Wet: Overflow Read online

  A haunted expression crossed Hotsuma’s face. “Fine. The family is stressing about nothing, as usual.”

  “Get some sleep. You look tired.”

  “You too.” He opened his arms.

  Lulu crossed the room and embraced him with all her strength. She welcomed the feel of his arms around her, blotting out the memory of Masato and what he’d done. “I guess we’ve both had a busy day.”

  “Yes, we have.” He sighed and gave her a squeeze before releasing her. “Tomorrow will be even busier for me.”

  “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I am familiar with hotel management.”

  “Yes, you are, and you know I will. For now, I can handle it. But thank you.” He kissed her forehead and then walked to the bathroom.

  Lulu wanted to cry out for him to stop. She held her breath when he opened the door and walked in. When no angered yelling started, she assumed Masato had left.

  Masato.

  A whole-body shiver made her clutch her towel. She needed to find a way to deal with him that didn’t involve sex.

  Chapter Three

  The next few days had Lulu too paranoid to use her own shower. The hotel’s public bath and her excuse of slumming it to assess customer satisfaction became her refuge. Hotsuma thought she had the hotel’s best interests at heart, and Masato wouldn’t dare touch her while surrounded by people. So far her bet had paid off. Sure, she had to share a shower with a bunch of other women, but at least she didn’t have to share it with Masato.

  She didn’t know how long he would allow her to keep avoiding him, though. She needed to come up with a better solution before this one backfired on her and led straight to the outcome she wanted to avoid. That better solution couldn’t involve sex. But Masato didn’t want anything else from her.

  A sigh escaped her lips before she could stop it.

  “What’s wrong, Lulu?” Hotsuma stopped typing on his laptop and looked back at her.

  “Nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing. You’ve been frowning and looking worried about something for the last week.”

  “You’re one to talk.”

  “My anxiety is because of the family. You know that already. What has you so worried?”

  “I’m worried about the family too. What if they’re still searching for a way to put you back in your prison?”

  “I almost guarantee they are. Even if they find a way, they won’t use it. They can’t take the chance of using more magic on me after what happened the last time.” He left his desk and crossed the room to her side. After placing a kiss on her forehead, he said, “I know being married to me isn’t the blissful dream we thought it would be. I’m sorry.”

  She gripped his hands. “Don’t say that. Don’t be sorry. I love you, Hotsuma. You know I love you. I don’t want a dream. I want you and everything that comes with you. I can’t help worrying about the family. I know they aren’t happy with you in Masato’s body. I know they are livid you married me.”

  “I told you, that has more to do with you not being Japanese from Japan than you being black.”

  “Yeah, but I’m betting they would be less pissy if I was a Japanese-American.”

  “Possibly, but not by much. Putting your race and nationality aside, Masato had a betrothed the family had to pay reparations to for breaking the ten-year engagement.”

  She snorted. “Great. Something else for them to blame on me.”

  “I met the young lady. She was overjoyed to get out of the engagement. It was her family who demanded the payment, grandstanding to save face. Nothing else.” He heaved a sigh and then pulled her to her feet. “Come.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just come.”

  Hotsuma dragged her out of the room at top speed. Lulu had to jog to keep up with him. They rode the elevator to the ground floor, and then Hotsuma hustled her toward the hot springs entrance.

  Lulu asked, “What are we doing here? We have our own hot spring upstairs. Why come to this one?”

  “This one isn’t private.”

  “It’s closed for cleaning, though.”

  “They’re finished and everyone has left. We’ll have the whole room to ourselves for the next thirty minutes.” He grinned over his shoulder at her. “Unless they re-open it early.”

  The thrill of getting caught. Lulu smiled as heat rushed through her body, making her nipples harden and her pussy tingle. She glanced around quickly before letting Hotsuma usher her into the men’s side of the hot springs. It resembled the women’s side except everything was on the right instead of the left.

  “We are so going to get caught,” she said in a low voice as she stripped.

  “I’m the owner of the hotel. What will they do to me?”

  “You’re setting a bad example.”

  “Wrong. I’m abusing my power. There’s a difference.”

  They stuffed their clothes into a locker and then headed for the water. Before Lulu could enter, Hotsuma swung her into his arms. She yelped and then grabbed his shoulders when he took two bounding steps and jumped into the water.

  Lulu laughed once she surfaced for air. “What has gotten into you?”

  “Nothing, but I know what’s about to get into you.” He pressed her into the ledge, forcing his hard arousal against her belly. His gaze roamed over her face then focused on her lips.

  The breath she inhaled seemed to pull him to her. He claimed her lips in a deep kiss that brought his tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers. She hugged him close and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  The tip of his dick prodded her entrance as Hotsuma positioned himself. A single, upward thrust drove him deep.

  Lulu threw back her head. “Oh, yes, Hotsuma. Right there.”

  “Shhh.” He brought her back to his lips and kissed her several times before he whispered, “Don’t say my name in here.”

  “Oops.” She grinned at her slip. There might not be anyone there, but they weren’t in private. She couldn’t let someone hear her calling Hotsuma by his name. But she refused to call out Masato’s name during a moment like this. Something like that would hurt Hotsuma. Now that she knew Masato was back, it would hurt her too.

