(Saturday, September 15)

"You look really nervous," I said, narrowing my eyes at Jomei. "Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid of children?"
"No, I'm not afraid of children!" he snapped. He was shifting uncomfortably as we rode an elevator to the seventh floor. "I'm just a little nervous about meeting your family."
"Don't be. It's not a big deal," I assured him. I was taking my niece and nephew to an amusement park and Jomei had insisted that he would like to join us. I had allowed it, even though it was not within the parameters of our verbal contract and I was very suspicious that he was the sort of person that got queasy on rides.

When my brother answered the door to his apartment, the kids were standing at attention, ready for our usual ritual. I stepped over to stand in front of Chuya first. After presenting a bow, she handed me an open binder and said, "This is the one that I'm proudest of. It was extremely hard, but I still got a 93!"
"I see. I see," I replied. "This is some very advanced math for an eight-year-old. Your teacher is really pushing you."
I flipped through the binder, making comments on some of the other work before saying, "Your English tutor is impressed with your dedication. Your karate instructor says that you will soon be ready to test for a green belt. Please inform me when a time is scheduled. I will try to be there."
"Yes, Aunt Akiko," she replied, accepting her binder with a bow.
"Now, Wataru. What do you have to show me?"
Wataru handed his binder over, bowing deeply. "Aunt, I have improved my test score by three percentage points. That puts me at the top of my class. There is still much that I can do to increase me efforts and I am determined to do even better next time."
"This is excellent news, Wataru. Your math tutor tells me that you have redoubled your efforts and your Japanese tutor speaks highly of your poetry. I am looking forward to attending your clarinet recital, your instructor says that you have mastered a difficult piece in record time."
I returned his binder and declared, "You have each done very well. Chuya, you can choose where we eat lunch and Wataru, you get to choose dinner. Let's have a great day at the amusement park!"
Formalities over, the kids started jumping around and laughing. My sister-in-law, Hanae, said, "Akiko, are you going to introduce us to this man? Is he your boyfriend?"
Her eyes were bugging out of her head, which was no surprise - she'd never been the brightest. My brother had married her for her body and long hair, not for her dismal IQ.
"This is Jomei Date, and he isn't my boyfriend. He's more like a-"
"I'm her boyfriend," Jomei interrupted, practically yelling. "I am her boyfriend!"
"Ah well, that's… good," Hanae said. The poor woman was really struggling. I shot a warning glare at Jomei for claiming to be my boyfriend. "Akiko, come with me into the bedroom. I have some things to give you for the kids."

I followed her to the other room where she tried to give me some bandaids and sunscreen "No, no. That's not necessary. I've already got everything in here," I explained, pointing down at the pants that I was wearing. "These are special cargo pants with more pockets than usual. I have to go to a special store for construction workers to get them. They are very useful and extremely durable. A pair of pants like this will last ten years or longer."
"Ah, yeah. Those are nice. Is that man really your boyfriend? You said he wasn't…"
"It's wishful thinking on his part. I consider him to be a friend with benefits. I'm sure he didn't want me saying that in front of the kids. He's sensitive like that," I explained.
"A friend with benefits? What sort of benefits are you talking about?" she asked, her eyes bugging out again.
"Listen, Hanae. You're a married woman, you understand the benefits to be had between a man and a woman," I said. It was pathetic that I even had to explain this. "Sex. Cunnilingus. Fellatio. Some backdoor action." she made a strangled sound. "You've got two kids and you're well into your thirties. It's time to stop trying to pull off this innocent maiden act. It just doesn't work anymore. Now we've got to get going. Time is wasting."

