Chapter 33: Prince Charming

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, Ren and Kyoko would work together soon.

Ren's phone rang as they neared their apartment. It was Yashiro calling so he placed it on speakerphone.

"Hello, Yashiro-san. You're on speaker in the car. I'm here with Kyoko." He warned Yashiro just in case their manager disclosed any embarrassing information not meant for Kyoko's ears.

"Good evening Ren, Kyoko-chan. How did everything go with the President?" Yashiro asked.

He glanced at Kyoko. He would leave it up to her to decide if she wanted to share what they learned tonight. Driving through the gates, he traversed the parking lot until he found his space. He kept the car running while they talked to their manager

"Good evening to you too, Yashiro-san," Kyoko responded, in a hollow voice. "Since you're calling I should just tell you now. President Takarada found the thief or more like the thief found him..." Kyoko wrung her hands nervously. He squeezed the top of her knee, encouraging her to continue while Yashiro waited silently.

"You see...the person that broke into my room was none other than my biological father."

Yashiro's gasp filled the car. "What does he want?" He asked after a moment.

"According to the President, he wants to meet me...but I've made a decision. I don't plan on meeting with him in this lifetime. That man can rot in hell," she spat.

Yashiro remained silent on the other line at a loss for words.

Ren's eyes widened as he sensed the dark aura swirling around her. It had been a long time since he experienced this sensation.

Kyoko's grudges were having the time of their life feeding off their mistress's anger and frustration. She sunk deeper into darkness as she recalled her mother's story with this man and how he betrayed her. Kyoko blinked out of her trance when the car shook from the door closing. She was alone in the car. She struggled to get out of her seatbelt and chased after him.

"Corn!" She called out. He smiled as he heard her heels clicking against the concrete as she scrambled to catch up with him. He locked the car door behind her with the click of his key fob. He knew she would snap out of it if he let her be. It was in her nature.

"I'm sorry please forgive me! I didn't mean to get consumed by my rage!" Kyoko cried breathlessly. "Please don't be mad at me. I couldn't bear it," she said as tears sprung to her eyes.

He regretted leaving her in the car like that. Between the accident at work and now this man claiming to be her father, she had to be overwhelmed. He softened instantly. He wasn't mad. He just didn't like it when she went off in her little fits of rage that she forgot herself. He glowered as he thought of Fuwa causing this side of her. Thank goodness the reaction was becoming rare. He hoped he was healing her as much as she was him. It was sexist and selfish of him to think he could be the only one consumed by darkness. She had every right to be angry given the current circumstances but he didn't like seeing it consume her. He wanted nothing but happiness for her.

"I'm not mad, baby." He leaned in to kiss her forehead.

A squeal pierced his ear. He forgot Yashiro was still on the phone pressed to his ear. Kyoko giggled when he rolled his eyes. Their manager was something else.

"Yashiro-san, I'll call you back. We're entering the elevator and I'll lose signal." He hung up the phone then used his keycard to access their floor.

Once in the apartment, he called Yashiro. He wondered what was so important that his manager couldn't wait until morning. He glanced at the clock. It wasn't necessarily late by industry's standards but he'd rather settle down for the night with Kyoko.

"Hello Yashiro-san, can we make this quick?" He asked, hiding the impatience in his voice.

Yashiro chuckled, "So eager. Playing house must be a dream come tr…"

"Yashiro-san," he warned through clenched teeth not wanting to listen to any more teasing.

Yashiro could feel his gentleman persona coming through the phone. He cleared his throat and said, "Put me on speaker this involves Kyoko-chan as well."

"Kyoko," he called to her before she could disappear into the room. "Yashiro-san would like to talk to both of us." He gestured for her to sit on the couch next to him and placed the call on the speaker setting.

"Okay Yashiro-san, she's here," he said, putting his arm around her.

"Now that I have you both, please listen for a moment. There was some trouble regarding your CM today Ren. The Director called me while you were meeting with the President. The owner of the French cafe and himself were not satisfied with the result. They want to swap out the actress. Of course, they didn't have anyone in particular in mind as long as you were the male lead. So I happily suggested Kyoko-chan be the alternative which the Director immediately agreed. The problem is the schedule. I told them you were both extremely busy and I could probably squeeze you in tomorrow during lunchtime for about two hours. Technically it's not the romantic date you were looking forward to but the owner has promised to provide you a personal lunch. If you guys complete the CM with no problems you can have a mini lunch date afterward. What do you say Kyoko-chan, would you like to be Cinderella to Ren's Prince Charming?"

