Leather and Lace
By: Maidens of Konan
The Disclaimer: The rights to Fushigi Yûgi are owned by Yuu Watase. The rights to non-canon, original storyline, dialogue, and original characters belong to MOK. Please do not use, post or copy any part of this work of fiction without written permission; it would be such a pity to have the Four Gods seal you away with the despicable Tenkou and five thousand hungry, naked mole rats. Have a nice day.
Chapter warning: sprinklings of profanity and some very heavy kissing
Song mentioned in this chapter was composed by Noel Hogan and Dolores O' Riordan, copyright 1992 Island Records.
Chapter Twelve
A starlit mountain night, a gorgeous man and a passionate embrace; it was a scene straight out of her fantasies...only better, because it was real.
As Dante's lips worked their magic, Miaka closed her eyes and permitted herself to forget everything but floating on waves of pleasured happiness. It was exhilarating to be in his arms, feeling free of all earthly burdens. He brought all of her senses to life, made her world brighter just by being in it. She savored his taste, his every touch, and showed him through the passionate movements of her own hands and lips just how much she prized what he was.
In touching Miaka, Dante felt a door opening to a part of him that had lain buried and forgotten.
Everything about her being in his arms was familiar; she fit with him and his life as perfectly as if it had been preordained by some higher power. Kissing her wasn't only a precursor to further intimacy, it was another step closer to an important discovery, one that was as much about joining souls as it was about joining bodies.
Excitement spread like translucent wildfire within his being; he didn't need to look to know that the tattoo on his right forearm had come into prominence. Unexplainable as the phenomenon was, it also seemed natural and right. It was a sign they belonged together, a symbol of his unshakeable resolve and desire to keep Miaka safe, happy, and with him for always.
Reflecting that thought, his arm tightened around her waist and the fingers of his free hand tangled into silken waves of auburn hair, keeping her in a very secure hold as he took her lips again and again.
Several minutes and groups of people passed by ignored by the entwined couple on the picnic bench. But awareness of being in a public venue lurked just beneath the surface and kept them limited to hot and heavy kisses. When things threatened to go beyond that, Dante reluctantly separated their lips by raising his head.
He looked down with awe at the woman cradled in his arms.
A shuddering sigh escaped her lips, and her eyes mirrored the stars shining above their heads.
"Incredible." She breathed.
His hand slipped from her hair to gently stroke and hold her cheek. "Yeah. You feel it too, don't ya? I mean… that there's a hell of a lot more history between us than we know?"
If she had any doubts that Dante was aware of the timeless bond that ran between them, he had put them to rest. But just the same she had to ask, had to make sure she hadn't misunderstood. "You mean as in what you were saying before? That we knew each other in another time and place, and were destined to find each other again?"
His arm lifted and his fingers trailed through her hair once more. "Yeah, like that. The more we're together, the more I'm sure that our meetin' each other and hitting it off like we have isn't by chance. It's like some part of me recognizes you..."
Miaka nodded in affirmation, her heart thundering with a different kind of excitement than before.
Was this a breakthrough? Were the memories crossing over? Was it time to tell Dante about their adventures together in Konan?
It was an extremely tempting prospect to do so, but also a dangerous one. She was far from an expert at memory restoration. She didn't have the book, Taiitsukun, or her other seishi about to corroborate her story, and as far as she knew, there weren't any memory stones to be found in this world.
And it couldn't be overlooked that though he was open minded, Dante was a cop, which meant he dealt primarily with and in facts. To get him to accept an explanation without any tangible proof would require a major suspension of disbelief on his part. He would have to take it purely on faith and her word. Not an impossible feat, given the belief he'd just stated, but not having an idea of how to proceed if he ever did recall his past existence and their history together was reckless at best, and horribly negligent at worst. Some memories would prove to be painful, to say the very least. She needed to be fully prepared to help him cope with the fallout from any of those revelations, whatever they might entail.
The first and foremost revelation would be to tell Taka about Dante. Until that one happened, nothing else could move forward.
The brush of a finger against the tip of her nose caught her attention.
"Hey. Whatcha thinkin'?" Dante asked.
