Note: A little slice of lemon to tide you over. Song title is 'Inertia Creeps' by Massive Attack. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you in Canada, happy Canada day! If you are in the US, happy fourth of July!

That had been far too close. He'd almost lost her. First the driver mistakenly scares her before he could safely come out of the shed without getting fried to a crisp and then her running back to the damned car to get her purse he forgot to grab. "If that driver had just driven slower, he would have reached my marked location after sunset!" Enmu Tamio's usual calm demeanor had departed then, and he was shocked at how he behaved. He'd even shouted at Mandi when he was about to cast his blood art, but he wanted to keep her attention on him for just a second longer so he could put her to sleep. What if he had failed? No, he didn't want to think of his Sleeping Beauty running wild and possibly escaping him. He wasn't sure how close she had been to actually escaping, but he didn't plan on her witnessing the unconscious driver or her feeling as if she was about to get murdered when he locked the doors. What a mess!

After Enmu had safely laid Mandi on a couch in his home, he had gone back to take care of the driver; he had only put him to sleep. His blood had tasted horrible, too. You could sometimes taste the sickness in a human's blood, and you could definitely taste the difference between a young human and an old one. That man was certainly not to Enmu's taste, but he had to make sure he stayed well satiated while he kept Mandi around. Even though he had years of practice in restraint when required, she still had marechi blood. Last thing he wanted to do was drain her dry in a fit of hunger and ruin his fun. "Her fun too, because whether she'll ever admit it or not, she will enjoy what I do to her body."

The time he spent away from her preparing his place had refreshed his mind and tamed those disgusting human-like thoughts, or so he believed. "This is just all fun for my black little heart. She's nothing to me really." Then why did he fight so hard to get her here? He reminded himself that she was nothing but a distraction, something to play with, but now that she was here in his home he wasn't so sure. Being around her made his emotions unstable, that is if you could say that Enmu had any emotions remaining in him.

He looked down at her asleep on a black Chesterfield leather couch and sighed softly, bringing a hand to his face to wipe away the last of adrenaline he was feeling from finally catching his prey. He wasn't entirely sure if his plan was even going to work now after what she had seen and witnessed without a little mind tampering. "You had better plan on it," he said to himself.

She had fainted right before he had even put her to sleep and took a hard knock on her head. He hadn't expected that she would faint like that. Again, he damned his slow reflexes. He was an oni! Why had his reflexes been slow at all? Mandi had been out cold now for close to 12 hours now, but her pulse was strong and steady, her breathing normal. She began to have a nightmare a few hours ago, so he touched her forehead and gave her a dream of being on a vacation somewhere on a tropical beach while he determined the next best course of action.

Enmu certainly didn't want her to remember anything negative or start off her journey with him on a bad foot. He wanted his sweet, young thing as pure as he could manage and would revel when he would begin to see her mind fracture and fall apart. He needed to inspect her thoughts a bit deeper in order to find out what she remembered before fainting. While he could erase or change her memory, he certainly could confuse her. In order to do so, however, he would have to do something he normally was too cautious to do himself: invade her dream in order to weaken her subconscious memory.

Enmu had no problem using people, and sometimes he liked to use dying humans to invade a sleeping human's subconscious. Once, there was a time where his kind was brutally hunted. This technique he used helped aid him in overpowering more intuitive humans that knew exactly what kind of creature he was. While he was immortal, sunlight was a bitch he had yet to figure out a way to conquer. He created a special kind of rope that connected the minds of a sleeping human to a host. He'd kill them both, though when finished. While it was a survival tactic a hundred years ago, today it was merely double your pleasure, double your fun sort of thing. With Mandi, however, he'd take the chance and invade her subconscious himself. He'd have to take care in order to make sure he woke up before she did, however.

He held his chin and tried to think exactly of what he wanted to do. Mandi emitted a soft moan in her sleep, and he looked back down at her again. "She must really be enjoying that beach," he mused, admiring her peaceful form. He recalled when he had officially met her and how attracted she was to him. He smiled, his teeth flashing. She was obviously enamored with him, and he'd use that to his advantage.