Ren grimaced. He was disappointed that the director wasn't satisfied with the job he did today. This was a first for him. His only conciliation was having Kyoko with him again.

"Prince Charming?" Kyoko parroted, perking up.

"Yes, Ren's character in the CM is a prince since the cafe itself revolves around 'happily ever after' aspirations."

She gazed at her boyfriend. He was offering her a chance to see her Fairy Prince dressed as a real-life prince? She wanted to see it! Her eyes turned glossy as her mind shifted into La-la land. She imagined herself walking through the forest singing and dancing with the little woodland creatures until she bumps into a prince. He sweeps her into his arms and they waltz through the forest. It was romantic.

Ren laughed lightly at her far away expression. She nodded her head vigorously, making him laugh harder. "I think that's a big yes for Kyoko," he told Yashiro.

"Great! I'll let them know that we are on for tomorrow. Ren, please share the script with Kyoko-chan. There isn't much to it since it's meant to be a 60-second clip. I'm sure she'll catch on quickly."

...

Kuon squeezed her hand after hanging up the phone. Now that work was over he could just be himself. This offer was perfect timing. It took her mind off her father and put her back in high spirits.

"Come on baby, how about a bath? The two of us together. Let's soak your sore muscles."

Kyoko was shocked by the suggestion "Ca..can we do that? D-do couples do that?" She asked blushing as red as a tomato. She thought of their time as the Heel siblings and felt stupid for asking such a naive question.

"I'm sure some do. I've never done it before but I plan on doing so with you. I can wash your back," he winked. "I won't wash your front. Your front might get me in too much trouble." Kyoko gasped, then giggled at his teasing. He walked to the master bedroom where he had a separate garden tub. She heard the truth in his words and felt relieved. This man's desire for her always made her feel loved. With a little probing, maybe she could get him to clean the rest of her body.

"Kyoko, bring some of those bath salts. I'm sure they would help relieve the aches," he called over the rush of water. She shook out of her thoughts and headed for the guestroom. She grabbed the stuff from her bathroom and suddenly felt nervous. Her hands trembled and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest at the thought of taking a bath with Kuon.

When she walked into the master bathroom. He was already submerged in the water. She frowned a little disappointed. Even though the tub was large, he took up most of the space. Could they both fit?

She ignored Kuon's amused expression and busied herself with the salts. Her hand still trembled as she poured the salt under the running tap and then turned the water off. She stalled for time and pinned up her long hair. She would have to wash it in the morning. The process to wash her hair extensions would take too long tonight.

Her eyes met his shyly but she couldn't look away when he gazed at her like that. His emerald eyes darkened as he watched her begin to undress. Emboldened by his heated gaze, Kyoko took her time. She doubted she could go any faster since her fingers fumbled with each button on her blouse. She dropped the garment to the floor after releasing the last button.

Kuon hummed appreciatively. He raked his eyes over her creamy skin. He was pleased to see the crests pushing through the lace of her bra, a good sign that she was turned on. He was already painfully hard and all she did was take off her shirt. He exhaled shakily and wet his lips as she once again took her time removing her skirt. She had to be doing this on purpose to torture him. He had tunnel vision on her hands. His eyes were trained on her dainty fingers hooking the waistband of her skirt and pushing it to the floor. His eyes watched her step out of the skirt then traveled upwards appreciating every centimeter of her long legs until he settled on the blue lace barring him from seeing all of her.

Losing some of her confidence and feeling a little embarrassed, Kyoko turned around abruptly. Kuon thought the view from behind was just as satisfying. She had the perfect figure and the cut of her underwear accentuated her perky ass giving him an eyeful. It was cute yet so very sexy but he knew she was hiding from him.

"Please," he croaked out. "I want to see you. You're so beautiful, baby." His mouth was dry. He moved his hand unconsciously and began stroking himself.

Kyoko straightened up at the sound of splashing and peeked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened. Her curiosity got the best of her and all embarrassment flew out the window. The water was clear enough that even with salts added she could still see everything.

"Take off your bra." Without taking his eyes off her, he slid his hand over his erection from hilt to tip and circled his thumb over the head before pulling back down. He couldn't believe he was doing what she asked of him just this morning. He worried that he wouldn't be able to get it up under her scrutiny yet here he was. The fact that he was now unabashedly jerking off in front of his innocent girlfriend and she still had not run away was a testament that his unease was baseless.

Kyoko did as he commanded. She reached up and unclasped her bra from the front then dropped it to the floor. His breath hitched at the sight of her rosy tipped mounds.

