a ghost. No, he did not want to peer into that wide eyed frightened look of hers again. If he seduced her, he wanted her to reciprocate in kind.
"You need to know how a woman flirts, not a man. Plus, I think you should learn to watch other people so you can pick up acting tricks from anyone. Someday there is going to be something I can't show you." Ren smiled at her and continued driving.
Kyoko looked down at her lap sadly. She was bothering him, and he wanted to show her how to do things for herself, so she didn't disturb him anymore. Somehow, that statement made something inside of her ached terribly.
They arrived at a large two story building that had a huge line of people at the front door. Kyoko could hear the deep thump of the bass coming from the building as they exit the car. She tapped over to Ren at the front of his car and tucked on his jacket sleeve.
"Tsuruga-san, I'm not 20 yet. I can't enter a place with alcohol," she whispered as she looked around nervously.
He smiled at her. "You're going to have to act to get in. Trust me, they won't card you, and we aren't here to drink anyway. So there shouldn't be a problem." He turned towards her.
"What are you wearing?" He asked. He told her to dress like Natsu would. She usually dressed very fashionably, but he had to make sure Kyoko looked old enough to walk in without any dispute.
"A dress," she whined lightly and licked her lips nervously, shuffling her feet around a little bit.
"Ok, but I need to make sure it's appropriate for the situation. Let me see, Mogami-san." There was enough light in the parking lot to see her flush lightly. She looked away and started unbuttoning her long jacket.
He had to admit it felt a little like she was stripping for him and certain visions of her having nothing underneath the long jacket flooded his mind. Soon red cloth came into view crushing his over active imagination. She opened her coat completely holding it out like a flasher would to innocent bystanders.
The dress was actually fairly simple. It was a dull red that had a V-neck design that didn't plunge deeply. It was tight all the way down her body with it stopping slightly high on her thighs. It was a lot more modest that he thought she would pick out, and he was slightly relieved.
"That's perfect. Why are you embarrassed? You look wonderful." He smiled at her encouragingly.
"It's short and the back is…." He didn't hear her last words as she murmured still unable to look at him in the face.
"Let me see the back." He had to find out what was making her blush so much.
"I was hoping to keep the jacket on all night. Please, Tsuruga-san?" She pouted at him, and he almost said yes.
"There is a coat check, and there will be so many people in that place it will be too warm for you to wear the jacket. You'll get sick. Just let me see, I'm sure it isn't so bad."
Another whine escaped her throat as she turned around. It was cold out, so she kept the jacket on her arms as she let it slip down to reveal the design on the back. Ren had to bite his lip to keep from doing something very bad. There were circles that went down from the top of the dress to very low on her back. In the circles were twists in the cloth to make it look like bow-ties. It revealed the dent of her spine all the way down close to her butt but was covering everything up. With longer hair it probably wouldn't have looked so bad but with her short orange hair it looked all the more revealing. It gave the illusion that it was completely bare.
"Tsuruga-san, say something." Kyoko wiggled around impatiently and her voice caught him in mid motion. His hand lingered half way between them almost touching the little glimpses of pale skin the dress showed off. He coughed lightly and pulled his hand away.
"It's fine, it's not really showing anything," he lied unconvincingly apparently. She quickly pulled the jacket back up and around her body, covering the dress up completely.
"It is not! Look you are blushing! I made Tsuruga Ren blush. It's all wrong." She started pacing back and forth in front of him. He didn't feel the heat wash over his face until he placed his cold fingers to his cheek. He felt like he was burning up and that only made him blush even more.
Ren cleared his throat. "It's a very sexy dress. I'll admit that, but that is a good thing. Just slip into Natsu so we can get in, we will sit down and you won't have to get back up for the rest of the night, ok? I will even cover you up when we are walking in. It will be fine."
"It's not fair! You don't have to wear something like… like THIS to look nice. You get to wear everything that covers you up!" She motioned to his clothing. He looked down at himself. He was wearing a long sleeved bluish grey shirt with black stripes running up and down all over it. It was tucked in to a pair of black slacks with a thin black belt and black shoes. He also had a pair of faded sunglasses tinted blue hanging on the front of his shirt. He styled his hair differently to try and not be easily recognized.
"I'm showing skin too." The first three buttons of his shirt were undone.
"That is not skin, Tsuruga-san! This!" She opened her jacket up again. "This is skin. My whole back is being shown off, this skirt couldn't get any shorter and those three buttons are the same as my V-neck."
"Well I can wear my shirt completely open if that will make you more comfortable," he offered with a sly smile. She blushed, a deep red that rivaled the dress color and shook her head.
"It was a comparison. I didn't mean that you should change. I was trying to make a point. I'm okay with going in like you suggested." Kyoko hugged the jacket to her like she was cold rather than embarrassed.