"Perfect," he whispered, and reached down to smooth away a stray strand of her silver hair from her delicate face. "Let's turn up the heat a notch, shall we, precious?"

He went and retrieved an alarm clock out of his room. He'd have to hope that the soft setting on it designed specifically for his oni ears to hear wouldn't wake Sleeping Beauty in the process. He set it for thirty minutes and set it down on the black lacquered coffee table. Most humans would find it odd that any immortal being would need or even desire to sleep, but it was a pleasurable hobby for him. Oni dreamed just like any other human, and one could even use sleep to heal and reduce hunger to a degree. He enjoyed dreaming as much as he did reality, and he'd often confuse the two.

He knelt down and placed one arm under Mandi's legs and the other under her back to support her and lifted her up in his arms. He gently squeezed her to him, smelling her unique jasmine scent. Why did this feel so natural to him? He adjusted her delicately in his arms, savoring the weight of her against him for another minute. "This dream is going to be great for her and hell on me, but I need to take it slow and cautious right now," he thought while he placed her upright in a sitting position. He sat down next to her, their bodies touching, and he softly tilted her head so she was using his shoulder as a pillow.

"So beautiful," he crooned, and took her right hand and interlocked her fingers with his left. "Even this feels so natural as breathing. Half of me wants to drive you slowly mad, taking pleasure in it, and the other half makes me want to protect you. Why is that, you precious thing?" He reached over and pressed the timer on the clock with his free hand and nestled into her, closing his eyes. "I'm about to make your wildest dream come true, love," he kissed her temple and drifted off to sleep in her subconscious.

Now that he was linked up to her mind, he quickly scanned her memories of her trip to his home. Nothing seemed to be too out of order, thankfully. She'd certainly endured a fright. She had already blocked the unconscious driver from her mind. The only thing that had really made an impression on her was his eyes and how they glowed when he was in the dark without his glamor on. He could fix that easily.

Enmu took control of her dream knowing how to soothe the anxiety she would have upon waking. He could almost hear her pout in protest when he changed the beach scene into her standing in her machiya. He set the stage similar to their meeting, another way of adding confusion. She was standing at a breakfast bar counter, her back to him. She was wearing a white short sleeved buttoned down blouse and a black puffy type of skirt that looked like it was made from tulle that reached her mid thighs. "Odd choice," he remarked to himself but admired the view. "If she bent over right now-. No, remember what you are doing here in the first place."

She had her arms rested on the counter, her elbows bent. He was dressed in his signature outfit. He smiled at her long silver hair that trailed down to her low back and walked up to her silently. He pressed his body into her backside as he placed his left hand beside her left hand, palm down on the countertop. He repeated this move with his right hand thus trapping her in his arms. He heard her gasp in surprise, but she didn't fight him. Whether she would want something like this later with him was of no account; she wanted him like this right now. She groaned, arching her back into him and wiggled her hips slightly against him. He moaned softly in her ear, his cock nestled in the curve of her buttocks. Unable to help himself, he thrust his hips into her ass in response.

"Dr. Tamio, I don't know why I'm here. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Enmu, please. Call me Enmu, precious." She smiled, shifting her hips from side to side a little, eliciting another moan from him. This was going to be painful on him, indeed. He gyrated his hips into hers as slow as he could manage.

"Enmu," she said in a seductive, throaty voice, "do you think you can help me?"

"Without a doubt," he said and slowly trailed his hands up her arms, stopping when they rested on her shoulders as if he were about to give her a massage.

"What's wrong with me? I feel so-well, I feel like I'm on fire!"

"I know how to cool the burn you're feeling," he assured, purring into her ear. "You have to trust me, okay? Can you do that?"

"Mmhmm," she sighed softly.

"I have exactly what you need to cool the burn you're feeling right now." He let his fingers slip up to her neck, undoing the first couple of buttons on her blouse.