When we got back out to the living room, Jomei was talking to my brother and the kids were putting on their shoes. "Akiko," Jomei called when he saw me. "Your niece is so cute. She looks just like you."
"No!" Hanae cried. "She doesn't really! It's just because she insists on those braids. When her hair isn't in the braids, she looks just like me."
"Oh, I see," Jomei said.
"Let's get out of here," I said. "It's time to have some fun!"
In the elevator, Jomei said, "Your sister-in-law is delusional. This little girl looks like a carbon copy of you. It wouldn't matter what you did with her hair."
"I know," I said, shaking my head sadly. "Hanae is just upset because neither of the children look like her. The Sera genes are just too strong."
In the parking lot, I bent down into the back seat of the car to check that Chuya's seat belt was securely fastened.
"Aunt Akiko," she said. "Your boyfriend is really pretty."
"I know," I replied. "There's no getting around it. It's just the way that he is. But he works very hard at his job and that is what really matters."
As I stood up and closed the car door, I noticed Jomei looking at me across the roof of the car with a dopey grin on his face.
"Don't let that go to your head," I said.
"I'll try not to," he answered. "But that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me."

After lunch we put the kids on a ride called The Children's Train. No adults were allowed and it promised tons of fun and lots of laughs. As the train left the station and disappeared into a small woods, I went to lean against a brick wall that surrounded the front of the ride area and wait for the kids.
I faced in, looking at the trees and the grass, rather than watching the crowd of people that filled the walkways. Jomei came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I gave a little frown. "Are you trying to act like a boyfriend?" I asked. He'd been trying to hold my hand and smiling at me all day. He hadn't gotten sick on any of the rides.
"Yes, I am," he answered. "I am also just trying to touch you. You are irresistible in those damned pants."
"You don't get to just decide that you're my boyfriend. We have a contract. You're trying to break the rules," I said. "You're also breaking cultural norms by getting so handsy in a public place. You're out of control."
"I told you, it's the pants," he said, his lips softly brushing my ear. "And you. You're so amazing today. I'm seeing a side of you that I never imagined."
"We don't often get to see each other in the outdoors in the afternoon. The sunlight does look very nice on your hair, but I think you're aware of that. You've been tossing it around more than usual," I said.
"That's not what I meant. It's nice to see you with your niece and nephew. I can tell that you will be an excellent mother." His tongue flicked out to take a little taste of my ear. I hardened my spine to prevent shivers transferring down to my lady bits.
"Of course I will be an excellent mother. Who would have thought otherwise?" I asked. "And your behavior has long since crossed the bounds of propriety."
"Well, I was concerned when you were yelling at an eight-year-old on the phone about contracts and homework. You can be pretty intimidating. I thought kids were probably scared of you," he said, dropping little kisses on my ear. "And if you want me to stop, you can tell me to stop. I always try to respect your wishes."
He'd put me in a position that I didn't like. It was hard to tell him not to touch me, it felt too good. But of course, I would have to be the one to tell him to stop, he didn't have the willpower or the moral strength to do it himself. Thankfully, the train appeared out of the little stand of trees, making the decision for me so that I wouldn't be faced with failing a test of my own moral fiber. We went to collect the children as they exited the train, and then went to get ice cream.

