The next morning I was chopping onions for omelets when I heard someone come into the kitchen. I looked up and felt my heart stop the moment I saw Soryu standing in the doorway. He was fresh out of the shower, his dark eyes gazing out from the locks of damp hair that fell into his face. That was enough, seeing his face vulnerable and relaxed was enough to take my breath away, but there was more. He was only wearing a pair of track pants, leaving his chest bare. It was broad, hard, his pecs and abs very well defined.
I couldn't breathe. The muscles in my lower abdomen twisted and clenched painfully and my hips jerked forward of their own accord. It felt as if my uterus was trying to jump out of my body and attack him. I grabbed the edge of the counter and held on tight to stop myself from falling down, to stop myself from going to him and touching him, to tether myself to reality. We were in the kitchen. I was making breakfast. I couldn't touch him. He didn't want me.
"Good morning, Mei. Have you seen Kyoichiro?" His voice was as cool and professional as usual.
That's right. He was my boss. Even if we were in his house, even if he was half-naked, I was still at work. I was still pretending to be Mei. I drug in a breath and said, "He just went that way," flicking my hand to indicate the doorway opposite the one Soryu stood in.
"Thanks. Daichi is on his way to deliver your dress. Just one this morning, but they'll be making more today. Don't answer the door, someone else will do that," he said as he crossed the room. My eyes drank in the sight of his back, smooth and strong. He was absolutely oblivious to the fact that he was decimating my mind, soul and vag just by walking through the room.
As soon as he disappeared I dropped into a crouch, hugging my legs to my chest and pressing my forehead into my knees. This was completely unacceptable. I needed to get control of my body or I'd never survive, and Soryu needed to stop parading his body all over the place. I rubbed my eyes against my knees as if I could erase the image of him from my mind.
'I cannot handle this,' I thought. Was this going to be a normal occurrence? Was he going to be prancing around partially clothed on a regular basis? Good God, what if he makes a habit of walking around in only a towel? My body gave another twist deep inside as an image of him wrapped in a tiny towel and dripping with water popped into my mind. No. There was no way that I would be able to handle that. His men would have to wrestle me off of him and toss me out on the streets.
Maybe I should ask him to make sure that he was always fully clothed. I could pretend to be shy and easily embarrassed. Yeah right. I'd shown him pornographic pictures of myself and told him that I was down to fuck. I'd titty spanked Mei on Eisuke's couch. There was no way that anyone was going to believe that I was innocent and demure and couldn't take the sight of a man's bare chest. There was no stopping him. He was going to be skipping around the house naked and I was going to be lying in a corner having an arousal-induced seizure.
It wasn't fair. That damned man. I'd told him that I wanted to fuck him. He knew I wanted him. What did he think he was doing flaunting himself in front of me like that? Was he torturing me on purpose? There was no telling what was going on behind that granite wall that he put up. He could be secretly laughing at me right now and plotting which towel he'd walk around in later tonight. The bastard. Did he think I was made of stone?
Having succeeded in turning my distress into anger, I stood up to get back to work just as Inui stepped into the room.
"Good morning, Princess Mei," he said with a cheerful smile. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Yeah, you can start cracking those eggs," I said, nodding towards the eggs as I finished chopping the onions. "How are you this morning?"
"I'm fantastic. I'm ready to do a great job guarding you," he said. "What are you making for breakfast?"
"Cheese and onion omelettes. There's also rice, natto, miso soup and whatever side dishes Kyoichiro bought," I said, grabbing a couple of frying pans and setting them on the stove. I had already decided that it was my goal to get another two-finger tap from Soryu for this morning's meal. Now, I felt a growing determination to kill him with amazing food. I wasn't some great chef, but I could cook and follow a recipe. And the competition was beyond weak, it would take next to nothing to do better than burnt scrambled eggs.
I was going to spend my free time during the day looking up recipes with eggs. I was going to ply him with amazing meals so that when I left the townhouse he'd at least miss me for my cooking. I'd have him wondering about and looking forward to every meal, addicted to my delicious dishes. I sighed with satisfaction at the thought of him enjoying the food that I prepared. He'd just better come to the table with all of his clothes on.

The first bachelor of the day, looked to be in his mid-thirties. If he was on a sidewalk, he would have looked like any other salaryman in a suit and tie. He had a nice smile and gave me a polite greeting, but I remembered what Mei had said about the other guy who had seemed decent. 'The sort of man who would smile at you and then slice your throat.' I was planning on watching this guy like a hawk to see what he would let slip.
"How do you like Japan so far?" he asked. His eyes showed that he was politely curious. He was interested in this meeting going well.
