Chapter 5: A Big Step
I do not own One Piece! That will always belong to Eiichiro Oda!
"Who hit you?" Arlong asked again.
"Arlong, please," Nami sobbed softly.
"Nami, I can't let this slide," he said, struggling to control his anger. "I can't ignore this. Someone did this to you, and I refuse to let them get away with this."
She buried her face into his chest, clutching tightly to the fabric of his shirt. "Please," she begged him. "Please let it go."
Arlong didn't want to let it go but seeing how upset Nami was; he decided to do as she asked. He needed to focus on Nami's well-being and get ice on her swollen cheek. "Let's go back to the apartment where we can ice this," he said, lightly touching her bruise.
"Okay," her voice was nearly a whisper.
~~.~~.~~
"Go and relax on the couch," Arlong said when he opened the door. "I'll bring the icepack."
Nami laid down on the couch as Arlong went to get the icepack from the freezer. He returned a few minutes later with the icepack wrapped in a clean dish towel, placing it on her cheek.
"Are you hungry, kitten?" he said, brushing her hair as he crouched by the couch.
"A little," she said.
"Okay, I'll go and get us dinner," he said, getting up only to have Nami grip his arm. He was surprised to see her afraid. "I won't be gone long, maybe twenty to thirty minutes. There's no reason to be afraid, not here."
Tiger walked in, looking tired but happy to be home. "So, what are you two lovebirds up to, behaving, I hope."
"Big bro, can you look after Nami while I get dinner?" Arlong said, looking at the man.
"What's going on?" Tiger said, coming to the couch. "What happened?"
"Someone hit Nami, but she won't tell me who it was, and the moment I said I was going to get us food—"
"I'll go and get it," Tiger said, carrying his duffle bag to his bedroom. "You stay here and watch her."
"Are you sure?" Arlong asked.
"She's your girl, so you need to be here for her," Tiger said. "You know what you were getting?"
"I was thinking Chinese," Arlong said.
"Sounds like a plan," Tiger said, and then he was out the door.
Taking a sit on the couch, he turned on the tv in time to catch the finals of the yearly Restaurant Wars. Nami sat up, watching with interest while Arlong gave a frustrated sigh as the Baratie remained the undefeated champion.
"What are the Restaurant Wars?" she asked.
"You never of it?" Arlong looked so surprised as she shook her head. "You might refer to it as a SuperBowl for restaurants. Every year restaurants compete not only for bragging rights but for pride."
"If that's true, why hasn't Arlong Park ever entered?"
"A restaurant can't enter this competition easily," Arlong said. "A community invites them to compete, and sadly I'm not good enough to earn an invitation."
Nami moved closer to him, resting a hand on his knee. "You'll get it one day," she said. "When you do, you'll win."
Arlong chuckled, wrapping an arm around her, bringing her closer to him. "I'm supposed to be cheering you up, and here you are, being my cheerleader." He grew serious then. "Nami, I know you don't want to tell me, but you know I will find out, so please tell me. I love you, and I will protect you."
"What happened was my fault."
"Your fault? What do you mean?"
"Genzo learned about us dating," Nami said. "He threatened to tell Belle-mere about our relationship if I didn't end it."
'I'm going to make him pay for this,' Arlong thought. "Was it Genzo who hit you?"
"No. Arlong, he said you were using me and that you were dangerous; you even had a criminal record."
He could not look at her for the time, and he had to look away. The one thing he never wanted to talk about was his past, of the things he had done. He wasn't proud of what he of the things he had done. So how did Genzo learn about his criminal record? What did he tell Nami of it?
'I can't lose her. I can't tell her about my past.'
"He threatened to tell Belle-mere if I didn't," Nami said. "Belle-mere demanded the truth, and…. I told her the truth. She was so angry with me, and when I said that you had stayed the night at the house—"
"It was her that hit you?" Arlong looked at her.
"She threw me out," Nami started to cry. "She threw me out because I said I loved you and wanted to be with you."