Jomei sat on a low wall to eat his ice cream cone and the kids sat on either side of him. I sat on a chair near them, watching a clown that was dancing nearby because every time I looked at Jomei he would stare into my eyes and lick his ice cream suggestively, doing his best to try to make me think sexy thoughts. The man really had no self-control.
As we ate a group of four teenage girls came over to me, one of them saying boldly, "Can I ask you a question?"
"I don't know, can you?" I retorted. Are they not teaching students anything about semantics and logic these days?
The girl rolled her eyes and plowed ahead. "Does your dad own a construction company or something like that?"
"No," I replied. "You're mistaken. I did buy these pants at a special store for construction workers, but that does not have anything to do with my father."
"No," the girl said in that annoying voice that teenagers use. "That's not what I'm talking about. Does your dad own his own company or a department store or something? Are you rich?"
"No, my father is a research scientist. I am only rich in knowledge. Why are you asking me these questions?" I asked.
"Because your husband is too good looking. There must be some reason that he married you," the girl said with an aggressive bravado.
"You're mistaken. That man is not my husband. Those children are my niece and nephew. The man is my friend with benefits. But we shouldn't be having this conversation, it's going to make him start begging to be my boyfriend again. We're trying to have a fun outing here," I explained.
Jomei was choking on his ice cream, his cheeks flushed pink either from embarrassment or the force of his coughing. The girls were jumping around, bending over laughing.
"That guy is your friend with benefits? What the hell?" one of the girls said.
"Do not curse in front of children," I directed.
Jomei had gotten up from the wall, he was no longer choking. "That's enough girls, stop harassing my girlfriend. I'm with her for the braids and the pants, that all you need to know."
The girls moved away, one of them saying, "Where did she say she got those pants?"
Jomei gave me a hand and pulled me to my feet.
"A fool thinks that if he says something enough times it will come true," I pointed out.
"You've already established that I'm a fool, so I'll just keep on saying it," he said. "Come on kids, what ride do you want to do next? The carousel is just over there."
"The carousel!" the kids yelled, jumping up to take our hands.
As we walked Jomei fell into step beside of me. "Admit that it is nicer to be here with a boyfriend," he said.
"That's an inaccurate question," I replied. "I'm not here with a boyfriend, so I wouldn't know."
"Don't try to play word games with me," he lowered his voice. "I'm not acting like a fuck friend, I'm acting like a boyfriend. A fuck friend wouldn't want to spend time with you like this."
We entered the line area for the carousel and I leaned back against the metal rails that marked the lines. I looked up at him, considering his words. "You're right," I said, hating to admit it. "It is better with a boyfriend."
He leaned on the fence, putting a hand on either side of me. "I'm going to keep proving that everything is better with me as your boyfriend," he whispered in my ear. "I'll make sure that when you add up all the data, there is only one conclusion that you can reach."
He pushed back and looked into my eyes for a few moments, trying to impress his seriousness on me with the heat of his gaze. I narrowed my eyes back at him, he had obviously concocted a secret plan to fool me into being his girlfriend. "It isn't going to be that simple," I warned him.
He flashed me a rebellious smile. "I think I'm up for the challenge."

(Saturday, September 22)

"This sushi is ridiculously expensive. We should have eaten at a convenience store or I could have just made this at home," I complained. Jomei and I were at a fancy restaurant. He was trying to convince me to be his girlfriend. I was very skeptical. He wasn't my type. It was one thing to accept him as my friend with benefits and to enjoy having sex with him and another to actually date him. It felt too much like giving up a part of myself and going in the wrong direction.
"This tastes one hundred times better than convenience store sushi. And it can't even be compared to the lump of fish and rice that you make at home," he said, grabbing another plate off of the conveyor belt.
"My sushi doesn't have to be in a fancy shape to taste like this. The ingredients are the same. It tastes the same," I said. "I think I'm going to give this date two stars. Maybe two and a half."
"No, you're not. This date has barely begun, it's too early to give it a rating. Now eat your food and smile and talk to me," he said.
I shoved a piece of sushi in my mouth and smiled up at him before grimacing. "I going to Chuya's test for her green belt on Tuesday."
"I wish that I could go with you, but it might look a little suspicious if we both took the afternoon off," he said. "Take some pictures and show them to me."
"I can do that," I said with a frown. "Though I fail to see why you are so interested in my niece."
"Chuya and Wataru are great kids. Whenever I look at Chuya I think of you as a child. You must have been adorable," he said with a goofy smile on his face.
"Thanks," I muttered. Chuya was adorable and there was no denying that she looked like me. So why was it that no one had thought I was cute when I was a child? I felt my stomach give a little twist as I remembered some of the times that I had been pushed to the side, forgotten or left behind because I wasn't pretty like the other children.