"What are you-?"

"Shh, precious. Trust me, remember? You want this! You need me to do this to you." He let go of her right shoulder for a moment and slid a finger across her hair, exposing her neck to him. He kissed the soft, smooth skin there as his left hand continued working the buttons on her blouse. She shivered against him as he released her hair and trailed his fingers down to the front of her neck, toying with her right bra strap. It slid off her shoulder a couple inches.

His pants were already so tight. He groaned in her ear. He could barely stand the throbbing in his cock, but he took a deep breath and refocused. He rotated his hips into hers playfully as he tugged down on both of her bra straps, her cleavage now straining to be free from a black, lacy bra. Mandi cried out in surprise when she felt the fabric caress her breasts as he yanked her bra down rather roughly. His hands immediately traveled to her ample breasts, rolling a nipple between his fingers feeling it go hard instantly.

"It should be a crime, you know," he whispers into her ear, rubbing his thumb back and forth over her other nipple making it form a matching stiff peak.

"W-what should be?"

"Wearing this," he tugged at her bra for a moment then returned his hands to her breasts, kneading and cupping them. "It should be a crime for you to hold your gorgeous tits bound like that unless I'm the one that is binding them." He knew she was blushing like mad at his comment and what he was doing to her body. He could feel arousal pouring off her like heat.

"I'll do whatever you want just-please-don't stop!"

"So, you'll be a good girl for me while you're under my care?" He slowed the movements of his hands, just barely brushing her nipples to tease her. He thrust his cock into the cleft of her ass. She moaned in response, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Yes, I promise! Are you going to make love to me now?"

"Not yet," he sighed with regret. "Soon, but not too soon. Right now, this is all about your pleasure, your relief. I won't deny that I am enjoying grinding my own desire into your ass though, love."

She sighed at the seductive tone in his voice. If he told her to get on all fours right now, no doubt she would in an instant. He groaned himself at the thought. This was painful but in a good way. He'd need to do something later though. The pressure he was feeling was almost unbearable, and he couldn't act anywhere near this brazen around her for a while.

He smiled and wet his lips with his tongue. Reluctantly, he let go of her breasts and grabbed her shoulders again and rapidly spun around to face him, gazing into her gorgeous blue eyes. She gasped, trying to cover herself, but he took her hands in his and pulled them away. His eyes made a trail down the delicate features of her face to her breasts, taking in all her lovely features. Her face was red in contrast to the paleness of her neck. She struggled against him holding her hands which only made her breasts jiggle. It was entirely too much.

He allowed himself free fall into her, lost in the moment. Greedily, cupped one of her breasts and wrapped his other hand around her neck to pull her to him and crushed his lips against hers in a hungry embrace. She whimpered into his mouth, her hands going up and fisting themselves into his black hair. He rocked his hips against hers as slowly as he could restrain himself to do so. While he could do anything he wanted to her now, he couldn't actually taste her lips in this state. It was like touching something with thick, rubber gloves on. He could sense, but his senses were dulled incredibly. He couldn't wait till he could touch her like this in real life, whether she wanted him to or not. He'd take until she had nothing left to give if he so desired. She broke from the aggressive kiss first and cupped his face in her hands. He froze, sensing her taking back control.

Mandi stared into his eyes and right into his soul. What did she see? Was it good enough for her? He blinked slowly at the rapid succession of questions in his own mind, her icy blue eyes thawed and filled with warmth. She smiled at him, genuinely smiled at him. He suddenly felt awkward and on the spot and just about looked away from her until she touched his face, trailing a finger down his cheek where his oni markings would be. His attention was all hers again. He couldn't look away now even if he had wanted to.

"Enmu, your eyes are so gorgeous, you know that?" Her smile never made him feel so light and elated in his entire existence, human and oni combined. This was pure magic!

"So are yours," he said huskily, staring at her lips before he kissed her again this time with restraint. He felt her eyelashes flutter against his cheek.