"That you're absolutely right. We did know each other in a past life." She was taking a bit of a risk saying that much, but knowing he was receptive to the possibility of being reborn, a general discussion on the subject shouldn't do any harm.
"You sound pretty damn sure."
"You sound surprised."
"I guess I am." He admitted with a half smile. "A lot of people I know would be tellin' me I'm kinda out there with that theory."
"You're not. What you are feeling is the truth. You and I did have a connection in the past." She stated with clear and unshakeable conviction.
Dante was watching her closely, and nodded, as if satisfied. "Gotta say that it makes me feel a whole lot better to hear you agree. It's not a normal kind of feeling...I wasn't sure if I was imagining things or what."
She simply smiled, not wanting to say or do anything to sabotage or impede what seemed to be a major step forward.
"And I was really hopin' I wasn't just imagining it," he continued, "because I'm all for us hookin' up wherever and whenever throughout time."
His wolfish grin made her giggle.
"Me too." She said.
"Good." His hand palmed the nape of her neck. "'I'd say now is a pretty good time, wouldn't you?"
His mouth came down on hers before she could answer. Miaka closed her eyes in silent surrender, allowing his lips and hands to reduce her to a mass of malleable putty as her arms lifted, doubled about his neck and pulled him closer. She arched her body into his and the kiss deepened, his stroking tongue and the hand caressing the curve of her hip moving in tandem, setting off a delicious quivering in her tummy.
His touch warmed her... tantalized her...made her crave more of him.
The craving was so strong, she had to express it with a moan.
Dante replied with a whispered endearment and the enveloping warmth of his hand upon her breast. He cupped it with a gentleness akin to reverence, then traced its circumference with his fingertips as she gasped, her head falling back against his shoulder. Taking quick advantage of her offering, he abandoned her mouth in favor of nuzzling and nipping his way along the tender curve of her throat while his thumb moved in circles over her hardened, cloth covered nipple. The combined onslaught of sensation made her curl her fingers into his shoulders as kindled desire burst into flames.
With swift efficiency, she pulled his t-shirt out of his jeans, then slipped a hand beneath it to caress the lean, muscled heat of his abdomen. Remembering what had pleased him before, she moved her fingers over him in slow, sensuous strokes, adding fuel to the fire that was building between them.
Dante groaned, shuddered, and lifted his head to reclaim her lips in another long, hot kiss. She responded with abandon, pressing herself into his body.
Scant seconds later, her mouth and her breast were released simultaneously and her roaming hand was dragged out from under his shirt. Her whimpering protest was muffled by a fierce hug, as Dante buried his face in the hollow between her neck and shoulder. His breathing came fast and hard, and his lips brushed warmth over her skin as he whispered,
"Hate to say it, but we better move on before someone comes."
She looked around in confusion. "There's no one here."
"Not now, but the park patrol will be comin' by soon, an' I don't want to be doin' somethin' that would get us cited for indecency."
She turned her head to whisper into his ear. "I don't care. I don't want to go."
"And God knows I don't wanna, but-" He broke off on a gasp as she began to nibble gently on his ear lobe. "Dammit, Miaka... you're making this way too hard!"
"Hmm. Is that possible?"
If her words hadn't, her soft laugh and the flickering caress of her tongue tip around the outer shell of his ear confirmed that she wasn't taking his protest seriously.
"Little minx! I didn't mean that!"
"Mmmhmm. Whatever you say, Officer." She lowered her head to his throat, caressing every inch of it with her lips, tongue and teeth.
Dante bit back a groan. How had she known those areas were extra sensitive for him? "Okay, ya gotta stop now...really." Pleasure weakened the directive as she drew some of his flesh into her mouth and gently sucked at it. "Ahhh...Miaka...are ya…mmmmm...listenin' to me?"
"No." She mouthed the solitary word against his skin, stirring stray tendrils of his hair with her quickened breath. Her mouth moved upwards to the sensitive hollow below his ear, and nuzzled it gently.
Dante sighed, closed his eyes and tipped his head to allow her better access. He was high on her, and no longer gave a damn if she knew he was in her power and had no resistance to her touch.
As she rained kisses over his jaw and trailed them down the length of his throat, he relished her attentions with quiet sounds of approval.