  Just thinking his name made her worry about the hot spring and whether Masato was there or not. But then, he wouldn’t try anything with Hotsuma there… would he?

  She hoped the answer was no. As Hotsuma started to move his hips, churning his dick inside her, she forgot all about Masato. If he was there, he could stand back and watch the way a real man made her react.

  Something tickled the underside of her foot and she squeaked. Hotsuma’s movements covered her jolt of surprise. He kissed her neck and massaged her breasts, bringing her back into the mood. It must have been her imagination.

  Except the next time that same something brushed her calf below the knee. It felt like fingers. Both Hotsuma’s hands were on her breasts. A cold shiver raced up her spine. Masato. He was there after all. It seemed he wanted to mess with her.

  She put one hand behind her and pulled a little away from Hotsuma. “Let’s go back to the room so I can enjoy this properly.”

  “You already feel like you’re enjoying it plenty.” He turned them in the water so his back was against the ledge. “Or is keeping your voice muffled straining your control?”

  She started to answer but her voice came out in a startled yelp. Masato was rubbing his fingers over her asshole. She needed to get out of the water.

  “Lulu?” Hotsuma caressed her cheek.

  “Let’s go back to the room. Please?” she asked in a low voice that she hoped didn’t betray the way she was holding back her reaction to Masato’s attention.

  “I wouldn’t dream of moving when you’re looking like this and clenching me so tight.”

  Looking like what? What expression was she wearing? She felt disgusted… or she should. Her inner muscles worked around Hotsuma’s length, pulling him deeper. He thrust his hips, and she couldn�
�t help the satisfied moan that left her lips.

  Masato chose that moment to slip his finger into her asshole. Her efforts to get away from him pressed her onto Hotsuma, sending waves of pleasure through her body. She braced her hands on the ledge to get out but her body kept returning, kept taking Hotsuma deep and enjoying the feel of Masato fingering her ass.

  She hated and loved it at the same time. The mixed emotion became more acute when the finger morphed into a dick that penetrated her ass with a speed that had her panting loud and moaning louder. She rode Hotsuma faster.

  He held her hips and let his head fall back against the edge of the pool. His own sounds of pleasure echoed off the walls with hers. When he jerked and stilled, she thought he had come. He was still hard inside her, though.

  In the water, Masato backed off. Lulu breathed a sigh of relief. Hotsuma met her gaze. She kissed his lips. He hesitated before returning her kiss. She circled her hips, and Hotsuma started moving again. He held her hips and pushed into her over and over.

  His mouth was hot as he clamped onto one of her nipples and sucked. She whimpered when his teeth came together and held her so the tip of his tongue could tease her nipple. He lifted his hand and flicked her other nipple with his finger. With his free hand, he gripped her ass.

  All of it combined brought Lulu to a screaming orgasm. She arched into Hotsuma and enjoyed the sensation of him spilling his hot seed inside her as he had his own release.

  They stayed pressed together, breathing hard and recovering. Lulu’s muscles relaxed a little at a time until she slid off Hotsuma’s length and floated beside him. She caressed his cheek. “That was lovely.”

  He stared at her as though not really seeing her for a few heartbeats before he pulled away. “I have to go,” he said in a rush then exited the water.

  Lulu watched Hotsuma leave the hot springs. There was rustling as he put on his clothes and then the click of the outer door closing. That hadn’t been a normal reaction. Had he felt Masato earlier?

  She turned to the water and glared at it.

  It rolled and bubbled as Masato formed his body above the water’s surface and took a step toward her.

  “You bastard! Did you enjoy yourself?” When he reached for her, she smacked his hand away. To be on the safe side, she left the water. “I can’t believe you did that. How low can you be?” She held up a hand when he started to answer and was surprised when he closed his mouth. “I’ve been avoiding you, and you can’t blame me for that, but you have no right to intrude on my time with my husband. Don’t do it again.”

  She braced herself for Masato’s comeback. He didn’t speak. Instead, he dropped into the water. Lulu waited for what would come next but nothing happened. She didn’t think Masato would back down from a fight like that. Had she won? Or was he planning something to get her back?

  Standing around the men’s side of the hot spring naked wouldn’t answer any of her questions. She rushed back to the locker room, pulled on a robe, gathered up her clothes, and returned to her room. She thought Hotsuma would be there, waiting for her to give him answers. He wasn’t.

  Anxiety tightened her chest. Hotsuma must have noticed Masato had returned and then became upset when he realized it was during the encounter. But Hotsuma wouldn’t have left in such a hurry if he had. He would have stayed and demanded answers. But what else could have made him leave like that?

  As sleep claimed her, she knew none of her questions would be answered that night.

  Chapter Four

  There were no answers forthcoming the next morning, either. Lulu woke to an empty bed. She hadn’t heard Hotsuma return, and it didn’t seem like he’d slept on his side of the bed.