"Fuck me, this woman is incredible! What is this? Is this what humans call love? It's like I could never get tired of this! The look she just gave me now - it beats any look of anguish that I've caused. It's intoxicating beyond anything I could have ever imagined! And this is a dream! Speaking of which, I need to hurry up and finish what I set out to do." he thought. He lingered his kiss a touch longer, giving it an edge of romantic sweetness that she craved and then slid his hands down her sides, cupping her buttocks, and lifted her up to set her on top of the breakfast bar. She suddenly felt exposed again and crossed her arms over her chest. He grabbed her hands and gently pulled them away, placing them back on the counter.

"Don't. Please. Let me see you," he looked up at her, pleading. The pink blush on her cheeks was so infectious.

She went to pull her legs together and he stepped within them thus preventing her from doing so.

"Remember, you said you'd be a good girl for me," he chided, looking up at her through his long eyelashes. She nodded. She naturally lifted her hips, and he deftly removed her panties.

"You took them, didn't you?" She wrapped one leg around his back, pulling him closer.

"You bet your cute ass I did," he admitted while running his left hand under her skirt, his fingers kissing her skin as they moved further along her inner thigh.

"I'd like those back, you know. That's my favorite pair." She spread her legs a little wider, confidence filling her.

"Why's that?" He placed his palm over her smooth pubic mound. She sighed softly as soon as his hand connected with her delicate skin

"Because I asked. Black is my favorite color. You look damn sexy in your black jacket, too." She was hot enough to burn and already wet for him.

"Shh," he coaxed, closing his eyes, biting his lower lip.

"Why?"

"Because you're distracting me," he looked up at her, turning his seductive charm up a notch.

"Good," she replied, smiling down at him triumphantly.

"What kind of powers does this woman have over me? Good gods! She managed to take control over a dream I created, she's aware of me, and she knew I stole her panties. I think I've met my match." He slipped a finger down her slit, encircling her swollen bud. Back to business, and he had to be quick! He had a feeling he didn't have much time left on his clock, but he felt confident he already worked enough magic to cause her to seriously doubt what happened. "And now you're tucked away in my little dungeon, pet. What are you going to do now?"

She relinquished control of the dream instantly almost as if she knew and played the coy girl he disrobed in the beginning. She was once again blushing. He elbowed her knees further apart to give him better access.

"What are you going to do to help me, doctor?" she asked innocently.

"I'm going to make you come for me," he replied and slowly slipped a finger inside her tight pussy, looking up at her face for her reaction. She did not disappoint. He felt her squeeze his finger instantly.

She cried out and ran her hands through her hair, pulling it off her neck as if she literally were on fire. He grinned up at her, enjoying the way her breasts moved as he slowly fingered her. He added a second finger, stretching her, and watched her about come undone. She was so wet and hot for him that he felt his cock twitch in anticipation when he'd finally have the chance to fuck her. He couldn't wait to make this dream a reality, because he was beyond desperate from needing relief. He knew he'd be able to smell her arousal when he woke up, and he closed his eyes and groaned, sliding his other palm down over his hardness for a moment. He wished she'd touch him. He wanted it to be her hand, not his.

He quickly slid his right hand up under her skirt to join his left and pressed his right index finger against her throbbing clit. He felt her squeeze his fingers again knowing that she was drawing dangerously close to the edge. He drew a slow circle around her clit, adding a little pressure. Her nipples were rock hard, her breasts bouncing lightly from him fingering her with a little more speed and force.

"Mandi..." he whispered. "Open your eyes, precious, and look at me. I want to see your eyes when you come for me."

Obediently, she looked down at him. "It's as if she is looking at my soul again. I can feel her trying to reach out and touch my dead heart." He never took his eyes off hers as he started to rapidly tap her clit with his right index finger, fingering her relentlessly with his left.

She cried out his name, her pussy rhythmically squeezing his left fingers as she rode through her orgasm. Her cheeks and chest were thoroughly flushed and bright pink. He grinned up at her. When he felt her go still, he slowly withdrew his fingers from her drenched pussy and brought them up to his mouth. She was rapt.