"You want to be with me? Even after I was a damn ass over that stupid fight?"
"I love you," Nami said. "And we were both being asses over that."
Arlong had to admit that was true. A thought crossed his mind right then. "Not to pry, but what are you going to do? Do you think you'll be allowed to return home?"
"I don't know," Nami said worriedly. "I could try and find an apartment of my own."
Arlong thought then he had an idea, but he worried that Nami might disagree. "Live with me," he said.
"What," Nami said, surprised.
Nervously, he explained himself. "We love each other, so why shouldn't we live together. I want you by my side. I want to wake in the morning and fall asleep at night with you."
He wasn't sure what her answer would be. It would, in all honesty, be the most significant step in their relationship. Arlong was willing to try it, but it still depended on Nami's answer.
"Arlong, I…." Nami was struggling to speak.
"If you did find an apartment, the question is can you afford it monthly?" Arlong said. "I know you want to be a navigator, which requires a good amount of money. So you would have to choose one or the other. I know what I am saying sounds mean, but it is true."
Nami was staring at her folded hands which rested on her lap. Arlong, she knew, was speaking the truth. There was no way she could afford an apartment or even tuition to become a navigator. On top of that, there were also groceries she would need, among other things. She almost wanted to cry. But, instead, Arlong rested a hand on hers, and she looked at him.
"At least living together, you won't have to choose," he said. "You save up for your dream."
"I can't live here and not help pay the rent," Nami objected.
Arlong laughed. "Rent? Kitten, I own this apartment. I bought it years ago when I first came to the city."
"But Tiger- "
"Big brother helps out on groceries," Arlong said. "We take turns on the food budget. But he still helps pay for the electricity, heating, garbage, and our reserved parking places."
"I don't know if I cover half of those costs," she admitted nervously.
"Kitten, you and I would do this as a couple," he said.
"A couple? Like husband and wife?" Now she looked very nervous.
Arlong was rubbing the back of his neck, looking more nervous than her. "Well…. something along those lines."
It was then that Tiger returned with dinner, but he wasn't alone. Kuroobi, Chew, and Hachi followed right behind him. Nami suddenly got up from the couch and hurried straight to Arlong's bedroom, shutting the door, which made Arlong concerned. Had something happened while he was gone?
"So, how did Nami do as assistant manager?" Arlong asked. Now it was Hachi's turn to look uneasy. "You did decide to give Nami a chance, right?"
"Well…." Hatchi said nervously.
"I left you with instructions, and I remember saying to give Nami a chance at the position," Arlong said.
"Are you sure?" Hachi asked.
"Am I sure?!" Arlong said, ready to snap. "I left you hand-written instructions of what I would like taken care of."
"That's how that little shit did it," Kuroobi said.
"What are you talking about?" Arlong looked at Kuroobi.
"Dude, Fullbody," Chew said. "He was the assistant manager in training for that week."
"Fullbody," Arlong said. "I wanted him gone before I got back."
"Then why did you say you wanted him to get trained?" Hachi said.
Arlong wanted to hit Hachi but didn't. He was a good friend; sadly, he wasn't brilliant and could get duped easily. Kuroobi and Chew even realized what had happened. Fullbody has changed Arlong's instructions making sure that he wasn't fired but instead became the assistant manager in training.
"Dude, he humiliated Nami in front of the whole kitchen staff," Chew said.
"Humiliated? What do you mean by that?"
"Fullbody kept hitting on her, and then one night, in front all of us, he grabbed her breasts," Kuroobi said.
"He did what?!" Arlong snapped.
That was the final nail in Fullbody's coffin, and taking his cellphone, he stepped out on the balcony where he called up Fullbody.
"Hello. Assistant manager Fullbody speaking," the man answered.
"Assistant manager," Arlong snarled. "You damn little shit! You made sure that it was you instead of Nami."
"B-boss, I can explain," Fullbody stammered.