"We better get inside or else we are both going to get sick in this weather. Come on." He slipped on his glasses and held out his hand to her. She looked at it worrisome.
"It's very busy in there, Mogami-san. I don't want to lose you in the crowd. I want to protect you in there so please stay close to me." She tentatively took his hand; both of their hands were like ice. They started walking to the front, and he stopped. He looked behind him and saw an innocent nervous face.
"Natsu?" He reminded her and she blinked in shock.
"Oh, yes. Sorry." She licked her lips and took a deep breath. She looked away from Ren and allowed Natsu to take over. Natsu looked at the hand that was holding hers, followed the arm and then at the man that was attached to it. She smiled a look that was pure sin and walked up to him approvingly. She glided her arms around his as he watched his innocent Kyoko disappear into this seductress.
"I'm ready when you are, honey," she spoke in a rich voice.
He let the Emperor shine through as he pulled her in closer to him. Ren wrapped his arm around her waist, and they walked to the front door. Natsu didn't think anything of them skipping to the front of the line. She expected it. Natsu didn't wait in line for anything. She also didn't care that her jacket was hanging open as they walked to the front. In fact she was very eager to take it off and show everyone how good she looked in it. Especially to the bitches in line that were eyeballing her.
Ren was thankful that Natsu had an air of arrogance. It was that, that allowed them to get in. That and the fact that usually if the guest fit the image the club was trying to portray they would let them in instantly. The more attractive people they let in, the more other people wanted in.
It was loud as they walked in, but there were two stories to the building. The first floor was the dance floor. They had a small bar on the left side and the DJ on the right side of the building, then all the dancers moving around in the center. The second floor was actually a large overhang circling around the building that looked over the dance floor. It had a large bar on the farthest wall and tables all along the sides. This was where they were going.
They checked their coat and Ren held on to the little tickets. Kyoko, or rather Natsu, was standing alone at the edge of the steps that descended down to the dance floor, perfectly comfortable with the red dress Kyoko was so afraid of. Ren looked around and already saw several men take notice of the number in the red dress. One even had the courage to approach her already.
"Want to dance?" He yelled out over the music to her. Natsu look down at the man. He had a nice smile and was well dress in a pair of black jeans and a nice dark purple dress shirt.
"No," a male voice behind her answered for her. She smirked as the man frowned and turned away. She felt his arm drape around her shoulder and weaved her fingers with his. She leaned back into his tall frame.
"I would have said no." She pouted sexily. She was letting her body sway slightly to the beat of the music against him.
"Hmm... Let's go upstairs." He needed to get her sitting down in a booth farthest from the music as possible and back to being Kyoko fast. Though, he was thankful she clung on to him like she did, it gave the signal to most of the men that she was here with him and wasn't interested in anyone else.
For the first time in a long time, he was grateful he was good looking enough to discourage a lot of these guys. However, that didn't mean the same thing for Kyoko. Natsu noticed a large amount of women that were looking at Ren with a lot of interest then looking at her as if she wasn't anything special.
Natsu didn't like this, not one little bit. How dare they think me as beneath them! They wanted him right? Let's see how they like this. She was climbing the stairs ahead of Ren, so before they headed to the top she turned around towards him making him pause behind her. She glared briefly at some of the women watching as she lifted her hand into his hair.
Ren didn't understand why she stopped. She simply stopped, turned and then he felt her fingers at his temple weave their way into his hair, sending small shivers down his body. He instinctively closes his eyes to the sensation. Her being a step up made her eye to eye with him so when she stopped with her hand at the back of his neck, he opened his eyes meeting her golden ones.
She smirked and then tilted her head and kissed him. This, he was not prepared for. He had thought about his first kiss with her for a long time and this was not how he wanted it. Still, he couldn't help but respond back once he felt her lips press against his.
He let his body do what it wanted. His left arm rose and curved around to her back and then pulled her against his body as his lips hungrily kissed hers. He felt her smile against him and grew bolder. Kyoko was at his level and his right hand very easily found the soft skin of her thigh. He let his now warm fingers lightly touch the side of her knee then very slowly glide their way up her leg. As he moved, he let more of his fingers touch her skin till his whole hand was on her thigh. He kneaded her supple flesh, his thumb caressing her underneath the fabric of her dress.
He never knew she could kiss like this, it was mind blowing. He forgot where they were and licked her lips wanting to taste her further. Here was where Natsu pulled back with a satisfied smile. He watched her lick her lips and wanted to continue kissing her, but instead she turned around and climbed up the last few stairs.