"Hey." I felt Jomei's hand come to rest on my thigh and looked up at him. As soon as my face was turned towards him he stole a little kiss. "Don't drift away from me. Stay with me and smile. It makes me happy when you smile at me."
I frowned at him and said, "Don't kiss me in a restaurant. You're going to get us thrown out."
"I like it when you frown at me to. It's always turned me on. I can still remember that first day when you walked over to talk to me and Hana. You were so angry. The look on your face, it's like it punched me in the stomach," he said in a dreamy voice.
"Punched you in the stomach? That's romantic," I snapped, trying to get him to stop being so sappy.
"No, like punched me in the stomach with desire. You took my breath away. I just wanted to grab you and push you to the floor and have my way with you."
"There is something truly wrong with you."
"Or truly right with you. Aren't you curious about where we're going next?" he asked.
"We're going somewhere else? I thought you were just going to take me back to your apartment and push me down on the floor."
"Don't tempt me," he said. "We're going to go to an arcade and play Dance Dance Revolution."
"Why would we do that?" I asked, frowning at him. "I've told you before that I don't play video games."
"Don't think you can fool me. I know the truth. Your friend Beth told me that you were some sort of DDR champion in high school. She went on and on about how amazing you are."
I sucked in a breath. "What? Are you trying to gather information about me?"
"Of course not, that would arouse suspicion. She volunteered the information herself. I think she was trying to make you seem more human so that I wouldn't be so afraid of you," he explained.
"But you're not afraid of me," I said.
"Everyone at works thinks I am. Kodama must have spread the rumor that I'm supposedly having nightmares about you," he said. "I'm sure everyone thinks it's true. I've been looking especially haggard lately since you've been keeping me up demanding orgasms several nights a week."
"Yeah right you look haggard. You look like an ad for face cream."
"Thanks, Akiko. It gives me chills when you give me compliments like that. After you kick my ass at DDR, I'm going to take you home and give you lots of orgasms."

_*_*_*_*_

(Monday, October 1)

I noticed as soon as Jomei let me into his apartment that he'd been busy. The table was already set with a nice looking meal and candles. There was also a small present wrapped in fancy paper next to my plate.
"That's for you," he said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me. He started dropping damp little kisses on the nape of my neck.
"It isn't jewelry is it?" I asked, glaring at the small box suspiciously. "You should have noticed that I never wear jewelry."
"Of course I know that you don't wear jewelry," he said, reaching out to pick up the package and put it in my hands. "Open it."
"You're getting me all spitty," I said, slowly removing the wrapping paper from the box.
"Don't pretend like you don't like it," he said, his hands moving up to unbutton my blouse, his mouth still wandering over the back of my neck.
"Don't you think we should eat first? It looks like you put a lot of effort into this meal."
"Yeah, but I want to eat naked. At a special dinner like this, the proper etiquette is to show me your nipples." Of course he was already naked.
I hissed as he pinched my nipples between his fingers as I was opening the box. "A vegetable peeler?" I asked, picking it up.
"I noticed that yours has gotten a little old. The blade has come loose and is wobbly. It slows you down when you're cooking and it's probably a safety concern," he explained.
"That's a good point. This is a good gift," I said. Surprised that he hadn't given me something useless. I noticed something else in the box. "A Benjiro's gift card?"
"Yes, that way you can get yourself whatever you want or need," he said, unzipping my pants. "Although, I would like to suggest a really short skirt for work."
"That's not going to happen."
"I know, but I can dream. Now let's hurry up and eat. I've got a new position for us to try."