"You were a very good girl for me, but I need you to do one more thing for me. Will you do that for me, my Sleeping Beauty?"

Her eyes half closed, she nodded at him.

"Whatever happened back in the woods, when you came to my home-nothing bad happened, love. The driver gave you a scare, yes, but you fainted from that. I need you to trust me. If you do that, I'll treat you like a queen, understand?"

She nodded down at him, a warm and coy smile on her face.

"I'll see you soon then, precious thing. I need to go now. I'll take good care of you while you are here at my house, believe me."

夢 夢 夢

The alarm Enmu had set was going off, rousing him from sleep. He opened his eyes and reached over to turn it off carefully so as to not wake up the Sleeping Beauty next to him. He didn't let go of Mandi's hand for a few minutes. He simply didn't want to let go.

He sat there, gazing down into her cute face besotted by her. He felt so conflicted right now. Half of him wanted to go through with his entire plan and eventually drive her to madness and the other half of him wanted to get down on one knee with a diamond ring in his hand. He could suddenly understand why human men became dimwits when it came to women. Although he wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling, he wouldn't just give in to emotions. That was a very human thing to do. This girl was clearly bewitching him perhaps with a magic of her own. But what was he to do after he killed her? He felt the loss as if she had already been killed, and his heart grieved.

"You're being foolish! Get up and get away from her! Clear your mind," he said softly to himself. He was about to get up when he felt her shift. She groaned in her sleep, hips gyrating into the couch and-into his side. "Oh, holy fuck!"

She was orgasming in her sleep. He could smell it, and he sure as hell could watch the expression on her unconscious face. Her mouth had opened slightly, and she was panting. She was squeezing his hand, too. He swallowed hard, blushing. He didn't think that she would actually be able to achieve an orgasm through a dream like that. He could smell the blood rushing to the central point of her thighs.

He let go of her hand and stood up, almost knocking over the table in the process. His mouth was watering like a fountain. Enmu clamped his left hand over his nose and mouth in an attempt to block out the provocative smell that filled the air. He had to get away from her before he did something really stupid. He grabbed his alarm clock and ran to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against the ebony door and slid to the floor with his hands over his face, shaking. He desperately tried to erase the tormenting image of her coming on his couch, the scent of her arousal, and the scent of her blood. It was impossible.

夢 夢 夢

Slowly, Mandi batted open her eyes. She felt a dull throb in the back of her head. It certainly wasn't where she usually got migraines. She reached back to rub the back of her head and felt a good sized goose egg there. "What happened? Where am I?" she wondered to herself.

"You're here; you're safe," a soft yet familiar voice replied without being prompted.

"Where's 'here'?" she asked, squinting.

"My home. You've been asleep for about fifteen hours now. Here, I have some ice for you. You hit your head pretty hard when you fainted." Enmu innocently handed her an ice bag and stepped away from her, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His posture was a little odd. He was standing far too straight and rigid.

"Thank you," she whispered, taking the ice and sitting up on the black leather couch she was lying on. She winced, sitting up too fast. She held the ice up to the back of her head. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" She frowned up at him.

"I remember driving through trees and not reaching your place till it was almost dark. Everything is so fuzzy," she said and closed her eyes. "Why does it matter what I remember?"

"Well, as you can guess, you took a pretty hard hit to the head. There was a little misunderstanding on the driver's behalf. You had arrived before it was completely safe for me to come out. You pulled up to the front of my home, but he had locked the doors to prevent you from leaving. I'm sorry if he scared you; he was just trying to prevent you from leaving, because he had no other means of communication with you."

"But I remember a run down, wooden utility shed or something. I mean, look!" she held up her finger, her middle finger red from the sliver in it. "I got a sliver when I was inside, and then everything went black!"