When her mouth sought his lips, they parted, allowing her tongue full access to his.
Miaka angled her head to deepen the kiss. Her breasts felt heavy, and the flowing sensation at the junction of her thighs was increasing. She shifted restlessly, then attempted to straddle Dante's lap to ease the erotic buildup of feeling. Unfortunately for her, the movement snapped him out of his amorous haze.
"Miaka." He groaned against her lips.
"Yes?" She moaned back.
"Gotta stop."
"Just a little longer-"
He broke off the kiss then, holding her firmly in place.
She blinked up at him in hurt surprise. "Dante?"
The unspoken plea was all too evident in her voice and her eyes.
"No more, dammit." His voice was low and rough. "I can't take any more."
"Didn't you like what I was doing?"
"God, yes!" He gritted. A hard press of his pelvis against her buttocks added proof to his words.
"Then why won't you let me -"
She made a move to touch him, but he caught up her hand in his.
"Because I can't unwrap a package that isn't mine!"
Right after uttering the words, Dante wanted to smack himself. Apart from the frustration of denying her what she wanted, what the hell was he thinking in dictating terms and handing out ultimatums after knowing her for two days? It was completely insane, especially when the other guy had been with her for years! And using sex as a reward for her deciding to dump the other guy? That wasn't exactly a game winner of an idea either!
I've probably fucking blown it. But I won't give up! I can't! "Ah hell, Miaka, I'm sorry. I've got no right to-"
"Don't apologize, Dante!"
He blinked, totally thrown by her vehemence and the shining tenderness in her eyes.
So she wasn't going to rip him a new one. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"You have every right to express your feelings to me." She continued. "You're an honorable man who wants to do things the right way. I place the highest value on that kind of honesty, it's so rare and wonderful."
A female considering his forthrightness an attribute? Had hell frozen over?
And on top of that, she was looking at him as if he were some kind of... hero?
He blew out a breath. "You're not mad?"
"How could I be when you're telling me the truth?" She sighed. "And you deserve the same. My truth is that I knew that I should have settled things with Taka before I went over to see you that first night...and definitely before going out on this date." She looked down at the ground, then up at him again. "Instead of handling things in the proper way, I cut corners and went full speed ahead in acting on my feelings for you. What I've done, and how I've handled this so far, should raise doubts in your mind about my character."
He gazed at her, pained that she would have to regret having done anything with him. "No way would I question that. You didn't know you were gonna meet me, that this was gonna happen. You've been nothin' but fair an' open with me and I know you're going to be honest with him when the time comes."
Miaka stared at him, cheeks darkening in the glow of nearby sidewalk lamps."But I still-"
"No buts!" He said, interrupting. "Everything I know and feel and see about ya says that you're a sweet, lovin' and loyal woman who wouldn't think of giving your body to a man without also givin' him this." She sucked in a breather as he covered her heart with his hand. "This is the whole package. This is what I want. When you're ready to give it to me...and only me... there's gonna be no holdin' me back."
His voice was like velvet over sandpaper, rubbing her in all the right places. His gaze was fiery and intense, and made her feel as if they were back on the couch in his living room.
She shivered, an involuntary reaction to heightened sensation.
In a second, Dante's expression had changed to concern.
"Hell's Bells, woman!" He exclaimed, running his hands up and down her arms, which were covered with goose bumps. "You're freezing! Whether we wanna go or not, it's definitely time to get you back to the car!"
Miaka held back the protest that it wasn't the cold, and the passion he ignited had kept her insides as warm as a toasted marshmallow, but her respect for his feelings about her situation with Taka precluded sharing that bit of information. Dante was right to put the brakes on, and he was both honorable and generous in insisting she make things right with Taka. Which made her feel even more disgusted with herself. Even if he wasn't questioning her character, she was wondering about it...
Why had it been so easy to slip into having physical contact with Dante when she'd been so adamant about rejecting those sorts of feelings in regards to any other man besides Taka up until now? Granted she'd been unhappy, and granted she'd had some lustful thoughts about Tasuki in the past year. But even if the last time in the book had brought her to an unwilling acknowledgement of a hidden attraction for the bandit warrior, and an awareness of the strong possibility that he'd cared for her in a romantic sense, the thought of actually exploring those feelings had been completely out of the question.