"You can save your damn explanation. Not only did you make sure that you got the training, but I learned that you dared to grope my girlfriend's breasts while at the job!"
"Girlfriend! That dishwasher?!"
"I didn't stammer, you arrogant ass," Arlong said. "And don't dare apologize because you're fired!"
He hung up, still fuming with rage. It took longer for him to calm himself, but he did finally. Going back inside, he headed to his bedroom and found Nami curled up on the bed, hugging herself. Seeing her like that, he blamed himself for what Fullbody did to her.
"Kitten, what happened to you was my fault," he said, sitting on the bed's edge. "I should have picked the people I wanted to be trained instead of leaving instructions. As for Fullbody, I just fired him over the phone, but it still won't change what happened to you."
"I walked out," Nami said. "After he did that, I walked out in the middle of the shift."
"I don't blame you for doing that."
"I haven't been back since that night…."
Arlong looked at her. "Are you telling me that you quit?"
Nami hugged herself more as she nodded. She couldn't look at him.
"Did you tell Hachi that you quit?
"No."
Arlong was quiet for a moment as he thought. "Well, in truth, you haven't," he said. "You never told Hachi, and if you had, he would, in turn, have told me."
Nami slowly sat up, looking at him. "That is true," she said.
"But you quit without telling anyone," Arlong narrowed his eyes. "Walking off the job, I have to hire a new dishwasher."
"I'll start over," Nami said. "I'll work with no pay."
"I can't have that," he said, getting up. "I will find a new dishwasher." Arlong walked to the door as Nami struggled not to cry. "Though I do have an opening for an assistant manager, and I will need it filled very soon."
Nami's eyes grew more prominent as he shyly looked back at her. Was he asking her if she wanted to be the assistant manager? Before she could answer, Arlong left the room.
~~.~~.~~
"Don't you have your homes of your own?" Arlong asked, seeing his friends sitting in the kitchen eating the Chinese takeout that Tiger had gotten.
"Yeah, but you have the much more incredible and bigger tv," Chew said.
"Could always buy your own," Arlong said as he got a couple of plates. "And will you leave some food for Nami and me?!" As Chew was helping himself again.
"I tried doing that," Kuroobi said, jerking a thumb a Chew. "This shit head keeps blowing money on his stupid video games."
"Dude, there is nothing wrong with my games," Chew said.
"There is when you're playing them like two in the morning, and you wake me up," Kuroobi retorted. "If it is not that, it's your music you have blasting away."
"Maybe you should find a girlfriend," Tiger suggested as he opened a beer, nodding at Chew.
"Girlfriend? Him?" Arlong said, nearly wanting to laugh. "Hell would freeze over if that happened."
"I can get a girl if I want," Chew said.
"Then why haven't you?" Hachi asked. "You hit on enough of them last week."
"They couldn't decide if they wanted a piece of this action," Chew puffed his chest out.
"No, they can tell a beach bum from a guy with class," Arlong pointed out as he picked up the plated food and took his leave.
"Dude, that such bullshit," Chew said.
"It's true," Kuroobi said. "He has class, and you don't."
~~.~~.~~
"Kitten?" Arlong said, opening the door with the plates balanced on his free arm. "Are you hungry….?"
His voice trailed off as Nami stepped out of the bathroom, still wrapped in a towel. She gave a startled yelp before she hurried back into the bathroom, closing the door. Arlong put the plates on the dresser before getting out a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He knocked on the bathroom room door, which opened enough for her to see what Arlong handed over. The moment the door closed, he went out to the kitchen to get water bottles for them both. Nami was sitting in the middle of the bed when he returned. Arlong being taller than her, Nami had to roll up the legs of his sweatpants some. He was surprised that she seemed ashamed wearing something like this. Arlong always saw her wearing the proper young lady outfits, which consisted of skirts, blouses, and pullover sweater vests; never anything else.