"Now your...ugh..panties, please..." he begged impatiently as he continued his tight slow strokes. His hips bucked underwater with every stroke.

Kyoko squirmed rubbing her thighs together. Her wet underwear had become increasingly uncomfortable. She had no idea that watching him stroke himself would make her so incredibly hot. His face of pure pleasure sent a new onslaught of liquid heat to the apex of her thighs. She felt a familiar sensation kindling in the pit of her stomach. She itched to touch him and his deep voice begging her sent waves of delight throughout her body threatening to make her come. The slightest touch from him would have made her snap.

This time when she hooked her fingers over the lace she trembled but not from nerves. She gingerly slid her underwear down her legs. Water splashed as she kicked her underwear away startling her. She stood back up her posture perfect lifting her small breasts and jutting out her toned ass.

"Ah fuck!" He stood up suddenly, stroking faster. He had never noticed that she was completely free of hair below. This sent him over the edge. Since when? Kyoko stepped closer to the tub. His free hand reached out desperate to feel her bare flesh. She gasped at his touch and gripped his upper arms to stay balanced. He watched her eyes cloud with ecstasy as his fingers stroked.

Kyoko gasped. It didn't take long before her breathing became shallow. She struggled to stay upright as the sensation in the pit of her stomach grew. She was so close to the edge. Kuon's grunts brought her out of her trance, remembering what he was doing. She stared wide-eyed in wonder as she watched him pleasure himself and her. She boldly reached out and took hold of his cock. Her hand seemed small in comparison to his. She wasn't sure if she could do it right.

Kuon groaned and stopped his hand. The feel of her small delicate hand wrapping around him ignited new sensations throughout his body. He gripped her hand and guided her. He was pleased that she was a fast learner. He used his free hand to steady himself on the wall. The added support allowed him to thrust his hips into her hand faster.

Kyoko gasped with delight at his change of pace. She had to be doing something right; however, she was barely hanging on herself. She loved the power she felt having him in her hands but then his groans became louder. She started to doubt. He looked to be in excruciating pain but he assured her that it felt, "so fucking wonderful." She laughed giddily, high off the euphoria of having the Emperor like putty in her hands.

"I'm close baby, faster," he rasped out. He stopped stroking her to reach for a nearby towel. He didn't want any of his semen getting in the water.

She whimpered when he withdrew his hand from her and suddenly felt lonely.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm not done with you yet. I just…" His sentence was cut off by his moan when she tightened her grip.

That was all the reassurance Kyoko needed. She concentrated on her actions and smirked as Kuon braced himself against the wall to stay upright. "Harder!" He croaked. His hips rocked faster into her hand as pre-come poured forth from his tip. She gripped harder. It was all she could do to keep hold of him. Kuon still had enough wits about him to hold the towel against him when he shot his load. Kyoko squeaked as she felt the hot creamy substance coat her hand. She released him when his body stopped convulsing and he removed the towel

Oh my God! That just happened. He sagged against the wall trying to catch his breath. It was a whole different experience when she was the one getting him off. He swore he saw a kaleidoscope of colors when he came. He opened one eye a slit to peek at his girlfriend and make sure she was okay with what they did. She stood there watching him with a small satisfied smile on her face. The little minx enjoyed unmanning him. He watched the curious expression on her face as she looked at her sticky fingers. He gulped as she brought her fingers toward her mouth and flicked her little tongue out. He laughed loudly when her face scrunched up with distaste.

"Don't worry, baby. It's an acquired taste," he said as he stepped out of the bath and cleaned himself up thoroughly. He didn't know if it could happen but he didn't want to take a chance of getting her pregnant. He pulled her over to the sink to wash her hands. When he was satisfied, he stepped back into the bath then gestured for her to sit in front of him.

Kyoko climbed in and settled herself between his legs ignoring the semi-flaccid penis pressing into her back. If he didn't mention it, she wouldn't either.

She sighed as the hot water washed over her aching body and relaxed against his chest. Kuon began kneading her shoulders. Kyoko released a loud sigh of contentment and closed her eyes. After a few minutes of massaging her shoulders, he pulled the little strays of hair from the back of her neck and peppered her skin with featherlight kisses warming Kyoko for her core out.

"How long have you been bare down there?" He asked in a sensual tone as his tongue played with the lobe of her ear. Kyoko had to think hard about the question. She had no clue what he was referring to.