He took a deep breath to regain his composure. He sauntered over to the couch and knelt down beside the coffee table, turning on his charm. Mandi immediately blushed when he nonchalantly looked up into her eyes. He ran his left hand through his hair, and he felt her eyes glued to him. She noticed how silky and soft it particularly looked. Instead of being confused about what had happened to her, she suddenly felt a strong impulse to reach out and run her fingers through it. Enmu smiled as he watched Mandi becoming distracted, just as he had hoped she would. "Perfect! Eyes on me, precious."

"I'm not sure what you mean. My home certainly isn't a utility shack," he said. He reached for her hand, looking at her middle finger. He gingerly removed the sliver with his nails. "You did run to a tree. That's probably where this was from." He held up the sliver to her, waving it in a jesting nature.

"But-but I don't remember what your house even looks like at all!"

"You fainted and hit your head, so it's natural you wouldn't. Remember, my home is underground, too."

"So, we are underground right now?" She hated how foolish she sounded to her own ears, but she wanted to try to clear the story up.

"Correct," he replied, nodding his head once.

"Like in a coffin."

He arched a brow at her and her comment. That was a bit morbid to think even by her standards. He hoped that his dream he created for her was enough, but she still seemed very out of sorts. He gave her a thoughtful look, tilting his head to the side. "Ask her about the dream. Make her bring that to mind so she doesn't think too much about the rest," he thought to himself.

"Did you dream at all while you were unconscious? Maybe you saw the front of my house and it just got lost within a dream," he offered.

"I did dream, actually," she replied, thinking hard. Suddenly, he watched her cheeks go from pink to bright red. Quickly, she looked away now suddenly interested in his white and black marble flooring.

"What did you dream about?" he asked, his voice super smooth and seductive. Bingo!

"I, I can't remember now. It just slipped my mind!"

"Ha, why do I get the feeling you're lying to me just now," he smiled at her and laughed. She blushed even more.

"I did dream. You were in it, I think."

"Was I?"

"Yes."

"Well, go on. I'm interested to hear what happened." He bit his lip to keep himself from chuckling. She looked so adorable on the spot and frustrated. Her scent of arousal still lingered lightly in the air, but it wasn't as strong as it had been a couple hours ago.

"You were treating me for a headache," she lied. There was no way in hell she'd admit to what he actually did to her. She tried her best not to think about it, too. She thought he was gorgeous, but damn she couldn't speak of something lewd like that.

"Did it work?"

"I think it might have. I know I felt better after. There was something rather odd about the dream though."

"What's that?" he asked, blinking slowly.

"You looked-different," she replied, looking him over as if she was trying to decide or remember what she had been thinking.

"I looked different? How so?" He couldn't read her mind right now, so he genuinely was curious. He assumed her wayward eyes were just admiring his handsome features.

"Your hair, your face. You had some sort of kanji symbol in your left eye, and you had these square, colorful markings on your cheek. Your hair was two different colors on the end-. Enmu? Enmu, are you okay?!"

He couldn't hide the look of shock and horror on his face. "Damn it to hell!" He had forgotten to wear a glamor in the dream! No wonder she reached out and touched his cheek and complimented his eyes! She was seeing his true form! There was no way to cover up this massive mistake, not now. He was so angry at himself, and he knew his reaction he was giving right now was blowing it up and out of the water. He took several steps backwards away from her. "Think, Enmu! Think hard!"

"You look as if you saw a ghost!" she said, setting down the bag of ice. She closed the distance he had placed between them and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He clenched his hands so hard that he felt his nails cut his skin creating bloody crescent marks in his palms. He'd done this to himself, but damn what foolish mistake! Instead of her being put on the spot when inquiring about the sexual dream he gave her, now he was on the spot! He covered his face with the sleeve of his black jacket as if to block out the light for a moment and heaved a heavy sigh. After a minute, he took one step back, feeling her hand fall away and looked into her eyes. He relaxed his fists, allowing the cuts he made to heal in an instant.

"I'm just so glad that you are okay, Mandi. I was really worried that I'd lost you for a moment," he replied. That part was true, absolutely, but he knew he needed to comment on her dream that he'd asked about. "The markings and my hair-I hoped it looked good on me," he winked at her. He hoped the lighthearted tone in his voice held sway.