After dinner he sat on his bed with his legs in a vee in front of him. He had me sit between his legs facing him, my own legs kicked over his thighs.
"Thank you for the present," I said quietly. He was looking in my eyes as if I were the only thing in the world. It was making me a little breathless. "I really liked it."
"You're welcome," he said. "I want to make you happy."
We were sitting so close and his eyes were locked on mine, their intensity was making my heart pound and I felt a little uncomfortable, but I was also feeling excited. It was so nice to be naked and close to him, it had become my favorite place to be. I knew by his serious look that he was going to be taking things slowly. My insides shivered in anticipation and I arched towards him.
"I haven't even touched you yet," he said with a little smile.
"I think you need to."
He raised his hand and stroked his thumb across my nipple, his eyes were still holding mine, watching my reaction. He just stroked my nipple once, and then moved slowly over to do the same to my other nipple. He was going too slow, I couldn't handle it. My body was tightening and straining inside. I leaned forward, cupping the back of his head in my hand and pulling him towards me for a kiss. His lips were soft and pliant, docile. He responded to my kisses but didn't do anything to push our passion forward. I was growing ever hotter, but he was holding himself in check.
With a quiet moan of frustration, I pulled away from his mouth and sat up straight. His eyes were still on me. "Jomei. Jomei, please," I said. He brought both hands up and began a twin foray on my breasts, cupping and rubbing and squeezing my curves, pinching and twisting my nipples...slowly, so slowly. I moaned and arched into his hands until I couldn't bear it anymore. I needed more of him. I tried to lean forward to kiss him again, but he stopped me, his hands holding me back.
As I'd moaned and twisted under his touch, I'd thrown my head back and closed my eyes again and again, but every time I'd opened them his eyes were on me. When he held me back from kissing him, his eyelids finally dropped over his eyes and he bent forward to take a nipple into his mouth.

I was so aroused that I immediately began crying out as he sucked me into his mouth and played with my nipple with his tongue. So slowly, lapping and rolling, nibbling and tugging. I put my arms around his shoulders and held him to me tightly, pressing myself rhythmically into his mouth, undulating on the bed, trying to get closer to him. But he put his hands on my waist and held me away from him as his mouth slid over to work on my other breast.
"Jomei, it's too much. It's too much," I cried. My moans were beginning to sound more like sobs. My body was desperate for him. I ached to feel him inside of me, to press my breasts against his chest, to wrap my arms and legs around him. I wanted to taste him, to press my nose to his skin and smell his scent and his heat, to hear his moans and feel him all around me.
He trailed a hand down to my lady bits. My body jumped as his fingers delved between my folds of skin. I was overly aroused, hypersensitive to his touch. My bits were so drenched that even the blanket beneath us was being soaked.
"Jomei, please. I need you," I said. "I need to feel you inside of me."
He raised his head from my breast, his eyes were still fathomless, locking onto mine. His hands went to my waist and he pulled me forward, guiding me up so that I could take his man part into me and lower myself down on him.
I made sobbing sounds of pleasure. My legs were spread so wide, opening my body up to him. He was buried so deeply inside of me, but he didn't move. I'd pressed my face into his shoulder and I concentrated on feeling him filling me. My insides were clenching and moving around his hard length. My body wanted to move on him, but his hands were strong on my waist, holding me firmly in place.
"Look at me," he said. I raised my head to meet his eyes. They locked onto mine and he eased his grip on my hips so that I could move. I felt as if I were only half-aware, so much of my attention was focused on how he felt inside of me. I maintained eye contact as best as I could, knowing that's what he wanted of me. I raised a hand to his chest and planted another behind me on his thigh.
"Jomei, Jomei, Jomei…" I chanted as I began to rock myself on his shaft. His hand gripped my waist and helped me to move. He thrust his hips up to meet me as I rocked myself again and again on his hard man part. I did my best to hold his eyes with mine. Every time pleasure overtook me and made me close my eyes or throw me head back, I always went back to his eyes as quickly as I could until he was overcome with his own pleasure and we gave up trying to maintain the connection and concentrated on reaching our orgasms.
My every breath was a moan or a cry as we worked our parts together building more and more pleasure between us, searching for release. He felt so close to me. Inside of me, surrounding me, his hands on me, his heavy breathing and moans in my ear and when I closed my eyes all that I could see was his eyes staring back at me.
I came hard, yelling with my release, my body crashing into his, bearing down, taking everything that he would give me. Jomei thrust himself up inside of me, his orgasm following mine so quickly that he must have been waiting for me. I collapsed onto his chest, drawing in deep breaths and whimpering, holding him close. His head was on my shoulder and he was breathing heavily into my ear.
Our breathing slowed and his man part slipped out of me. With a sigh I moved away from him, untangling from his body and we moved to lie down beneath the blanket. He wrapped his arms around me and covered my face with kisses. I tangled my fingers in his hair and smiled at him.
"Go to sleep," he whispered. "I'm going to be waking you up later for more."