She looked around and noticed that none were looking their way. She frowned slightly at the easily squashed prey and waited for Ren to lead the way to where ever they were going. He held her around her waist and she followed patiently. He found a small booth that was empty and still within view of the bar and some others. He pulled her along and they sat down facing the crowd for once. She sat under the protection of his arm which was resting on the back of the cushioned bench. He was turned slightly towards her but looking around at the crowd. The music was still loud, but if he moved in he would be able to talk to her just fine.
"Where did you learn to kiss like that?" His voice must have been annoyed, because Natsu looked up at him with a smile.
"Why? Maybe someone showed me how. Are you jealous?" She wanted to play and why not play with the handsome playmate that brought her here. The Emperor came through, and he held her face with both his hands. He smiled at her and came in very close to her lips.
"Kyoko, if you don't start talking to me, I'm going to kiss you for the rest of the night," he paused and let one hand drop to the side of her leg, not touching, "and my hands are going to see what is under this dress."
Kyoko turned a bright red, pushed away from his immediate space and bowed down as far as she could. "I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san! She…she… she saw all those girls with those looks and then she got this crazy idea. I was scared of walking around in this dress, so I let her… and then she…" She was rambling.
He smiled at her almost laughing. "It's fine, Mogami-san." He had to yell a little louder since she was further away. Ren patted her shoulder making her rise, settling straight forward towards the crowd but away from him. He didn't like that and luckily he had a great excuse to keep her close to him.
"You need to sit a little closer, so I can talk to you comfortably. I promise I will keep my hands to myself." He smiled at her with an innocent teasing expression. She blushed bright red again.
"I'm not worried about you, Tsuruga-san. I'm worried about Natsu," she yelled back.
"I have faith in you to keep her in check from now on, Mogami-san."
She looked hesitant but slid back under his wing. She looked so small with him around her. It made him want to hold her all night. Back to their original position, she was looking around the area with curious eyes.
"It seems like we came here for nothing. I think your face captured how to attract someone very well while we came up those stairs." He was able to use a slightly normal voice.
Kyoko looked up at him confused. "I don't understand. I wasn't thinking at all of trying to get your attention. Natsu saw all those women's disapproving looks and wanted to torture them. She saw them looking at you and knew that by kissing you it would make them mad. I had to do a scene where I had Kaori seduce one of my victim's boyfriends while she watched. Natsu enjoyed that very much, watching the girl cry and curse at her boyfriend. She wanted to see the look on so many of the girl's disappointed faces."
Ren was amazed how deep she let herself get into character. Then he felt guilty for making her come here if she was that embarrassed about her dress. As she finished her explanation, a waitress wearing a simple white shirt and a short black skirt appeared at their table.
"Can I get you something to drink?" She said with a smile that was less than professional. Her eyes were only on the tall handsome figure and not to the girl in his arms. He leaned into Kyoko wanting to speak to her.
"What juice do you want orange, tomato or cranberry?" He wanted her to look like she was drinking. Those three juices were what most bars carried at all times.
"Um… Cranberry?" He nodded.
"A simple cranberry and straight amaretto." The waitress nodded and left with a lingering look.
"They have juice here?"
He nodded. "It's for mixed drinks. It's to keep the illusion that you are old enough to be here. There will be no alcohol in it." She nodded in understanding. The drinks came back quickly, and he paid with a standard tip. He needed something to help keep his nerves down. He looked at the girl beside him and hoped that he wouldn't have to order something stronger.
"You said you noticed them looking at me. Do you remember what they looked like?" Ren asked trying to keep his mind to the reason they were here. Perhaps she already figured what she needed to do, and they could leave early.
"No. I only remember the nasty looks they were giving me, which is why Natsu was so angry." Kyoko glared out at the crowd. She knows she can't compare to them in looks. She probably looked horrible in this dress, but she was here to learn, not for fun.
"Perhaps coming to a club was too aggressive an idea. It was the first place I could think of that would give you a lot of examples of how to flirt. Do you understand what flirting is, Mogami-san?" He asked curiously. After all of their acting lessons, Ren knows now to assume nothing and start from the very beginning.
"Of course. It's where you shamelessly throw yourself at a man. The girls did that to Sho-Baka all the time telling him how great he is and how much they want to be with him," she had this look of disgust on her face as she answered.
He didn't know if he should laugh or be upset that she brought him up again. "No, that is not what flirting is. That is just what fan girls do. Flirting is sending signals to another person to show they are interested in them romantically," he explained.
"So I have to look like I want to love them?" Kyoko had this look of pure fear on her face like she was ready to give up any idea of getting this.
"No. It's much more…" He paused, licking his lips. Ren really didn't want to talk about this part of it. She was so innocent in his mind. He took another sip of his drink and continued, "…primal. In all honesty, the first thing most people think of when they start to flirt is how attractive that other person is. How they would like to get to know them better." He watched her as he spoke, watching as her mind comprehended what he stated.