Nami looked ready to cry as he sat beside her, "You look beautiful no matter what you wear."
"I'm supposed to be a lady," Nami said. "I've always worn the proper attire growing up."
"What's wrong wearing this?" Arlong gestured to the clothes he gave her. "You don't always have to dress like the proper lady when home, not with me. There is no reason you can't change your wardrobe up some." Seeing the look she gave him, he nodded to his dresser. "Go look, and tell me what you see."
Nami did as he asked. Shirts of different styles were in one drawer with socks and underwear. The second drawer had cargo and sweatpants with shorts.
"Well?"
"Surprisingly, I have hardly seen you wear these clothes," Nami said. "Except the sweatpants, and you wore them to bed."
"Would you have preferred me sleeping in the nude?" Arlong asked as he gave her a teasing grin.
Thankfully she wasn't looking at him, or Arlong would have seen how beet red her cheeks would be. Instead, she shifted her eyes to the plates that were still sitting. "Dinner is probably cold," she said.
"Should have warmed it up before I brought it," Arlong said. "I'll go warm them up in the microwave."
While he went and did that, Nami gathered up her clothes, going to the stackable washer/ dryer unit in the other bathroom. It was surprising that her clothes had gotten filthy from running and falling on the street, yet they did. Her thoughts drifted to the possibility that she would have to buy a new set of clothes for work and everyday wear which made her wonder if she even had access to her bank account. Both Nojiko and her had Belle-mere on their bank accounts in case of emergencies.
"Oh, Nami."
She blinked, coming out of the slight daze she had been in as Tiger entered the bathroom. "I'm sorry," she apologized.
"I should be the one who should apologize," the tall man said. "I didn't know you were using the washer first."
"She's still in here?" Arlong looked in. "Kitten, are you okay?"
"Why don't you two go have a chat?" Tiger suggested. "I can look after Nami's wash for her."
"Nami, are you feeling okay?" Arlong asked, leading her to the couch.
Thankfully Kuroobi, Hachi, and Chew had left, so it was only them and Tiger. Arlong had placemats on the coffee table for their plates. Nami, at the moment, wasn't hungry and pushed her plate away, which caused concern for Arlong.
He placed a hand on top of hers. "You need to try and eat," he begged.
Before Nami could say anything, there was a knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" Arlong said as Tiger went to answer it. "Because no way it's Chew or the guys since they walk in like they own the place."
"Can I help you, miss?" Tiger asked the moment he opened it.
"This is where Arlong Okane lives, right?"
Nami was on her feet the moment she heard the voice. "Nojiko!"
"Nami," Nojiko said, going straight to Nami, hugging her. "You're safe. You don't mind if I have a chat with my little sister?"
Arlong rose from the couch. "Whatever," he said, heading for the balcony. "Take as long as you damn want."
Tiger sighed. "I'll go and keep an eye on him," he said, going to the kitchen to grab a couple of beers before following Arlong onto the balcony.
"How did you know I would be here?" Nami asked as they sat on the couch.
"I grabbed some things for you before I left the house for a while," Nojiko said, opening up her purse to take out Nami's cellphone with its charger, wallet, and an overnight bag that contained a hairbrush, toothbrush, and a few other personal items. "Lucky Belle-mere did not find your new emergency contact information."
Nami swallowed. She hadn't even told Arlong yet that she would make him her emergency contact. "I don't even know if I want to have him as my emergency contact."
"What do you mean?" Nojiko questioned her. "Are you saying that you suddenly don't love Arlong, or is this because of what happened tonight?"
"I don't have a home anymore, let alone a job," Nami said.
"What do you mean?"
Nami told her sister what had happened with Fullbody and walked out during her shift.
"Nami, you shouldn't have done that," Nojiko said.
"I know," Nami said. "I'm not sure, but I think Arlong wants me to be his assistant manager."
"Then do it."
"What?"
"Nami, take the position," Nojiko said. "You would be foolish not to."