So long ago, she had had tunnel vision, and the man at the end of that tunnel had been Taka. She had come to the end of it now, but the view that had once been unchangable had been changed...not by magic or spells or wishes, but by her own heart.
Had Tasuki known that things had changed, or was there some other reason for him finding her?
What had to have happened to bring him here?
Miaka pressed her lips together to steady them. Just the thought of what the bandit seishi might have done to get to this point made her feel weepy and a lot more conscious of the nighttime chill.
As she began to shiver in earnest, Dante released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her tightly against him. "That better?"
She snuggled into his side, as grateful for the solid reassurance of his presence as she was for his body heat. "So much better. Thank you, Dante-kun."
"Anytime, darlin'." He replied. "Anytime."
Dante's vehicle provided shelter from the elements, but no protection from forbidden thoughts. A melancholy fell over Miaka as she buckled her seat belt. All too soon Dante would be dropping her off at her apartment and putting an end to an unforgettable first date. Funny, how the thought of solitude- the same solitude that she had been craving after a hard day's work - had now become almost unbearable after spending an evening in Dante's company. She dreaded their impending separation and it wouldn't take much to throw caution to the wind to get him to stay.
But she owed it to Dante, Taka and herself to make an honest and thorough evaluation of her feelings. Making a decision based on raging hormones would be insensitive, careless, and wrong.
The sound of the engine roaring to life had her looking at Dante. His hand was resting on the steering wheel and she found herself staring at it . It was such a powerful, capable hand that she now knew could express tremendous sensuality and tenderness.
The hand moved to grab and hold out the bottle of water he'd purchased for her. "Here. You seem to be doing okay, but just to be on the safe side..."
She took the water with a murmured thanks.
Dante hastily averted his gaze as she unscrewed the cap and took a long swallow. "Would ya like to listen to some music?" He asked, keeping his eyes trained on the dashboard. In his experience, music was always a safe topic of conversation, and provided a convenient filler for awkward silences as well.
She capped the bottle and replaced it in the cup holder next to her before answering him. "Yes, that would be fine."
"Any preference as to station?"
"Whatever you usually listen to would be nice."
Dante flicked on the stereo and then switched to his favorite station. "This one plays a lot of American pop and rock classics." He said, then paused as he checked for traffic and proceeded to back out of the lot. With an expert twist of the wheel, they were off and he continued, "it'd s be nice if we had an alternative music station that played Japanese artists. Imported CDs cost an arm and a leg here."
"You've listened to Japanese music?"
"Yeah, Craig got me into J-pop. He's also got a bunch of manga and an anime collection you wouldn't believe!"
Miaka was beaming. "Really? I'm amazed. I didn't think anime was that popular here."
"Craig was ahead of the curve, but it's big now, and getting more so all the time. He used to have to special order the stuff, but now a lot of it is available for a good price in the big box stores or on online." He shrugged. "He still spends bucks on season sets, but he gets a lot more for his money than in the early years."
"What kind of anime does he like to watch?"
"All kinds. He's got the mecha and shounen fighter stuff you'd expect, but he's got all of Miyazaki's stuff, and some of the classic shoujo series too. He doesn't care who it's geared for as long as there's great plotting and character development. He can give you the run down on dozens of shows."
"That's wonderful that he's so open minded!" She enthused. "Do you think he'd be willing to lend some to me if I asked nicely and promised to be careful with them?"
Dante was quiet for longer than she thought he'd be.
"Yeah." He finally replied. "Yeah, he'd be fine with that."
Miaka frowned, wondering about the tension she could hear in his voice. "But I suppose it's too soon to ask him for a favor, isn't it? We were just introduced, after all."
"If it's you askin', he'll be more than willin' to say yes."
The odd note in his voice was stronger now. She turned to gaze at him just as headlights from a car coming from behind them illuminated the interior of the SUV. After catching a glimpse of her companion's expression, an inkling of understanding came.
"I would love to start an anime collection dubbed in English." She said brightly. "It would be nice to have your help tracking things down in the stores."
"You sure? I don't know as much about it as Craig."