"So it's about lust? I was right the first time." She caught on quickly.
"It doesn't have to be shameless, Mogami-san," he replied. Kyoko was taking a sip of her juice as she looked up at him waiting for more.
"For a woman, they simply have to let the person know that they are interest back. Women flirt with their eyes and body language. Just smile and make eye contact. That's not audacious." She seemed to let that soak in when the waitress came by with a drink on her tray.
"For you from her," she told Ren and pointed to a woman at another table sitting with a few friends. The woman in question had long wavy brown hair and looked very adult. She was wearing a loose fitting blue top with a V neck cut right down the center from the top all the way down to her belly button. The world could tell she wasn't wearing a bra. In fact, Kyoko had no idea how that top stayed on. Her skirt was a light sliver color, extremely short and left nothing to the imagination.
Ren nodded to the waitress, who set down the drink. His hand slipped into his pocket, pulled out five 10,000 yen notes and handed it to the waitress.
"I'd like a bottle of water, please and if you get anymore requests don't bring them over. I'm here with her." He motioned to Kyoko making the waitress nod and walk away with her too large of a tip.
"Tsuruga-san! That was a lot of money." Kyoko couldn't believe the amount he handed to her like nothing. Ren pointed at the woman.
"Look at her, watch what she is doing," he ordered her, ignoring her outburst. She frowned at him but looked at the woman who bought him the drink. She was smiling and looking at him like he was something to eat. The woman didn't even notice Kyoko, the person next to him. She only had eyes for Ren.
Kyoko nodded then felt something hard brush her hand. It was the drink he just got. It looked like the same one he had gotten earlier. It was a light amber color. She looked up at him confused.
"I'm sorry to do this to you, but could you please drink this." He had this pleading look on his face like she was his savior.
"But I can't, I'm not old enough," she tried to speak as softly as she could. She didn't want to get them thrown out.
"It's fine. Take a small sip or pretend like you are drinking it. It's simply to decline the offer I was just given," he explained. She took the cup in front of her, debating to drink it. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you. If you drink a little bit, and then drink water you'll be fine, I promise," he reassured her with a sincerely smile.
She trusted him. If he said nothing will happen to her, then she believed him. Kyoko let the thick glass touch her lips and tilted the glass up. It smelled strong yet it had a nice smell to it, it was almost nutty like almonds. It was sweet and really wasn't that bad. She could feel something heady and strong in the drink, but it actually tasted good.
"Asshole." She looked up in time to see the woman sneer at them and turn back to her table, clearly angry.
"What happened?" Kyoko asked as the drink made its way down her system. It made her feel kind of warm. He said to drink a little bit, so she set the glass down next to her juice and a new bottle of water that was already opened for her.
"I was just very rude. Accepting a drink that someone else bought is a way of agreeing to start a conversation. Instead, I gave it to my date, making me exactly as she said." He took up his glass and finished his own drink in one big gulp.
"I'm sorry. You wouldn't have to be rude if I wasn't here. You could actually meet someone here if it wasn't for me." She sounded so sad that he was taken aback.
He laughed lightly, "Trust me, Mogami-san. I'm with the person I want to be with."
She was about to ask how that was possible but he spoke up, "Did you notice the woman that keeps passing by?"
Kyoko looked around but really didn't feel a sense of familiarity towards anyone, so she shook her head.
"This is the third time she has passed by, we are actually out of her way if she was going to the restroom and her table is closer to the bar than we are. She is trying to make me see her. She is telling me that she is interested," he told her.
Kyoko frowned and her eyes flickered at the amber glass that she sipped from earlier slightly tempted. She pressed her lips together and countered his thought, "Maybe she is going to go dance."
He smiled at her and prompted, "Ok, then why three times?" He found her sense of logic funny, so why not ask to see how she is thinking.
"Once to go to the dance floor, then perhaps she forgot something and came back and now she is returning back to the floor." She took the bottle of water and drank from it.
His eyes twinkled, laughter threatening to spill from his lips. "That's some logical reasoning but watch, she will walk past, look at me with a smile again in just a moment. She is wearing a red mid-drift with a jean skirt, medium cut hair."
Kyoko looked around for a woman with said description. She was standing against the wall alone by the stairs holding on to a half empty tall thin glass. She was looked this way causing Kyoko to quickly look away.
"Why is she standing alone?"
He smiled, proud at her attention to detail. "If she isolates herself, it allows men to approach her. She is waiting for me to get up and say hi. Approaching a woman can be difficult for some, and she is trying to make it easier."