"I don't know if I can," Nami said, rubbing her upper arm. "I haven't even answered his question about living here with him."
"The man is serious if he asked that," Nojiko said.
"I'm not sure if I can," Nami said.
"What happened to I want to be with Arlong because I love him?" her sister asked. "Nami, I was there when you said it. So, do you or do you not love him?"
Nami looked at Nojiko, who was giving her a severe look.
"You better have an answer because he's hurting from what I can see here," Nojiko said.
Nami turned and could see Arlong, his hands covering his face, hunched over as he sat in a chair with Tiger sitting in the other chair by him. She had never seen Arlong act like that, and seeing that made Nami's heartache.
~~.~~.~~
"She's going to leave me," Arlong said repeatedly.
"Calm yourself down," Tiger said, sitting a beer on the glass tabletop before he took a seat in a chair near Arlong, his beer in his hand. "You're getting all worked up."
"I know she will," Arlong said, ignoring Tiger's words. "I shouldn't have asked her to live with me. I know she isn't ready, but I asked her."
"You asked her?" Tiger said to which Arlong nodded. "You're really in love."
"I'm not in the mood for your jokes."
"I'm not joking. I remember all those past girlfriends you had, and never once were you serious with them," Tiger said. "You've changed since you started seeing Nami."
Though he didn't drink alcohol as Tiger did at times, Arlong finished the beer off quickly before he covered his face with his hands. He was mentally beating himself up for asking Nami to live with him, and he had yet to ask her if she wanted to be his assistant manager.
'You know better than to rush her into anything, and what did you do? Asked her to live with you! Besides that, you have yet to tell her about your past! How is she going to handle that when you tell her?'
He was so absorbed with the mental berating he was giving himself, unaware of Nami coming onto the balcony until he felt her wrap her arms around him. The moment he felt her touch Arlong automatically clung to her as if she was his lifeline absorbing the warmth and the love she gave him. Tiger quietly rose from his seat, grabbed the empty beer can, and went inside, knowing the pair would want to be alone.
"Arlong, Nami said.
"I know you aren't ready, and I shouldn't have asked you to live with me," he said, becoming surprisingly emotional.
"I want to," Nami said.
"Wha?" Arlong sat up at her words, unsure he had heard them right.
"I said I want to," she said, cupping his face with her hands and looking right at him. "Yes, I admit I was frightened by the whole idea of us living together, but Nojiko reminded me of what I said tonight to Belle-mere, about me wanting to be with you because I love you. You're the man I want to spend my life with."
Arlong's eyes widened in surprise to hear Nami admit that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with; no woman had ever said that. Then again, he had never felt anything in terms of love except for money. Nami had made him see how wrong he was, made him feel loved and wanted by a woman. He realized how much he wanted her to be part of his life. Arlong knew in his heart that he wished not only to marry Nami but to have children with her.
"We should go inside and finish our dinner," Nami said.
"We should," Arlong said, nodding as he stood up.
"I'll try to get some of your clothes," Nojiko said as she prepared to leave.
"If you're worried about your mother following you, drop Nami's clothes off at the restaurant," Arlong said. "I'll make sure she gets them."
Nojiko nodded as she gave her sister another hug and then headed out. For their dinner, Arlong and Nami ate more relaxed now, watching tv before retiring to the bedroom for the night.
~~.~~.~~
Arlong, having changed into a pair of pajama pants, closed the window curtains above the bed halfway as Nami closed the door. The room was illuminated by moonlight as they climbed into bed neither felt tired as they cuddled.
"Tomorrow, we should take care of a few things since it is our day off," Arlong said.
"Isn't our stock and supplies coming in tomorrow?" Nami asked, remembering that Arlong Park was closed one day a week, which was the day their food and other needed supplies came in.
"Tiger can help Kuroobi with that," Arlong said. "I don't feel like looking at that rat-faced Nezumi."
"I thought you allowed me to handle the rat," Nami said.