Kuon's hand trailed down her neck, passed her belly, and reached between her legs. "Here," he whispered into her ear again. "How long has it been?" His rich voice sent shivers down her spine as his words tickled her ear. Kyoko sighed with pleasure as the heat from earlier spread throughout her body once again.

"Mmm," she said, rocking her hips against the fingers stroking her. "Before the awards," she managed to finally reply.

Kuon growled against her neck. No wonder, her skin felt so soft and silky down there. He bit his tongue wanting so much to run it over her smooth flesh. The naughty thought caused him to twitch and harden against her. Kyoko sat up feeling his erection dig into her back. She cocked a brow at him in wonder. He chuckled and pulled her back against him; this time would be for her pleasure.

"Sir, Morimoto-san is on the line," Ruto announced the next morning.

Lory sighed. He was dreading this moment. He had heard the disappointing news from Kyoko earlier regarding her decision to not acknowledge the man. "I'll take it."

"Takarada Lory speaking." Lory paused as Morimoto spoke on the other end.

"I'm sorry Morimoto-san. I explained things to her properly last night. She informed me this morning that she didn't wish to see you." He waited again while the man responded.

"It was entirely her decision. There's not much I can do at this point. I will try to broach the subject again in a day or two once she gets used to the idea."

"Yes, thank you for your understanding." Lory sighed again as he hung up the phone. He was worried that Morimoto might do something drastic.

Yashiro maneuvered the car to the curb in front of the cafe. There was already a sizable crowd of fans and photographers swarming the area. They were all waiting to catch a glimpse of the megastar. A bystander had seen Ren entering the establishment earlier and posted it on social media. The crowd erupted when Kyoko stepped out of the vehicle with Yashiro. She waved to the fans while Yashiro ushered her to the door. Before they could reach for the knob Ren was there.

Kyoko practically swooned as Ren opened the door to the cafe with a sweeping bow and a kiss to the back of her hand. He took her breath away and looked dashing in the Prince's attire. His jacket was white with royal blue embroidery and gold filigree on the sleeves and shoulders. Gold buttons ran the length of his top. His white pants also bore the same embellishments down the side. He looked every bit of royalty. She could hear the non-stop sound of shutters clicking as Ren greeted her. She knew this would be in tomorrow's tabloids but she didn't care since her Prince was right before her.

Once they were inside, Ren looked over his girlfriend. The dress he bought fit perfectly. It was a deep forest green mini dress with a lace overlay that looked beautiful against her porcelain skin and highlighted her amber eyes. The lining underneath looked like it was a strapless dress that stopped above her mid-thigh. The lace continued several more centimeters but still managed to show off her long shapely legs. The neckline was high and the sleeves stopped above her elbows. The low block-heels she wore complimented her outfit. He was pleased that she liked the ensemble.

"Hello Kyoko-san, Yashiro-san. Thank you for agreeing to this on such short notice," the director said interrupting Ren's assessment. The director was giddy with excitement. The chemistry between the pair was apparent which was lacking in the shoot yesterday at no fault to the top actor.

Yashiro greeted him then found a spot in the back where he could see everything but also be out of the way.

Kyoko bowed. "Thank you Director for this amazing opportunity."

"Nonsense. I'm grateful Yashiro-san was able to pull this off. Let me introduce you to the chef and owner of the Mon Amour Café, Jean-Luc."

Kyoko watched as a short foreign man in his early 50s stepped up to her and held out his hand. "Bonjour, ma Cherie." Kyoko was hesitant and looked to her senpai for help. He nodded. She placed her hand in Jean Luc's and watched as he kissed the back of her hand.

Kyoko giggled. She wasn't fluent in French but she understood that much. He had called her 'darling.' It sounded more lovely in French. She wondered if she could get Kuon to say it to her like that, perhaps in the privacy of their bedroom. She shivered slightly. She needed to stop before she gave herself a nose bleed.

"We changed the script a bit. The concept is simple. Kyoko-san will walk through the cafe, look around in wonder and awe much like you just did earlier. Your Prince arrives and you sit and have dessert. Rather than the two of you eat, we will have Tsuruga-san feed you. I noticed during the playback of yesterday's film, a minuscule change in Tsuruga-san after he took a bite of dessert. It made me believe that he didn't like sweet things." Kyoko smiled as the Director hit the nail on the head with Ren's eating habits.

Ren winced. He thought he had done a good job of hiding his displeasure. He guessed he couldn't fool the director this time around. He hoped he wasn't developing a preference in his acting. If it wasn't with Kyoko would the audience start seeing through him? He bowed in apology for his poor performance. The Director dismissed it as nothing.