Ooh, he was definitely not happy. She kept her voice calm, though she was filled with dismay at her mistake. "It sounded to me like you know quite a bit. And I would much prefer to go with you."
Once again there was a silence.
"I think that could easily be arranged." Dante said. "Just let me know when you want to go."
The car had gone by them, and it was too dark to see his face. He sounded a lot more relaxed, but...
"You mentioned music, and I do happen to have a nice collection of Jpop CDs that I brought with me from home that you might enjoy." She said. "I have some home baked chocolate chip cookies, I could make you a snack while you pick out the music you want, and you can take them home tonight if you'd like."
She sent him a hopeful, sidelong look. Though his features were still in shadow, relief washed over her as she detected the white flash of his grin.
"Homemade cookies and imported cds...Miss Miaka, are my ears deceivin' me? Are you tryin' to bribe a cop?"
"There's no 'try' about it if it works!" She shot back, and he laughed. "Oh, and did I mention that I have double the usual amount of chocolate in my cookies?"
Dante's mouth watered. He had a thing for chocolate chip cookies, anyway, and if they were baked by Miaka...
God, but he was weak. Weak, and totally, hopelessly smitten.
"I suppose I couldn't get in too much trouble if I'm busy stuffing my face..." He mused.
"Of course! Cookies are the world's safest and most wholesome snack!" Miaka interjected happily.
He couldn't help smiling at her, although he knew he should have his head examined for giving in to her whim. It was going to be hell not to be able to touch her, especially with her bedroom so close by.
But it served him right for getting so uptight over Craig, for crying out loud! The guy that he'd had a bond of trust with that went way back to their playground days! That Miaka and his best friend had honestly hit it off was a great thing, a desirable thing. But even though he knew that, and even though Craig had never broken their mutual 'no poaching on current or former girlfriends' pact and had also made it plain he was delighted to see Dante finally hooking up with a 'truly awesome chick', hearing her express her warm approval of Craig had made him as jealous as hell.
It was sobering thought to know he would have challenged even his best friend for a chance with her even if Craig had met and asked Miaka out first. Luckily, it hadn't happened that way. But having Craig do practically the same in making it clear if Dante screwed up, he'd have no qualms about stepping in, didn't exactly make him comfortable with his buddy's thoughts about the situation either. The two of them had more in common than he and Miaka did, what with anime and being in the food business, and...well, even if it wouldn't happen, he hated to think that there was any possibility that it could.
How messed up was that? He had never felt he needed to stake a claim on a woman when it came to his friend, but with Miaka, the need was front and center, fierce and territorial. Good thing his ornery inner voice was reminding him that this was the twenty-first century, and he damn well better learn to control those primitive feelings around Miaka or risk losing her.
Bad enough that finding out he'd not been forthcoming about his position on the force and investigating the boyfriend could definitely end up doing the trick anyway.
But there was a resolution to that if he was willing to sacrifice.
He'd tell her about his job, but explain that the law forbade him to discuss the cases he was involved with, which was the perfect excuse for omitting the specifics of the Sukinami investigation. The conflict of interest issue would take care of itself as long as he stayed where he was. Once he was off the hook with the commish, he'd talk to the Boss and ask if he'd let LaConte keep the Sukinami file and to assign him another. That would take care of the whole matter. What was giving up a case to another detective compared to the pain of giving up Miaka?
Feeling better that he had some semblance of a plan, he tuned back in to the pulsing beat and ethereal female voice now pouring from his state-of-the-art speaker system.
Oh, my life…is changin', is changin' every day…
No shit! He thought with irony. It kinda feels like my life ain't even mine sometimes.
As they came to a halt at a traffic light, Miaka spoke. "This is an oldie, isn't it? I've always liked it, but I never knew who sang it."
He turned his head to look into bewitching green eyes. "It's by a band called The Cranberries."
She laughed. "A group named after any kind of food is a group after my own heart!"
"Yeah, really." He chuckled, thinking of her amazing appetite.
"You know, Yui and I always listened to American pop songs whenever we studied English," Miaka confided. "Not only was it fun, it helped me with pronounciation and some American slang."
"Great idea, and you must have studied hard. If it wasn't for your accent, I'd swear that you were born here!"