"I love it," I said, channeling Mei. "I'm able to walk around and go in shops. It isn't as dangerous for me here as it is in Hong Kong."
"I suppose that would change if you moved here permanently," he said with a little frown, turning Mei's situation over in his head. "What sorts of places have you been visiting?"
"I've been to Harajuku and Ginza, so far," I replied.
"You must be interested in fashion and shopping, then," he said.
"That's right. I like to design clothes. My father says that if I get married, he will buy me a shop to sell my clothes in," I said, watching for his reaction.
His eyes narrowed a bit as if he didn't like what I'd told him, but then he said, "I'm sure that if I were your husband, I'd buy you a shop myself. You wouldn't need your father to do it."
"That's nice of you," I said and decided to start playing hardball. "What sort of marriage are you looking for?"
His eyebrows gave a little jump of surprise before he answered. "The normal type, I suppose. Someone to share my life with, a wife to greet me when I come home from a hard day of work. Someone to spend my free time with. What sort of marriage are you looking for?"
"An open one," I said. "I'd like a husband who was okay with me sleeping with whoever I want to."
"How would that work?" he asked. I'd certainly shocked him. I was sure I'd shocked Soryu, too. He was sitting on a loveseat to my right but I wasn't going to turn and meet his eyes. I was sure they'd be blazing. "A marriage is supposed to be built on trust and monogamy."
His eyes gave the tiniest flinch as he finished speaking. The damned liar. I went in for the kill. "But the monogamy is just for the woman, isn't it? The man is free to sleep around and keep a mistress, while his trusty wife stays at home. Isn't that right?"
"That's not…" He was flustered and didn't know how to answer me. He wanted to lie, but I obviously wasn't going to believe him.
I stood up and smiled down at him. "I hope you find the woman that you're looking for and I hope she's happy with you."

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Soryu demanded as soon as we were in the limo.
"I'm trying to find the right husband for Mei," I answered, keeping my cool because I knew it would piss him off even more.
"You aren't going to do it like that. None of these men are looking for an 'open marriage'," he growled.
"It doesn't make any sense for Mei to tie herself to someone who she's going to be unhappy with. This is protecting the men, too. You know how Mei is, you know her much better than I do. Mei and that man would have been miserable together," I explained.
"No man is looking for a woman who wants an open relationship. No man is going to agree to that. We're wasting our time with these meetings if this is how you're going to behave," he said.
"We're wasting our time with these meetings because Mei doesn't want to get married in the first place. But if I can find a man who will agree to an open marriage, Mei would probably consider marrying him. If she doesn't, she'll be forced to marry the wrong man and ruin her life," I said. "Rich men have affairs and mistresses all the time. Why is it such a big deal that Mei wants the same thing?"
"Are you getting that information from television?" he asked.
"So what if I am? It's still true," I argued.
To my surprise he started laughing. I blinked at him in shock. I'd never seen him laugh before, I'd barely seen him smile. The sound was rich and deep. It was too nice. It made my chest hurt.
"You're right," he said, a smile still lingering on his lips. "Who am I to argue? I told you that my father left behind multiple mistresses when he died, and he had children with all of them."
"See," I said. His laughter had made me feel light and floaty. I couldn't help but smile. Our conversation was turning from stiff and serious to light and easy. It felt great. "Even you agree that it isn't right. We just have to find one man who can see our point of view. It might not be impossible. These guys are criminals after all. They're used to breaking the rules."
"Don't count me in on your side," Soryu said. "And these men may be criminals, but that tends to mean that their views about women are more conservative not less. I don't think you're going to find what you're looking for."
"But it doesn't hurt to try. Maybe I'll get lucky and find Mei's perfect match," I said with a smile. "Things are always easier when you have a goal. My goal is to figure out if one of these men will be a good husband for Mei. It may be unlikely, but I'm not going to approve any bachelor who doesn't meet my standards."
He looked at me, his gray eyes were still twinkling with amusement. "Maybe I'll just order you to be a good girl in the meetings and that will be the end of your little game."
Okay. Dear God, why did he say 'order you to be a good girl'? Now my mind was going to be replaying those words over and over again. He'd just planted a seed that would grow into a thousand fantasies. I almost groaned out loud.
"You can order me to do whatever you want me to do,-" Please, please order me/ "- but I'm probably not going to find a match for Mei, and even if I did, she doesn't want to get married. So, why don't we have fun watching these guys squirm a little?"

After carefully sliding an enormous pan full of the ingredients for a steak and potato frittata into the oven, I got to work on prepping a salad. I was feeling happy. I'd had fun shocking the day's bachelors with my request for an open marriage and Soryu and I hadn't talked much, but whenever we did our conversation had been light and relaxed.