"Are you going to say hi?" She squirmed in her seat a little bit as she asking.
"No," his voice was soft, and Kyoko realized how very close she was to him. "I am right where I want to be." His heart was beating rabidly as he watched her wiggle around in her little dress.
"Take a look over there." Her eyes followed to where Ren was pointing. A woman was talking to a good looking man. She had long light brown hair and was wearing a handkerchief blouse that tied around her neck and around the middle of her back. She was wearing skin tight black jeans and sliver and blue high heels.
"Notice the way she is smiling. She is making constant eye contact, playing with her hair or her bracelets. She also brings a lot of attention to her mouth with the straw, licking her lips. Those are all signs that she is interested in him," Ren said as Kyoko watched their subject. She looked completely absorbed into the man in front of her. The smile was sexy, showing just a little bit of teeth and Ren was right, she was constantly puckering her lips, licking them and running the straw across them in some way.
"Why does she want him looking at her mouth?" She looked up at him who was watching the scene in front of them as well. He pressed his lips together and then turned towards her with a little smile.
"Well…" He paused trying to find the words, "a woman's mouth is very seductive to a man, especially if she does those types of things."
"I don't understand, how is licking her lips seductive?"
He laughed. "You're cruel, Kyoko." Her eyes widened as smoldering eyes met hers. "It makes men think of sex. As you mentioned before, flirting as a lot to do with lust. That is why you were having a hard time capturing how to do this."
Kyoko couldn't get any more red. "You said it didn't have to be so lewd."
"It doesn't have to be," he repeated and looked down at her softly. "You asked why, and I explained. You wanted to understand the underlying feeling and now you do. If your new character is a flirt then that is what you are going to have to be thinking. Thinking those thoughts doesn't mean it has to result in it. I'm not saying that flirting with someone means you are going to sleep with them."
Kyoko noticed the woman lean in closely to the man. "Is the whispering also something or is it because it's so loud in here?"
"That is hard to tell. It can be because of the music, but it is also a way to turn someone on. A lot of people are sensitive when someone softly applies air in their ear. Whispers or even soft breathing can be very effective. That would be considered very aggressive though since that would mean you are placing yourself intimately into their personal space."
Kyoko didn't like this at all. How was she suppose to act with such impure thoughts? She didn't even think of Shotaru like that when she lived with him. The most she ever thought about was kissing. Still deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the woman that sat down in their booth until she spoke.
"Hi, want to dance?" It was the woman with the red top he was referring to earlier. She was leaning in towards Ren, her legs were crossed out into the aisle, and she was playing with her hair.
"Thank you but I'm here with her," Ren answered her frankly. Kyoko suddenly felt very aware of the arm that was around her as he squeezed her shoulders gently causing her heart to hammer in her chest. Kyoko ignored her embarrassment to continue watching the woman and saw the flash of annoyance cross her face.
"Your friend will be fine here. Come dance with me." She had sucked in her lower lip and let it slowly slip back out red and wet. Kyoko didn't like this woman, yet she didn't really understand why. She quickly grabbed a glass in front of her and took a drink, then quickly pulled it back when she tasted the sweet amber liquid instead of the tangy juice in her other glass.
Why was it in the same glass? She thought to herself. She felt the warm liquid fill her body once more and then she heard her sempai's voice.
"I'm sorry but no," his voice was firm, and Kyoko was fighting not to smirk as the woman scowled and left.
"Did you notice what she was doing?" She snapped out of her thoughts at his very near voice. She looked at him. Why was he so close? His face was inches away as was most of his body. She did notice the loss of his arm around her shoulders, yet she still felt its presence behind her.
"Yes. She smiled, made eye contact and was playing with her hair. Not to mention she asked you to dance which is kind of obvious." She made it sound like such a bad thing.
"Good. Look at the bar, the woman in the grey dress." Kyoko did as told. The woman was blonde and was talking to another woman. There was a man who was looking at her and gathering his courage to talk to her. Kyoko watched as he stepped up to both women and both women looked up at him waiting for what he was going to say. He smiled at her as he spoke, and she looked bored. Finally, he nodded and then walked away. Then the two girls started laughing.
"That couldn't possibly mean she was interested in him."
"You're right. I wanted you to see the difference. She was with a friend, which actually meant he was pretty brave to try and pick her up. She didn't give him any type of eye contact and didn't even turn towards him when he spoke. Her body language was very closed off. She rejected him before he even spoke which happens more often than not."
"So why did he go?" She drank more of the bottled water. It was almost out.
"Sometimes it's difficult to be noticed with so many people. If they are confident enough, they will do as he did. Depending on the person or the pick-up line, it can work. Most wait for a signal from the other though," Ren explained.
"Pick-up line?"