"Thank you." She glanced away, embarrassed by his praise. "A lot of the credit goes to my ESL teacher. She used to say that total immersion is the best way to learn a language. I've had a lot of time to practice and study since I came here."
"I've always thought it'd be interesting and fun to learn Japanese."
"You would like to?"
The delight in her voice encouraged him. "Yeah. I don't suppose you'd be interested in teaching me some?"
"I'd be offended if you asked anyone else!" She declared. "And maybe in return… you would teach me how to draw?"
"You got yourself a deal." He said, holding out a hand.
They shook on it, and the amount of pleasure he felt in the confirmation was almost absurd. As the light changed and he set the Jeep into motion, Mariah Carey's uplifting voice poured into the silence, her words extolling the virtues of the dream lover to whom she'd given her heart.
"Dante-kun, have you ever watched the TV show called 'Ally McBeal'?" Miaka asked.
"Saw a bunch of episodes of it once it was in syndication." He replied.
"Did you ever see the one where the eccentric psychiatrist told Ally that everyone had a theme song and she needed to find hers?"
"Yeah, I remember that one! Tracey Ullman was a riot."
"Oh wasn't she? So funny!"
They smiled at the shared recollection.
"Why do ya ask?" Dante said.
"Well I was thinking even if it was meant to be funny, I think it's true about music helping you understand yourself." She hesitated. "This song could be a theme song for me right now."
"Because ya like dream lovers?" He asked with a sly smile.
"That's one reason." She gave a breathy laugh. "But more so that it's describing my feelings about us at the moment."
Dante listened, then felt his heart lurch. At that very moment, the vocalist was voicing a plea for her dream lover to come and rescue her from pretenders and disillusionment.
Did this mean she had been dreaming about him too? That was a good thing...but not so good that she was still afraid of being disillusioned. And he was a bit of a pretender. Until he'd come clean about work...
He turned his eyes back to the road as he made the vehicle surge forward amongst the sparse evening traffic. "Huh, that's funny. I was just thinkin' maybe it was my theme song."
Even though his gaze was on the road, he could sense that Miaka's head swiveled towards him. In the illumination cast from the street lights, his peripheral vision could discern her questioning gaze. He flashed her a smile, and then directed his attention back to the road. From her expression, it appeared that she was wondering what the hell he meant.
Well, too bad, it served her right for keeping him on pins and needles. There was too much of that going around lately.
An image of a wizened, cackling old lady popped into his thoughts, but he promptly banished it.
Not goin' there! This is not the time to be thinkin' or talkin' about spooky old hags!
"But you picked this one first, so I'll pick another one." He said aloud. " You familiar with a singer by the name of Meat Loaf?"
"A classic American rocker. Of course." She laughed. "Let me guess- your song is, 'Paradise by the Dashboard Lights'?"
She had surprised him yet again. "You know that song?"
"Yes. Believe me, I've listened to lots of the oldies." She said shyly. To prove it, she sang a bit of the chorus.
"I'm impressed!" He said. And he was. "But actually, for us tonight, the song I was thinking was more along the lines of 'Heaven Can Wait'."
He gave her a wicked grin, and laughed as she childishly pulled down her lower eyelid and stuck out her tongue at him.
"No? All right, let's keep on listenin'! Maybe the station'll play something that applies!"
Though they didn't hear a song that was exactly right for Dante's own personal theme, Miaka was happy. Once he'd gone from humming to singing, she had discovered yet another new facet to him...an emotive, enticing singing voice that had her too enthralled to concentrate on anything else. She looked forward to hearing him sing again in their next session of song choosing, and told him so. He modestly brushed off her effusive compliments by saying that he was an 'all right' singer, but if she wanted to hear a great rock voice, she should listen to Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi.
As the spires of her apartment building loomed on the horizon, Miaka heaved a quiet sigh of regret. It had been a strange and exhilarating evening, and she wasn't anywhere near ready to let it go. Suggesting they have cookies, coffee and conversation in her apartment wasn't a bad thing, was it? Dante was trustworthy and a gentleman, and so when he said he wasn't going to make love to her yet, she believed him.
Nevertheless, her stomach clenched with anticipation as he pulled into a parking spot and switched off the engine.