"I think it'd be hard for you to not look good," she said, blushing again. She wanted the subject to change as much as he did.

"You really are too sweet for your own good, you know that? It could get you into a lot of trouble someday."

"I do try my best!" she replied, standing up, tilting heavily. He caught her before she tumbled to the floor.

"Why, why am I touching her again? Did she make herself fall on purpose?" He had one hand on her hip, and the other in the small of her back. He noticed for the first time that she was a couple inches taller than him, and he oddly hoped she wasn't the type of girl to wear high heels. He was all too aware of his hands on her, and felt the heat from her body radiate off of her as if she were her own sun. The desire to kiss her hit him stronger than ever before. He inclined his head towards her a little and noticed she had done the same. He pulled her closer to him, her body molding to his.

"Please," he whispered huskily," don't fall. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"And if I do?" she said faintly, looking into his half closed turquoise eyes. She could feel his breath on her lips.

"Then, as your doctor, I'd have to provide any necessary treatment to make you better." They were nose to nose now.

"And that would be?" She inched closer, feeling her breasts press into his chest. One of his hands, the one that had been on her hip, was now holding the back of her neck at the base of her skull, mindful of the bump she had suffered. Without her being aware, he lightly brushed a finger over it to heal it quickly.

He let go of the small of her back, and let the back of his left hand stroke along the smooth side of her right face before cupping her chin.

"This," he sighed, barely audible, and closed his eyes.

He didn't have to pull her to him. She naturally moved in for the kiss of her own accord with his hands on her. Her lips glided across his as smooth as the finest silk. They were much softer than he imagined, far softer! She sighed against his lips, tasting forbidden fruit. He was her doctor, so technically she shouldn't be enticing him. She remembered the dream she had just had and she was still flush from it. Enmu had to mentally remind himself to take it slow. He knew he really shouldn't be kissing her just as he heard her think it, but how in the hell was he not to kiss her? He deepened the kiss, coyly darting his tongue past his lips to try to part her own. She had pulled away from his kiss just as he leaned towards her to capture them again, not satisfied. He conceded, allowing her to pull back from their kiss as he read her thoughts. "She wants me to look at her."

Sure enough, she did. Mandi had this adorable star struck look about her face. She looked like she was nearly glowing, and she was smiling at him! She raised her own hands up, brushing a lock of stray black hair out of his eyes, and cradled his head in her hands nearly the same as he was doing with her. "She is! She is literally alight with happiness!" The look she had in her blue eyes just now was sheer nirvana. His eyes, too, had this happy and dreamy air about them. She closed her eyes again and leaned back in for another kiss. He kept his eyes open and watched her lips draw closer. He sighed contentedly just as her lips brushed his own.

Suddenly a door flew open, startling them both away from each other. Mandi made to smooth out her clothes as if caught doing something she shouldn't have been, and Enmu was secretly wanting to kill the maid he had hired for interrupting them. Mandi looked over at the younger woman and then she glanced back curiously into Enmu's eyes. Enmu groaned inwardly.

"Mandi, this is Sarah. She's my live-in maid. She can understand English, but don't expect much chitchat from her; she's mute."

Mandi looked at the girl tailored in comfortable and neat looking attire but not quite a uniform. She looked a little older than Mandi, perhaps in her 30s, and had her dark brunette hair tied back in a harsh bun. Like the driver, this woman looked haggard. Mandi frowned slightly and watched the woman walk through the room until she quietly exited through a different door.

"I guess that is my cue to give you a tour around my place," Enmu stated, a nervous edge riding his usual calm tone. He took several steps to the door that the maid had emerged from.

"Sure, I'd love to see your charming home," Mandi replied, her feet moving in his direction. She kept her eyes down at her feet for a couple of minutes not wanting to accidentally make eye contact with Enmu.

Neither one of them mentioned the kiss.