"A pick-up line is something someone says to try and start a conversation with someone they don't know. 'Hi, can I buy you a drink?' or the one that the woman who sat down told me, 'Hi, want to dance?'"
"So they were laughing because they rejected him? That's mean!" Ren wanted to laugh at her outraged face. She couldn't reject someone cruelly even if she wanted to, thought Natsu probably would.
"He probably tried to make them laugh. There are all kinds of lines, funny ones, arrogant ones, rude ones, compliments, questions. They are only trying to talking to you."
"Do you know any pick-up lines, Tsuruga-san?" She was looking at him curiously.
"Yeah I've heard quite a few actually. Most pick-up lines aren't meant to be taken seriously and are often considered as jokes. Let's see…." Ren thought about some of the corny ones he's heard.
"Are your legs tired, because you've been running through my mind all day long." Kyoko made a face with a small smile.
"Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?" She snorted and he continued.
"Did it hurt?" He asked her.
"What?"
"When you fell from heaven." She laughed fully this time. He said it with such a sincere expression that she had to laugh.
"Those are horrible. Do they work?" She asked still laughing slightly.
He shrugged. "Depends on the girl, but those usually don't. There are other kinds, like they will try and trick you."
"Excuse me," she was looking at her hands with a smile at her lips when he tapped her arm, "You owe me a drink."
"I do?" She replied,
"When I looked at you, I dropped mine." He laughed as she rolled here eyes.
"I seemed to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?" She shook her head, the smile on her face getting wider.
He touched his lip as he spoke, "I hurt my lip. Will you kiss it and make it better?" Her eyes widened at that one.
"They will say that?" She was astonished.
"There are much worse, I've heard some really bad ones." Ren paused for a moment recalling some.
"Did you know your body is 95% water? And I'm extremely thirsty." His voice got deep, and he leaned in closer to her.
"That's a nice dress." She felt his fingers touch the strap at her shoulder as he asked, "can I talk you out of it?" She gasped lightly and shut her eyes as heat flooded her face.
Kyoko felt him moved forward, her eyes opening to look into his face and froze to the Emperor as he said, "Your lips look so lonely. Would they like to meet mine?"
She shook her head, buried her face in her hands, and heard him laugh.
"Those were the nicer ones. They will also compliment you."
"I hope you know CPR, because you took my breath away," he said breathlessly while her face was still hiding. Ren could see that she was still smiling from the apple of her cheeks and continued.
"I know I don't stand a chance, but I just wanted to hear an angel talk." He felt her fight a laugh, her body shaking softly beside him.
"There must be something wrong with my eyes, because I can't take them off of you." Something in his voice made Kyoko peel her hands back from her face and peek up at him. He was looking down at her adoringly. It stole her breath away.
"What does it feel like to be the most beautiful girl in the room?" It felt like he was really asking her this. This was only an act, she told herself. He was telling her examples like she asked. Even if her mind told her heart such things, she couldn't help the way her heart made her body react. Her hands dropped into her lap as she looked into his eyes with glassy eyes.
"If I had five yen for every time I saw a woman as beautiful as you, I'd have five yen." She smiled and looked down timidly.
"You are so beautiful that you give the sun a reason to shine," he continued in the same sincere voice.
"If a thousand painters worked for a thousand years, they could not create a work of art as beautiful as you." She bit her lip. That one was nice, it was rather sweet. She felt something touch her hair, his fingertips moving stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"I've had a terrible day." She frowned and looked at him as he continued, "And it always makes me happy to see a gorgeous woman smile. Would you smile for me?"
She couldn't help but smile, and he smiled that angelic smile back at her. He had captured her eyes in his, she was so enraptured.
"When I look into your eyes, it's like a gateway into a world of which I want to be a part of." Her heart fluttered at his words. She felt his hand cradle her cheek and she unconsciously tilted her face against the warmth of his palm.
"If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be walking through a garden forever." The things he was saying were so beautiful. He looked so heartfelt saying them, like he truly felt that way, a tear escaped from her eye.
"If I could be any part of you, I'd be your tears." His thumb brushed away the tear.
"To be conceived in your heart,"
"Born in your eyes," he touched her temple.
"Live on your cheek," his fingers ran down her cheek.
"And die on your lips." She felt the barest of touches on her lower lip. He was so close to her, she thought he was going to kiss her.
"Um..." she laughed nervously, "I need to visit the ladies room." She smiled at him and slipped from the seat. Ren watched her walk away, sashaying in that tiny dress. An angry glare formed on his face as he saw several men watch her walk past in appreciation. He sat back and signaled the waitress for another drink. He clenched his hand and felt the small wet tear on his thumb. He sighed and took it to his lips, tasting her salty tear.