"We're here," he said, unnecessarily. "Hold on, I'll open your door for you."
"All right."
Dante got out of the vehicle and walked around to the passenger side. Miaka collected her poise and her purse as the passenger door opened and his extended hand came into view.
"Arigatou." She said, accepting his offer of help.
He smiled. "That means 'thank you'- right?"
"Hai…very good! Now say it after me- 'arigatou'."
Her new student obediently repeated the word. Miaka giggled, and he gave her a mildly irritated look. "What? Did I say it wrong?"
"No, you pronounced it correctly," she assured him, "but it's quite a bit different to hear Japanese spoken with a Southern accent."
Dante laughed. "I never thought of that. I suppose it is."
They grinned at each other, until they realized her door was still wide open and he was still holding her hand. He apologized, in Japanese, much to her delight, and then let her go to shut and lock her door, much to her disappointment. However, that feeling quickly dissipated when he put a proprietary hand beneath her elbow as they began to walk.
It was an old fashioned and rather romantic gesture, Miaka thought dreamily. A very welcome one too, since the parking lot had poor lighting and rough stretches of asphalt. As Dante steered her smoothly around a pot hole, she smiled in appreciation, and then in growing amusement at the thought that her impolite, slightly misogynistic Tasuki had become the very embodiment of good manners- a true 'Southern gentleman', as it were.
They climbed the stairs together, with Dante on the outside rail. When they reached the top, he let go of her arm so that she could dig her keys out of her purse. Squinting in the glow of the security light above their heads, she concentrated on scrabbling through her handbag's contents until Dante started to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" She asked.
"Don't ya hear our welcomin' committee?"
She stopped digging and listened. Sure enough, a barrage of outraged yowls could be heard coming from behind the door.
"Oh dear. The poor thing isn't used to me going out on the week nights!"
She called out soothingly to the cat, then returned to digging for her keychain as Dante moved in behind her to shield her from the brisk wind that had sprung up.
"Do you have a carrier for Mizu?" He asked.
"Yes." She smiled as she pulled out the batch of keys and selected the proper one.
"How does he do with riding in a vehicle?"
"He hated it at one time, but I've gotten him so he'll tolerate it now. Why?"
"Well if he doesn't hate it too much, I was thinkin' that we could bring him along with us on our next date."
As Miaka turned from sliding the key into the lock to stare at him, apprehension clenched in Dante's stomach.
She looked totally thrown by his suggestion.
He didn't have a clue she would be, and that made him want to beat his head against the wall for taking her agreement as a given. As much as sharing burgers, a malt and an awesome make out session had tilted the scales in his favor for her wanting to see him on a regular basis, his giving her an ultimatum on their first real date might have tipped them the opposite direction.
There was only one way to find out.
"That is... if you're still interested in going out after tonight." He said.
Her smile restarted his breathing.
"Of course I'm interested!" She said, in a tone that implied he was daft for thinking otherwise. Her smile wavered into uncertainty as she added, "Are you sure that you're-"
"Never been more sure of anything." He said.
She was blushing as she turned to finish unlocking her door. "Thank you for including Mizu. Other, um, people wouldn't have even considered it."
Dante couldn't hold back a tiny grin, thinking that 'other people' most likely translated to one particular person. "Mizu's got class and smarts. I like that in a cat."
When the door was opened, a frenzy of indignant meows mingled with Miaka's loving exclamations as she bent to pick up her pet. Mizu wiggled in protest, but then cuddled in close to her chest as she began to stroke his soft fur from head to tail. Dante shook his head in amusement, then reached out to scratch the cat behind his ears.
"Yo, Fuzzy Fart! How's it hangin'?"
Mizu's response held a distinct grumble of complaint.
"Yeah, I hear ya. It's boring bein' stuck at home all by yourself." Dante said sympathetically. He leaned closer to one pointed ear. "No need to worry. I'll make it worth your while if ya let me take her out again!"
The feline's reply was to purr and administer an insistent head butt.
Miaka smiled at Dante as he continued to make a fuss over her cat, and then did a double take as she glanced down at her pet.
Was it her imagination, or was Mizu smirking at her?