"That wasn't the problem, you were impeccable Tsuruga-san, nobody would have noticed the slight change. I happened across it because I was trying to piece together the sections where Fumiko-san was doing her best. She was too nervous around you and it showed in her mannerisms. It was my fault for accepting such shoddy work. I take full responsibility."

Ren sighed with relief. He needed to do better and find a middle ground with his co-stars in the future.

The director turned to Kyoko. "Kyoko-san, when you take the bite you look at your Prince dreamily and say your lines. There will be a "thought bubble" that will be filled with all kinds of happy things that the delicious dessert brings to mind. That would be done digitally so you don't have to worry about that part. We would like to get ideas of what makes you deliriously happy to include in your thoughts, okay. So, any questions before we get started?"

"Um, am I okay like this? Do I need a costume change?" Kyoko asked hesitantly.

"You look quite lovely already, Kyoko-san," the director complimented. He did have the makeup artist retouch her gloss and powder her nose.

Kyoko was shocked that the Director was satisfied with her usual style. She was about to protest when she was reminded of Fuji's reprimand. She needed to have more confidence in herself. Everyone else believed she was beautiful so why couldn't she. With Kuon's help, she was slowly getting there.

Matsushima stopped his report to the President when Ruto materialized out of thin air.

"What is it Ruto?" Lory asked, putting down the pen he used to jot notes.

"Sir, Morimoto-san has caused a slight disturbance at the front entrance," Ruto reported.

Lory sighed. He asked his section chiefs to take a 10-minute break as he followed Ruto outside to find Morimoto.

This morning about an hour after the call with Lory, Tadashi showed up at LME requesting to see the President. The receptionist informed him that the President was previously engaged and unable to meet with him. Tadashi thought the President was avoiding him on purpose and tried to sneak past the front desk. He didn't get far when he was intercepted by security and quietly escorted out of the building. Tadashi paced the building and discovered that security detail was doubled at all the entrances.

Lory was pulled out of his thoughts as he threaded his way through the lobby. People stared outside the large windows. He came to a halt when he noticed Tadashi sitting seiza style at the front entrance of the building in his designer suit. He also spotted a beautiful but older woman almost two meters behind the man sitting on a foldable chair talking on a cell phone while typing on a laptop.

Lory turned to Ruto, "Who is the woman?"

"She is Morimoto-san's executive assistant. She insists on being called, "Mya-chan."

Lory nodded to the security officers at the front entrance as he exited the building.

Tadashi looked up with surprise as the LME doors revealed an "Egyptian Pharaoh?" and his entourage. He recognized the foreign man in his traditional middle-eastern robes from earlier trailing behind. He concluded that the "King" walking towards him had to be none other than The Takarada Lory. So the rumors are true!

Lory stopped before him. "Morimoto-san, I cannot in good conscience have a man of your stature causing a scene in front of my business." Lory reprimanded but applauded the man internally. He was glad to see him taking the matter seriously.

Tadashi used the most respectful form of etiquette "Shin" to bow to Lory in apology. "Please allow me to continue like this as a sign of penance. I will humbly await for Kyoko to return. Perhaps she will be willing to see me if I wait here."

Lory sighed with sympathy. He wasn't sure if Kyoko would even drop by LME today. "Morimoto-san, it mayl be some time before Kyoko will return to the company. She has a very busy schedule today."

"Ah! If there is a slim possibility and if it's all the same to you, I'd rather continue waiting here."

"Suit yourself, but please don't pass out here. Stay nourished and hydrated. It won't do any good if you fall ill." Lory wondered if it would be good to make him fall sick. Maybe Kyoko would feel guilty and see him in the hospital. A sneaky smile crept over Lory's face as he walked away from Tadashi. Plotting was his favorite pastime.

AN: The smut train continues. I hope I didn't let anyone down with Kyoko watching. It wasn't supposed to happen this soon...lol. You all can thank H-Nala for this little detour. I took her suggestion to let Kyoko star with Ren in the CM and ran with it and just kept on running. It was simple to do since I'm just going chapter to chapter in this fic which probably shows in my erratic hops. I apologize for the flow if it sucks.

I fixed my French, I knew I should have googled instead of relied on my memory from high school XD, thank you for the assist Kruemmel.

Thank you for continuing to read. Big thanks to those who left a review in the last chapter. You guys make me think and give me ideas ;). I will be traveling again this week for work so hopefully, it doesn't disrupt my next update.

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^