The drink came by and so did another woman.
Kyoko splashed cold water onto her face. Get a grip, Kyoko! He was giving examples. He didn't mean any of them. She shut the water off and tore off a paper towel, then pressed it to her face, absorbing the water. She could feel her heart pounding erratically in her chest. Her mind was flooded with the sweet words he spoke to her. She felt like she was melting under his eyes, such a dangerous man. It should be against the law for him to say such things to a woman.
She stepped away from the large mirror to one of the trash cans, forcefully crumpling the paper towel up and throwing it away. She took a few deep calming breaths. She felt warm and fuzzy but still very much herself. Yet, she fell for his words so easily.
"Stay away from the drink!" She pointed to herself in the mirror and walked out. She didn't have to walk far before she saw another woman at her table with Ren. She was wearing a black dress that buttoned around her neck, leaving her shoulders and arms bare and then had two large circle cut outs on each side of her waist.
Something inside of her bubbled up as Kyoko approached. She saw him shake his head and the woman touched his arm. Kyoko's lip twitched, and she almost growled at the action. Instead she slipped back to her spot and moved in just a little closer to Ren with a smile and introduced herself.
"Hi, I'm Kyoko. Are you going to join us?" She felt his arm fold around her and unconsciously picked up the amber drink again.
"I said I was with someone else. I wasn't lying," his voice was deathly calm to the rest of the world, but Kyoko could feel how angry he was. The woman shrugged like it didn't bother her that she was being rejected and left.
She was about to ask if she did something wrong when he slumped and sighed heavily, "Thank you. She wouldn't leave."
Kyoko smiled at him as he drank some of his own drink, a new one, and she realized that she drank more of the damn alcohol. Her head felt light, but she could still think. She thought alcohol was supposed to make her stupid or silly like the people in the ryokan. She looked at the glass and noticed it was more than half way done. She pushed the glass further away from her and finished off the bottled water.
"Perhaps we should go. I don't want you to get mobbed," she offered.
He shook his head, "It's fine. You're back now." He smiled at her, and she felt herself get warmer. "What did she do that was different from the others?"
"She touched you and was practically on your lap." She sneered and involuntarily reached for the amber glass taking a sip just as he did. "She was very aggressive."
"Yes, she was turned towards me and was leaning in. She was saying that she was comfortable in my personal space. Touching is one of the final things a person does usually after some conversation that say they want to pursue something much more intimate with you. The woman should always be the first person to initiate first physical contact."
"Why can't the man?" She asked puzzled.
"That can be taken the wrong way. If the man touches the woman before she is ready, she can scream sexual assault. If she touches the man first, she is okaying further physical contact."
That made sense. If she was ever interested in someone again, she would want to touch him and want to be touched by him when she was ready.
"How are you doing?" He asked. They've been there for almost three hours. It was now a little after 11pm.
"I'm fine. It's a lot to absorb. I have an idea of how to do it. Mari is going to try and steal Takumi from Aimi, so she will have to be aggressive. But at first she can do the small things, see if that will get him coming. I'll have to reread the script and see what I can do."
Kyoko tilted her head and asked, "Is there anything else I need to know. Anything vital?" Ren looked around for any more examples, and she did as well. Everything was pretty much all the same things he mentioned: lots of smiles, touching, playing with things like napkins and jewelry, hair flipping, laughter.
"Ok, look at the couple across the way. Watch the way they are mimicking each other." He found one.
"Mimic, like copying each other?" She asked and leaned forward to watch the couple.
"Yes," Ren leaned forward with her, "she leans forward and he leans forward. She touches her face, he scratches his. He drinks his drink then a second later she drinks hers." Everything Ren was saying was happening as he said it.
"This is a good thing?" she sat back and so did he. "Isn't it kind of obvious that they are imitating you?"
"No, they are so consumed with trying to see if there is a connection that they are actually doing it without thinking about it. The better they copy each other the more natural it seems, the better their connection is. This may be the hardest part about flirting to try and act. Usually the person doesn't know it is happening, so you will have to be aware of…"
Yet another woman came by and sat at their table cutting Ren off. She was gorgeous in a light pink dress that plunged so low that half of her breast were threatening to spill out. There was a small silver chain that sparkled between her breasts that was eye catching as if she needed the extra attention there. Kyoko got upset as she sat down and cut off Ren. Kyoko took the glass of alcohol and quickly swallowed what was left.
"Hi, I'm Shika and…"
"And you're being rude." Kyoko slammed the empty glass down on the table making both the woman and Ren look at her in shock. "We are trying to have a conversation here, and you walk up like I'm not here."