Arlong chuckled. "And you handle him well."
~~Early in Arlong and Nami's relationship~~
"Where's Arlong?" demanded Nezumi as he gave Nami a nasty, dirty look.
"He's busy at the moment," Nami said, moving to block the rear door. "You still have to finish the past food order you failed to deliver."
Nezumi stood 5' 11 ½" tall and was greedy as he was arrogant. He had brown hair, and with the small soul patch, the man had whiskers like a rat which matched his rodent-like appearance, including his manners.
"Chi chi chi chi," Nezumi said with a laugh. "I have no idea what you're referring to."
"This!" Nami shoved the sales order into his face, pointing to the outrageous price he was charging for the order of lobster. "That's four times the amount for that lobster."
"Ah, did you not know that lobster prices are now rising?" Nezumi asked, lying through his teeth.
"That is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard," Nami said. "Arlong will not pay that, and we all know it! Besides, you still have those other orders to finish filling before you get another penny!"
Nezumi's eyes nearly bugged out as Nami shoved a handwritten list of items that he had conveniently forgotten to fill the last time. "What?! You can't be serious?!"
"Proudly serious," Nami said. "Fill that, and you'll get paid."
"If I refuse to do so?"
Smiling sweetly, Nami grabbed the whiskers on the left side of Nezumi's face and pulled them hard. The man screeched in pain as tears ran down his face. The kitchen staff paused in their duties to watch the chaos Nami was giving Nezumi. Leaning in the doorway, watching with arms folded, keeping his bandage out of sight, Arlong enjoyed the little show. Who knew Nami had such a nasty side?
"You win!" Nezumi said. "Let go! Please!"
"Only after you agree," Nami told him.
Nezumi, just wanting to get from the girl, was willing to do anything. "I agree! I agree! I'll finish filling the order! It will be here first thing in the morning, I promise!"
"Tonight," Arlong said, glaring at the man. "You will have the rest of that order here; then, I will pay you."
"You can't be serious?" Arlong gave a look that scared Nezumi, and he knew Arlong was not joking. "Did I say tomorrow? I meant tonight! Silly me, that was a mistake on my part."
"Good. Nami, let go of the rat," Arlong said, turning back in the office and then paused. "Oh, and Nezumi?"
"Y-yes?" the man said, rubbing his aching face.
"Nami will be overseeing the orders for me."
In front of the whole kitchen, Nezumi broke down crying so severely that everyone present burst out laughing. Arlong, satisfied with the result, smirked.
~~End of the Flashback~~
Arlong was still chuckling as he remembered it well. "I never thought I would see a grown cry as much as Nezumi did that night."
"He's never tried cheating the restaurant after that," Nami said.
"He knows than to do that now," Arlong said in amusement. "You still haven't given me your answer yet."
"On?" Nami asked.
"Assistant manager," Arlong said. "You supposed to be the one getting trained, not that little arrogant Fullbody."
"Why didn't you ask me if I wanted it?" she said, looking a little upset.
"I was going to, but you were upset with me that night," Arlong said. "That's why I gave Hachi instructions to pick you."
"Sadly, I wasn't."
"I know," Arlong said with an irritated sigh. "Fullbody found the instructions I left and made sure that he was not you. So I fired that little shit tonight for not only changing what I wrote but for also what he did to you."
Nami hugged herself turning her head some. "I felt so dirty when he did that," she said. "You never touched me like that, and when he did…."
"If I had been there when he did that," Arlong said. "I don't know if I could have kept my anger under control."
"I hated it. I hated that man touched me like that."
Arlong sat up to wrap his arms around her and bring her close to his body. "What he did was very wrong, and believe me, if I receive one request from an employer seeking to hire him, I will let them know of his sexual harassment."
"Arlong, what haven't you ever touched me like that? Aren't I attractive enough?"
Arlong was surprised. "You're different, and you deserved to be treated with respect as a proper young woman," he said. "I've treated you with great respect, and I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable around me."