Miles away in body and mind, Taka sat in his deserted outer office, which was illuminated solely by the glow from the computer monitor in front of him.
After leaving the meeting with Thornton, he had decided to finish compiling some financial reports for his accounts. Being that Miaka was out, and that he'd be busy with the old man's clients that weekend, it was best that get ahead while he could. Besides, it was amazing how fast things he could get things done, with no meetings to go to, no appointments coming in, and his phone not ringing off the hook.
An hour later he'd finished his work. He stretched lazily, and then set to shutting down his PC, but then changed his mind. On impulse, he logged in again, and went to pull up the set of files that had been assigned to him by mistake. Now that he knew what they were, he wanted another crack at opening them, just to see if he could meet the challenge when he wasn't distracted.
Ten minutes later, he was staring at an opened file with a dazed expression. The so-called client profile flickering in front of his face was shockingly familiar to him. Slowly, eyes never leaving the screen, he leaned back in his chair, with two questions burning in his mind.
These definitely weren't and had never been client files. Why the hell had Thornton lied?
And why on earth would he have a dossier about Miaka?
Maybe Thornton made an assumption without actually opening the stuff. Or maybe he hadn't wanted to admit it was from a background check on Miaka. It wasn't out of line for the company to cover their bases to make sure she was compliant with her paperwork for coming to the country. Perhaps this information was part of a follow up to see if she still had a valid green card?
If either of those things were the truth, why wasn't the information in his own personnel file?
There was probably a logical explanation for that too. And yet instinct was telling him not to dismiss the reason for the subterfuge or Miaka's presence in the database as inconsequential. That was why he was going to save the rest of the files on a disk to take home and look at before Thornton deleted them. He'd go over every single detail before asking questions, and then decide what to do.
Before he carried out the plan or anything else, he needed to call Miaka right now and tell her everything was well, but hat they would still have to postpone their weekend trip for a bit longer. No sense worrying her with what he had seen-he'd just tell her Thornton had given him an important assignment and leave it at that. She'd be angry and disappointed with him all over again, but he'd just have to bite his tongue and take it. Until he had some definite answers to give her, it was best to keep quiet.
Dante was seated on a barstool in Miaka's kitchen drinking his second cup of coffee and munching on his third cookie, when the phone rang.
Miaka answered in English and then made a switch to Japanese after she greeted the person on the other end. Dante scowled. Even if he couldn't understand what was being said, he could make an accurate guess as to the caller's identity.
It was a short and fairly one sided conversation, with Miaka giving short or monosyllabic replies before hanging up. In the ensuing silence Dante stared down into the dark depths of his coffee cup, trying to look as if he had no idea who had called.
As she plunked down on the stool next to him, he looked up with forced nonchalance. "Everything all right?"
Her expression was composed, but her voice shook with suppressed emotion as she answered his question. "Everything's fine."
"I don't think so." He pressed gently. "You sound upset."
Her chin lifted a fraction. "Frustrated is a better way to describe it. Taka has cancelled our plans for this weekend. Apparently the head of his company has personally requested that he meet with some important clients. "
"If the head of the company asked him. he probably doesn't have a choice, huh?"
She shrugged. "They must be big accounts, because Mr. Thornton's never offered him a bonus on top of an all expenses paid trip to the East Coast before."
Dante's prominent canines caught at his bottom lip. This was information the investigation could use, and his cop's instinct was back on high alert and yelling at him to pump Miaka for more.
But his heart was shouting even more loudly that being a cop right now would be the worst thing he could do if he wanted to be with this woman.
"So you're frustrated that he's going?" He asked carefully.
"Yes, because I wanted to get things resolved. Now I probably won't be seeing him until he gets back." Her shoulders lifted, then fell. "So. If your invitation for Friday dinner is still open..."
Her face was a mask of uncertainty, but he didn't have to think about it. Miaka had been priority ever since he'd laid eyes on her. This was a perfect opportunity to give her some much needed fun and relaxation while making memories that would help him gain a firm hold on her affections. Nothing mattered more than that.
Decision made, he turned to the woman at his side and placed his hand over hers.
"The invitation stands. But since you've been freed up for the weekend, why don't you and Mizu come an' spend the whole thing with me?"
To be continued…
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