The woman looked at her like she couldn't believe Kyoko had the audacity of yelling at her and tried to ignore her again. Kyoko couldn't believe this woman. She snapped her fingers in front of her face.
"Hey!" Her eyes held an infuriated glare, but Kyoko didn't care. She placed her hand on Ren's thigh and pressed the side of her body against his. "He doesn't want to talk to you, he doesn't want to dance with you, and he doesn't care what you want, Shika," She pronounced her name in a patronizing way.
Ren couldn't help his cocky smile as Kyoko told her off. He turned his head to hide his amusement behind her. He noticed her drinking that amaretto drink throughout the night, and it seems that it finally got to her.
"We," Kyoko put her arm around his waist, and he pulled her closer to him and kissed her hair, "would like it if you left, please." Her voice didn't match the kindness of her words. The woman finally left with a glare with Kyoko glaring back.
"Ugh! What do we have to do to be left alone?" This time Kyoko grabbed his drink as she grumbled, "Do I have to sit in your lap all night? Is it always like this for you?" She took a drink and let the warm sweetness cover her tongue.
"Ok. You shouldn't be drinking that." He smiled and tried to take it away, but she pulled it back.
"Nooo, I like it," she whined. "I didn't think you would like such sweet drinks." He took the drink from her hands and finished it off watching her pout as it disappeared.
"It's not the same kind of sweet as cakes and candies. This I don't mind, and it's not a strong enough drink to affect me. You on the other hand…." He smiled as she crossed her arms upset.
"I'm fine. I'm still aware of everything around me. I'm not dancing on the table like an idiot or slurring my words. It simply tastes good. Buy me another one, please Ren?" His heart stopped at the sound of his name on her lips. She looked up at him with this sexy pleading look. Her hand was clinging to his slightly open shirt and her lips looked so kissable. God, all the things that made him love her came out when she was drinking, her cute innocence and her strong will.
"No, no more. You are tipsy, but you drink anymore, and you'll get drunk. You've had quite a bit, so I'm surprised you are doing this well." She was more affectionate too. She still had her arm around him and didn't move back from her display of possession of him, so he didn't move from his.
Kyoko sighed and put her head on his shoulder. "Ok. I don't want to get drunk. People do and say stupid things when drunk," she spoke while playing with one of the buttons on his shirt.
"How would you know this?" He asked trying to keep his mind off of her warm little body.
"I worked at a ryokan for most of my life and currently work at a restaurant that has a happy hour. They don't let me work on happy hour anymore since some of the drunkards would hit on me and try and grab me." She pouted and his hand covered hers on his abs.
"That's good then. I agree with their decision, you shouldn't have to put up with that," Ren agreed with a stern voice. She looked up into his intense eyes as he spoke. His hand caressed hers lightly.
"I don't get to help them out as often as before, sometimes that is the only time I can. They have me wash dishes then." She put her head back down and took a deep breath making her eyes close.
"You smell good, Ren," she said innocently.
This was dangerous. He wanted to take her away and kiss her, hold her all night and never let her go. Someone once described what alcohol does to a person in a way he completely agreed with. Alcohol makes you do things you'd normally refrain from doing but secretly want to.
If all the hate and revenge were stripped away from her heart, is this what she would be like? She called him Ren so easily; does she secretly want to call him Ren? She started touching him the more she drank and her temper grew the more women came around to talk to him.
"Now, that is a good pick-up line," he finally said, and she turned her head and smiled up at him.
"It is?" She asked. He nodded, and she gave him the most dazzling smile. Kyoko pulled away from him slightly, only her upper body so she wasn't snuggling against his shoulder anymore.
"Do you know anymore of the funny ones?" She tilted her head in a cute way, eyes glittering in the lights. He smiled and nodded.
"OW!" His hand rushed to his cheek. He watched her face fall in concern and her hands rush up towards his face.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"My tooth hurts, because you're soo sweet." Ren finished with a smile, and Kyoko started giggling after lightly pushing him. He smiled and leaned into her ear.
"I think I need to call heaven, because they've lost one of their angels." She blushed and giggled. Ren whispered every single funny or sweet pick-up line he knew for the rest of the night. She giggled and laughed, blushed and rolled her eyes. She even caught on and tried to make up a few of her own. She didn't even mind the few sexual ones he snuck in.
Kyoko never moved from her close position beside him. She never pushed him away from her ear or freaked when his hand was at her hip or moved up to her waist. She often left her hand on his thigh or his chest. Her back was even being shown off as she was turned towards him. His fingers itched to touch her skin but didn't want to test her limits. He was in heaven watching her laugh and blush because of him. Anytime a woman came to their table, Mio appeared and the woman quickly left. The loud music around them fell upon deaf ears. The only sounds they heard were his voice and her beautiful laugh.