  Lulu rushed through her morning routine and then down to the main floor of the hotel. She had to find Hotsuma. If what happened last night with Masato had spooked him, she needed to find out and set the record straight before Masato got to him. Vindictive bastard that he was, Masato would probably make it out like Lulu had instigated the whole thing so she could have a lover on the side.

  “Good morning, Lulu.”

  She stopped mid-step and turned in a quick circle to see who had called her.

  “It’s been a while.” A man stepped into her line of sight.

  She blinked a few times before she recognized the man’s face. “Richard.” She’d met him when she came to Onsen as a spy from Voda. He was a teacher of Japanese culture and history at the local college and had spent part of her trip flirting with her. If not for her meeting with Hotsuma that set off the chain of events leading to his freedom, she would have spent her entire trip trying to dodge Richard’s advances.

  She forced a smile. “Richard, how are you? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  “It’s no wonder. You’ve been busy. You look like you’re in a hurry now, but I was wondering if I could borrow you for just a minute.”

  “I would love to, Richard, but I have to find my husband.”

  “Of course. Masato is a busy man. I’m sure it’s hard to find time to be with him during the day.”

  “It is.”

  “That would explain why you rendezvous at night.”

  “We do most times.” She didn’t know where this conversation was headed, but she knew she didn’t have time for it.

  “In the men’s hot spring.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The men’s hot spring last night. I saw you and Masato.”

  “What?” She shook her head. “We were there while the springs were closed.”

  “I heard the splashing and thought someone had forgotten to remove the sign. Imagine my surprise when I find the hotel owner and his wife going at it. Guess that’s one of the perks of owning the place -- making use of the facilities when they are supposed to be closed.”

  She gave a nervous laugh. “Something like that.”

  “Even more surprising is your pet name for Masato. Hotsuma, was it? How did you come up with that nickname?”

  Lulu stopped thinking about finding Hotsuma and focused her full attention on Richard. “It’s a family name. A little bedroom joke between me and Masato.”

  “Ah, I see. So it has nothing to do with Hotsuma Mizuno, the eleventh head of the Mizuno family who was a male ageman that the family bound to water to keep use of his powers over the centuries?”

  In that moment, a soft breeze could have knocked Lulu over. She couldn’t get her mouth to work, so she settled on staring at Richard in shock.

  He said, “It was amazing the amount of digging I had to do and the favors I had to call in to find out that information. The Mizuno family has an exceptional talent for covering up their secrets, but not all of them, unfortunately.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He patted the camera he held, bringing her attention to it. “That means I caught your little late-night romp. I was going to sneak back out when I caught sight of a very interesting water manifestation. I had the presence of mind to start recording.”

  “What do you plan to do with it?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s generous of you.”

  “Generosity has nothing to do with it.”

  Lulu crossed her arms. “Let me guess -- you want more for your class visits, right?”

  “That would be nice, but nowhere near what this video is worth. I liked what I read about the ageman powers and the evidence of the Mizuno family to back up the claims. I wouldn’t mind some of that good luck coming my way.”

  “You want luck?”

  “That’s not too much to ask, right? It’s not like I’m making you embezzle money from the hotel or something like that. No one will miss a little water.”

  Did that mean he knew about the barrier room? She didn’t want to ask on the off chance he didn’t know. “Water?”

  “Yes. The water Hotsuma is bound to where his powers exist. My research says there’s some secret room with a pool of water that gives those who bathe in it good luck. Obviously I can’t do that,
but you can bring a bottle of it out.”

  “How big of a bottle?”

  “A thirty-two ounce bottle should do it. Easily hidden and explained if someone catches you with it.” He patted the camera again. “Or I upload this video to the Internet along with all the information I’ve found out about the Mizuno family.”

  “They would bury it.”

  “I’m sure they would, but not before this place is overrun with every luck-seeking fanatic on the face of the planet. Onsen will be popular for all the wrong reasons. And how will they deny the presence of an ageman when all anyone has to do is look at the Mizuno family through time? Things that would have laid any family low completely bypassed them. Businesses that should have gone under have prospered.”

  “But I can avoid all that if I just give you a bottle of water, right? And you give me the camera without making a copy?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Either it is that or it isn’t.”

  “I have to protect my interests. I need to make sure the water works before I hand over my leverage or else you might give me a simple bottle of drinking water.”

  That was exactly what she had planned to do. This man was too smart for his own good. “So how will you know if it’s working or not?”

  “Play the lottery. Nothing big, mind you. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I’ll go buy some scratch-off tickets. If the water works, each ticket will be a winner.”

  “Then Vegas next?”

  “That’s a possibility. But one step at a time. I want the water first. After I know it’s working, you can have this.”

  What choice did she have? Even if the Mizuno family could cover up his proof, they wouldn’t be able to stop the damage he’d predicted. And it was one bottle of water. That was a small price to pay to get him to back down. A much better deal than the one Masato had offered her.

  She nodded. “Fine. You’ll get your water. Which room are you in?”

  “I’ve already checked out, actually. I was waiting for you to cross my path before I left. I’ve moved to Voda to avoid any… complications with our deal. I don’t know how clever that water man is, and I didn’t want to chance you sending him after my proof.”