It had felt good. I was surprised to find that I had enjoyed spending the day with Soryu more than I'd liked spending time with Mei. While Mei had been fun, I'd always felt at least a little stressed about keeping up with her and making sure that she was happy. With Soryu I could just chill and let things be, talk when there was something to say or enjoy the quiet when neither of us felt like talking. There'd been no reason to force anything.
Inui and Yuuto came in and helped set the table while I finished the salad and sliced the frittata. When Inui and Yuuto carried the food into the dining room, I grabbed a few side dishes out of the fridge and followed them. After I put the containers on the table, I froze as Inui stepped closer to me.
"What are you doing, Inui?" I snapped in surprise and looked at him angrily.
"I'm sorry, Princess," he said, his voice shaking a little as his eyes scanned the table. "What did I do wrong? I'll fix it right away."
"You're wearing cologne," I said. "I have asthma and scents really bother me. I didn't think I'd have to ask anyone here not to wear cologne. You must already know that it makes the Boss sick, so you shouldn't have it on at all."
"I'm sorry," he said guiltily. "I got a free sample the other day and I thought I'd wear it because I'm going out drinking with some of the guys later. I thought maybe the Boss wouldn't notice."
"It's ridiculous to try and see what you can get away with when it comes to someone else's allergies. You're well aware that the boss is sensitive to scents, so you shouldn't be fucking around," I lectured. "Go take a shower and change your clothes."
"Yes, Princess Mei," Inui said, casting a sad glance at the food on the table before he left the room.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one eats your food," I said.
"Are you sure you don't want to give me his portion?" Yuuto asked, throwing me a flirty smile. "I need to eat a lot of food to keep my stamina up."
"No, you can't have his food," I said flatly, not responding to his flirting. "Now go call the other guys to the table for dinner."
As I turned to go take my seat, I noticed Kyoichiro and Soryu standing in the doorway that led to the front of the townhouse.
"Thanks for taking care of the Boss," Kyoichiro said as he stepped into the room and sighed. "Inui is always doing something stupid."
"No problem," I said. "I know what it's like." I met Soryu's eyes and he gave me a little nod of acknowledgement. A nod. Not a sexy smile or a hot look. Nothing special. Yuuto had been actively trying to get my pulse racing and he'd left me cold. Soryu barely tipped his head at me and my blood was buzzing in my veins. It was ridiculous, but I was learning that it was no good trying to fight it. It was better just to give my body some time to calm down after Soryu made my heart jump or my mind spin off into fantasy land. Trying to control my feelings just didn't work. He was far too perfect and sexy for me to be able to train my body not to react to him. At this point it seemed better to just go with the flow.

I listened quietly as we ate dinner and the men around me talked about the Hashishita syndicate and how they were invading parts of a shopping district where the Ice Dragons claimed protection money.
"It's almost time to strike back," Soryu said. "I'm letting them get complacent. If they think we aren't going to retaliate, they'll let their guard down."
"Everyone knows that we're busy with the stuff in Osaka these days. Launching two attacks at the same time might be a good idea," Yuuto suggested.
"I'm busy with this matchmaking stuff right now. I don't have the time for an attack," Soryu said. "And it would be a bad idea to draw revenge right now. We don't want anyone trying to attack the house while the princess is with us."
"What are the chances that it's Hashishita trying to kidnap the princess," one of the men asked.
"It's not impossible that it's them. Right now we have no idea who's trying to kidnap her, so it could be anyone. There's no reason to suspect Hashishita over any of the other groups," Soryu explained.
"There was nothing suspicious today during Mei's meetings," Kyoichiro said. "We know these guys are out there. We know they're watching Mei and waiting for their chance, so everyone needs to be more vigilant. It isn't that they aren't there, it's that we aren't seeing them. The longer that goes on, the more likely it is that they're going to put hands on her."
I shivered at his words. The other men at the table were nodding and talking about ways to spot spies and people hiding in plain sight. I looked up at Soryu. He gave me a reassuring smile and tapped two fingers on the table.
I felt my heart lighten. I knew that I could trust Soryu to protect me. "I'm glad you liked it," I said. "Tomorrow I'll make something even better."

Two days later I stepped into yet another office to meet another bachelor. The office was a jumble of mismatched furniture and some old filing cabinets. Most of the other offices I'd been in had at least looked as if someone were trying to pretend like they'd been professionally decorated. This guy obviously wasn't interested in that. From the office it looked as if he were more interested in working than in appearances. After thinking about it for a minute or so, I decided to give him a few bonus point for this. It seemed to make him a little more real and honest than the men who were trying to look more important than they actually were.