(Friday, October 5)

Stepping into a ramen restaurant, I immediately saw Jomei sitting at a table in the back. My stomach turned a little as I met his eyes and I quickly clamped down on the feeling. I could tell by the serious look on his face that this wasn't another one of his dates to convince me to be his girlfriend, but I'd known that since he'd stopped at my desk and asked me to meet him at the restaurant rather than his apartment.
I told myself that there was no sense being worried. He couldn't force me to date him. If he wanted to call an end to things because I wouldn't agree to be his girlfriend, then so be it. I had always known that our arrangement wouldn't last forever. It was a contract that was meant to be broken. I had reminded myself of that every day.
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked as soon as I sat down. There was no sense beating around the bush.
"I want to know why you're refusing to date me," he said. He was used to my straightforwardness by now. It didn't even faze him.
"I think a better question is: why do you want to date me?" I retorted.
"Why is that question more valid than mine?" he asked. I was surprised at how assertive he was being. He was usually easy going and his typical method of getting what he wanted was to be charming.
"Because I don't see any reason to change how things are."
"I want to be your boyfriend. I want to share more things with you, not just my bed," he said, his eyes intense. I shook my head in response. "Why is that a problem for you? Why is it so bad to share more of yourself with me?"
"We already spend so much time together. Taking more just feels like too much…like I might be swallowed up," I said, my eyes sliding away from his. I didn't like to look weak. I didn't like showing how I really felt. I didn't want him to use my own feelings against me.
"This isn't about time. I won't ask for more time. I want more of you. You're holding back. You're keeping yourself apart from me. I want you to think of me first. I want you to call me first when your happy or sad about something. I want you to open up and tell me things." His voice was gentle but firm. He wasn't going to give up easily.
"I've already done that…" I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I've told you things…"
"I know and I'm very grateful when you do, but you've only told me a little," he said. "I want more. I want you to open up to me all the time, not just every once in awhile."
"You're just asking for too much." I was starting to feel a little afraid. He wasn't backing down like he usually did. "We had a contract. We set parameters. You want me to just change everything up in my head, but I've been functioning under the rules. I can't just flip a switch and change everything."
"We made the rules and we can change them if we want to," he said. "I want to be your boyfriend. I want to be in a normal committed relationship with you."
"But…" I looked around the restaurant as if I could find my answer on its colorfully decorated walls.
"But what?"
"You're not my type," I said, stating the obvious. "And what if my perfect match shows up? It just doesn't seem right for us to date."
"I don't know where your perfect match is, Akiko," he said levelly. "He might never be coming. I'm here and I want to be with you. I want to get closer to you. We can make a new contract - something that you're comfortable with - and if your perfect match shows up, I'll step aside. I won't stand in the way."
"I just don't know…" It was hard to decide if it was right or not. I'd been waiting for my perfect match for so long. Dating Jomei felt like cheating. But he was right to say that my perfect match might never come. If that happened, would I look back and regret not accepting more from Jomei? If this was really my one chance to have a relationship with a man, did it make sense to just stay friends with benefits? If I wanted to experience more of the things that my friends and all the other women took for granted, this could be my only chance.
But it scared me. It felt like jumping into the unknown. A purely physical relationship had been easy to define and understand. Dating was vague and much more complicated and I had zero experience. But it would be with Jomei. He was always kind to me, he always thought of me, he always took care of me. I didn't think that he would do anything to intentionally hurt me.
"You deserve a real relationship. Your perfect match can't fault you for that. If he's out there, he'd want you to be happy while you're waiting for him," he said. "Make a contract with me. I'll compromise on every point, I'll give you everything you want. Just give me more of you."
"I guess it doesn't hurt to try," I said slowly, feeling shaky and unsure. "If it doesn't work out then we can go back to the original contract or something."
"It's going to work out," he said with a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure of it."