"But you have been wanting me?" she said.
"I won't lie that I haven't been wanting you," he admitted. "There were times that I wanted to…."
"You wanted to what?"
Never had he felt so ashamed as Arlong did at that moment. "That I wanted to make you mine so often that I thought I would go mad."
"Why didn't you ask?" Nami said.
"I couldn't," he said. "All my past relationships, it was never about love; it was only about sex. We have something different, special, and I didn't want to ruin it."
"Is that why you haven't asked if I want to have sex with you?"
"Are you saying that you wanted to?" Arlong said, to which Nami nodded. "Nami, that is the one thing that I want to be special between us, not like a pair of horny animals. You deserved to be treated like the beauty you are, a queen."
"What about now? We're living together, sharing the same bed," Nami said.
"That I didn't think about," Arlong said, laying back down. "I didn't take that into consideration."
Arlong had closed his eyes to think, only to have Nami start planting small light kisses on his chest. He inhaled sharply as her fingers danced lightly across his muscled abdomen. He felt his control slipping some as his hungry desire started to stir awake. He had to stop this before it went further where there would be no turning back.
"Nami…. please," he said. "You don't know what you're starting."
"Don't you deserve to have the attention you've wanted?" Nami asked, sitting up to look at him.
Did he hear her right? She was asking him if he deserved attention? The question crossed his mind was how far was Nami willing to go? Did she trust him on that level that she would be ready for it?
"Do you trust me?" he asked.
"You know I do," Nami said.
He reached up to caress her face. "Do you trust me with your whole self? Are you so willing to learn on such an emotional level?"
He felt the slight shiver that went through her. He didn't blame her if she was nervous as well afraid. She knew as well as he did that this was another big step in their relationship. She understood that he wanted her to be sure.
"I fully trust you," she said.
"Good," he said, his fingers lightly moving down her neck. "You have the right to tell me to stop if you feel uncomfortable."
Nami nodded as he guided her back to him and kissed her with a hungry desire, his fingers lacing through her orange hair while his other hand slipped underneath her shirt. She gave a small delicate moan as he stroked the lower part of her back.
"That's my good girl," Arlong said, giving her neck little nips before he gently sucked on her neck.
Nami shuddered as he continued to suck and nip along her neck before moving to her ear lobe. She gasped for a brief second, then gave a small moan. "A-arlong," she said, nearly melting in his embrace.
"Is that too much?" Arlong asked, his warm breath tickling her ear slightly.
"No," she said shakily.
Arlong laid back, curious about her answer. "Do you wish for me to stop?"
"I…. I don't know," Nami said with uncertainty. "I don't know what I want. I never felt like this."
"Like what?"
"Confused by the feelings I'm having," Nami said.
Arlong smiled, sitting up to stroke her left cheek with a thumb. "It's perfectly natural for you to feel like this. We've never been this intimate before, so this is new to you."
"I'm sorry," Nami said.
"Don't be," Arlong said. "This, to me, is very special between us. We won't know what we will or what we won't like if we aren't open to each other."
"I've never…." Her voice trailed off.
"I don't mind that," he said, smiling at her. "I said I wanted our first time together to be very special for you, and it doesn't mean we have to have sex right away."
"We don't?"
"No," Arlong cupped her face. "Kitten, there are other ways to be intimate, and I'm willing to show you if you want me to."
"I want to know, but I don't want it to be just about me," Nami said. "This is a two-way street, and it's only fair that I know what you like."
Arlong couldn't help but smile with pride. His sweet, beautiful Nami was so different from his past lovers, and he was eager to teach her whatever she wanted to know. "Let's start your lessons then."
Nami smiled as he guided her back down on the bed as Arlong leaned down to capture her sweet lips in a deep passionate kiss.
Another step for Arlong and Nami in their relationship as they will start living together. What of Arlong's past? What secrets has he yet to reveal to Nami? Read and Review as always.