Soryu and I'd been sitting on a couch for a few minutes when the bachelor hurried in. He was in his early forties and wore a cheap shiny suit. It looked as if he was also wearing a toupee, his hair just seemed a little crooked. Soryu had told me that he'd barely made the cut to meet me. He owned some chop shops in the city and some other small businesses that were fronts for money laundering. Inui had said, "Yeah, this guy is small potatoes."
He was also kind of shaped like a potato. He hurried over to me on his short chubby legs and took my hand in his. "I'm so sorry, Princess," he said, a little out of breath. "Something came up that I just had to take care of."
He sat down across from me and smiled. Just as he was about to say something, Soryu's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it. "I have to take this," he said to me. "Please excuse me."
I turned to watch him walk out of the room. A moment later Inui stepped in and took up a post in the corner of the room. I turned back to the bachelor. "Will you tell me something about yourself?" I asked with a polite smile.
To my surprise he was very chatty. He started rambling nonstop about his hobbies which included golf, fishing, sake tasting and collecting swords. My eyes glazed over as he talked way too long about things that I had no interest in. By the time he said, "Now I'd like to hear all about you, Princess Mei," I'd begun to struggle against falling asleep.
"I like horseback riding and fashion design," I said. "My father said that if I get married, he'll buy me a shop where I can sell my designs." This had become my first test for the bachelors. I'd learned that there were many ways that they could react.
"That's a good idea. I'm sure your designs are great. You look like a smart and talented person," he said, which was pretty supportive. I decided to give him a point for his answer.
"If you don't mind," I said. "May I ask what kind of marriage you're looking for?"
"I'm looking for a pretty wife," he said. "Someone who can brighten up my home and my life. It's lonely living alone, even if I do have servants and my men around me. I want a pretty woman to spoil. I think you're very beautiful, Mei."
"Ah, thank you," I said. He hadn't asked for what I wanted in a marriage, so I'd just have to volunteer the information. "I'm looking for an open marriage. I want to be able to have sex with whoever I want to have sex with. I don't want to be limited to my husband."
"That's different," he said and stared at me as if he were trying to figure something out - not trying to figure out something about me, but trying to make some connection in his own head. "I've never heard of a marriage like that before, but for my beautiful Mei I can do anything. If that is the type of marriage that you're looking for, that is what I can give to you. We will have an open marriage."
I blinked at him, stunned that someone had finally agreed to my request. But even if this guy was willing to give Mei an open marriage, there was no way that she'd marry him. Although, I guess I'd have to mention him to her. Maybe the most important thing was for her to marry someone who would let her do whatever she wanted to do, even if he was unattractive with an annoying personality. Was it better to marry someone that you felt some attraction for but continuously fought with, or someone you found a little repulsive but wouldn't stand in the way of your happiness?
It was strange for me to contemplate the question. I hadn't even had a boyfriend since high school. I didn't think about relationships or marriage at all. They weren't something that I wanted in my life. Maybe I wasn't the most qualified person to narrow down Mei's choice of bachelors. At the very least, I was going to need to give her information about some of the men who seemed more promising.
"Princess!"
The voice broke into my reverie and I looked up, slightly confused, to see the bachelor smiling at me. "I think your mind wandered," he said. "I was telling you about my two dogs. I hope you like pets."
"Oh…" I had no idea if Mei liked animals or not. She had mentioned that she wanted to go to the zoo and the aquarium. Did that count? "Of course I love pets. Who wouldn't love cute little animals."
"Then next time you will have to meet my puppies," he said with a big smile. "This must be fate. I've fallen love with you at first sight, Princess. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
"Well then, we'll contact you if I want to see you again," I said, suddenly uncomfortable since he'd started spouting nonsense. I stood up and looked over at Inui and we started out of the room.
In the hallway, the other guard was standing right outside the door and Soryu was standing a few yards away. He'd put on a bluetooth earpiece and was talking into it, holding his cellphone and swiping over the screen. He gave us a nod to acknowledge us and followed behind us, keeping his distance so that we couldn't overhear his conversation. When we got to the elevator, he motioned to indicate that he'd be taking the stairs. His phone wouldn't work in the elevator.
The bachelor followed us the whole way, riding down in the elevator with us and tagging along out onto the sidewalk. He talked nonstop, asking if I wanted to go back to his office and have some more tea, or go to lunch, or meet for dinner later. When we reached the car and I continued to refuse to make more plans with him, he grabbed my arm and tried to pull me back towards his building.
"Stop it, let me go!" I said, trying to shake him off.
"But Princess, I love you! I can't just let you walk away like this! You're my destiny and we need to be together," he said, his voice taking on a tinge of anger as he continued tugging at me.
"Ouch! Fuck!" I cried as he reached to grab me with his other hand and ended up with a handful of my hair. My self defense lessons finally kicked in and I tried to target his knee, but I was bent into a weird position because he was yanking on my hair. I wouldn't be able to raise my foot to kick him without toppling over.
"Let her go. Now."
The bachelor's hands disappeared and I righted myself to see that Soryu had him by the collar. "The princess won't be back," Soryu said and gave the man a rough shake before pushing him in the direction of his office building. He pulled out the fob for the car and unlocked the doors. "Get in."
It had been decided that we'd use a different car each day rather than always using the limo because being in the same vehicle made us easier to track. Today Soryu had driven us in a sleek black car. I sat in the front passenger seat while Inui climbed into the back and Soryu got behind the wheel. The other guard had left us to go get the other car from around the block as soon as we left the building.
"Are you okay?" Soryu asked, looking at me instead of starting the car.
"Yeah," I answered, rubbing at my head where the man had been pulling my hair. "I'll be fine."
He watched me for a few seconds longer as if confirming my words and then turned to start the car. "What the fuck was that, Inui?"
I turned around to look at Inui. I suddenly realized that he'd been there the whole time but hadn't done anything to help me. Looking back, I could hear his voice repeatedly telling the bachelor to stop and let me go.
"I'm so sorry Boss and Princess Mei," Inui said, he sounded like he was about to cry. "I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know if it would be okay for me to get physical with a boss."
"Your job was to protect Mei," Soryu said. "I don't fucking care who you have to get physical with, you do the job that I assigned to you."
"Yes, Boss. I see now where I fucked up. It won't happen again," Inui said sadly.
I remembered Kyoichiro talking about how often Inui messed up and how they'd been trying to turn him into an Ice Dragon for years. The apology that he gave to Soryu sounded like something he'd said many times before.
"You're being reassigned," Soryu said. "The princess has a friend, she's also named Mei. She's staying at the Tres Spades. She doesn't need a lot of security. You'll go help with her starting tomorrow."
"Okay," Inui replied, sounding defeated. "I'll do my best to protect your friend, Princess. I won't make another mistake."
"Fuck it," Soryu said. "We're going to stop and get something to eat. I hate driving when I'm mad."

He pulled into the next free parking spot that he saw and we all got out of the car. As we stood on the sidewalk, Soryu called the other guard to let him know where we were. I smiled at Inui as Soryu spoke on the phone. "I understand what you mean," I said to Inui. "I'd be afraid to do something to a boss, too."
"Thanks," he said, rubbing at his eyes. He looked really upset. "See that?" he asked, gesturing across at a building. The sign in front of it said Three Lotus Inn. When I nodded, he said, "That was my grandma's inn. She's the one who raised me for most of my life. My dad only came back when I was sixteen. My grandma was really great. She did her best to take care of the inn and she always said that she was going to leave it to me, but when she died my dad ended up with it and he just sold it like it was nothing."
"I bet you really miss her," I said. "She sounds like a great person."
"She's the only person that ever loved me," he said sadly. "Someday I'm gonna get a room and stay at the inn, you know just to be near the place where we were always together. But whenever I have a chance to do it, it always seems too hard."
"Come here," I said and pulled him in to give him a hug and then pushed him back to look him in the eyes. "You'll get there when it's time, Inui. There's no rush. Your grandmother knows that you love her."
"Thanks," he said, turning away to wipe tears from his eyes.
"Hey," Soryu said, coming over and putting his arm around Inui's shoulder. "I just saw your grandma's inn. I know it's been a tough day, but don't get too upset. There's a pasta restaurant just over here. Let's go eat."
Inside the restaurant, Inui went to the restroom and Soryu and I took a seat at a table. The other guard was having trouble finding a parking spot.
I hesitated a moment before saying, "I don't know if Inui is really cut out for being in a yakuza."
"I know for sure that he isn't," Soryu said. "But he's had a tough life and he isn't ready to be out on his own. If I don't give him work to do, he gets depressed. He needs to feel useful and needed. When he's ready, I'll give him his grandmother's inn. I bought it years ago. I've just been waiting for him grow up enough that he can handle taking it over."
I stared at him, struck by what he'd said. His dark eyes were skimming over the menu. "You're an amazing person, Soryu."
"I take care of my people," he said with a shrug. "That's what a good boss does."