The two of them were now talking about various real-estate projects in the vicinity of our town, and it sounded like he was coming back in two weeks. Well, perhaps Nguyet also wanted me to be alone with her later to talk more about their relationship. It sounded like the white Lexus was his choice of transportation, as it was impossible to fly from one small city to the next. When I wanted to light a cigarette, though, as we were almost done eating, he swiftly offered me one of his. His little refill-case also looked stylish, of course, but he gracefully refused the Dunhill Menthols that I offered him in return. His ciggies were certainly more expensive than mine but didn’t taste any better but, sure, the etui was spiffy and symbolized Mister Nakamura’s subtly elegant personality.
While we were now enjoying our cigarettes together, I asked him what city he was from in Japan:
“I’m from a place near Kyoto, called Nara…” he replied without hesitation.
“And where’s your wife from in Korea?”
“Busan… a port city,” was all he divulged.
Nguyet was wearing tights without garters, as I could feel now, with my hand under her dress. I gently squeezed the two-inch strip of naked flesh near her panties, but then she put her hand onto mine, like she wanted me to stop. Of course, the table was between us, but Mister Nakamura certainly knew what I felt on my fingertips. He nodded appreciatively once more but then extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, which the attentive waitress had put between us, as soon as she had seen us smoking. I opened another bottle of beer, but he made a gesture that he had to leave soon:
“I got another appointment… in Tam Ky… at 3, this afternoon…” he let us know.
The way Nguyet responded with ‘Oh!!’ sounded like she hadn’t been aware that he would have to leave so soon. She looked at me kinda desperate, and I was now certain that I wanted him to come with us to the old hotel for an hour. I wanted to see him fuck, yes. If he hadn’t mentioned twenty minutes earlier that he would come back to our town in two weeks, I probably would have said something instantly, but was Nguyet ready for a threesome today? Did she actually want it?! Or was she waiting for me to make a move, so that she wouldn’t look or sound wanton and lewd? Well, it was clear that the two of them were immensely attracted to each other. Shouldn’t I, perhaps, bugger off, under some pretext? But if they wanted a threesome, why didn’t they say something?!
I placed her hand on my thigh under the table, hoping that she would write me a message; like I had earlier. To buy a bit more time, I asked her:
“And Mister Nakamura is coming back in one or two weeks?”
“More like three… we haven’t set the dates,” she replied business-like, as if we were in a meeting.
Like he was just so used to it, Mister Nakamura now insisted on paying the bill. We toasted again, while we were waiting for the waitress, and I was sure we all felt the tension rising, like before a huge thunderstorm. Nguyet noticed that I was admiring her from the side and turned her head; she must have known, though, that it would be her turn to propose that we go to the hotel together. After all, if I had done it, it would have been like treating her as a toy, a thing for us two guys to use. And it would have been the same for him, which he certainly understood.
As agonizing or tantalizing as everything was, I found it intriguing and, also, titillating. But, as almost frightened as she seemed, Nguyet perhaps wanted him to drive off today, so that they could really start their sensual relationship in two or three weeks, when he would be back in town. Yes, later today, Nguyet and I were going to envision how everything could play out between them and weigh her options. I grew more and more certain that they hadn’t done it yet, but perhaps they wouldn’t want me to be there when they did it for the very first time. Although: Nguyet, perhaps, as it would be safer for her.
Yes, it was still a bit of a mystery to me why they had invited me along for lunch today, when they could easily have gone to some hotel to enjoy a round or two of sweet fornication. They obviously were besotted with each other, and he was man enough to make a move, wasn’t he? Or, at least, share his feelings, even if he was reluctant to go all the way, since he was married.
Or did Nakamura want to try a threesome but didn’t dare to ask Nguyet, hoping I would suggest it? Perhaps he loved her so much that he was prepared to get a divorce and marry her, but thought – rightly so – that a threesome would be odd as their first time? But, man, that guy, who could easily have been a mafia boss and was some head honcho of a huge company, and who was on to every dodge and shrewd: why was it so difficult to just say what he wanted?! Well, perhaps he respected her too much to insinuate that he wanted to join Nguyet and me, even though he must have known what the two of us would indulge in in twenty minutes.
When Mister Nakamura got his phone out, presumably to call his driver, Nguyet briefly jerked in her seat. I squeezed her glorious thigh again under the table, leaned over and whispered that – if she wanted – she should suggest that he come with us. To buy time again and pave the way a bit, I asked Nakamura if he had seen the old empty hotel. Perhaps I could get a glimpse of his intentions that way. If he hadn’t seen it, perhaps he would briefly come with us, and once we were there, things could just develop kinda naturally, couldn’t they? Squirming a bit myself now, I realized again that I couldn’t suggest that we could both have a go at Nguyet.
No, she wasn’t just a piece of flesh or a toy, which was available to us. Looking at her again, I could literally sense the trains of thoughts racing frantically behind her beautiful forehead, while Mister Nakamura now divulged that he was already familiar with the stately pile of bricks. He had seen it two years ago, during a previous visit, and a memory shot through my head: Oh yes, when Nguyet had introduced me to the old hotel, she had mentioned a Japanese real-estate broker, but I had dismissed it as one of her ruses.
“Yes, Hiroshi has already been here to our town twice,” she told me quietly, with a lump in her throat.
Hiroshi! Jesus Christ! Oh, c’mon! I thought to myself. Of course, they had fucked a few times since then and were now just pretending, as Hiroshi – or both of them – may have thought that I would get pissed. But why did they want me to be here for lunch?! It still didn’t make sense but, for whatever it was worth, I had noticed that Mister Nakamura had flinched when Nguyet had mentioned his given name for the first time; just like Nguyet had trembled when he had gotten his phone out and told us that he needed to leave.
On the spur of the moment, I offered to retreat, without giving any particular reason. Of course, I loved Nguyet, but I wanted her to be happy and find a husband. And I just had had my trysts with Ly, the masseuse, over the last month, which had been captivating and salacious to the utmost. Perhaps it would be better if Nguyet and Hiroshi – Jesus Christ! – would just do their thing and get their burgeoning relationship on track, before he would drive up to Tam Ky later this afternoon. Which he countered by saying that me retreating was impossible, as he knew how much Nguyet and I loved each other, before he reiterated that he was leaving for Tam Ky, anyway.
Yes, the man had style and a lot of dignity, but now the car was arriving, languidly pulling up at the curb. Equally slowly, we all got up and moseyed to the curb, like we all still wanted to buy some time. Would Nguyet get on the back of my Honda, or would she ride with him again? Oh, what a sweet, tantalizing agony it was! After Mister Nakamura had opened the passenger-side back door, Nguyet spoke with him once more. Of course, I lit another ciggy to cope with the escalating tension, tried to think of an excuse to elope and let them do whatever they needed during the next hour. They were obviously intrigued to know each other. Eventually, Nguyet turned around one last time and pointed in the direction of the old, empty hotel:
“Yes, Hiroshi is going to take another look at everything again…” she let me know, which was nicely ambiguous.
The ‘everything’ included her, didn’t it? Or perhaps not, after all. We would see. Anyway, I got on my motorcycle and drove up the street, as I had a key to the hotel as well. On the way, I briefly stopped to procure a few sherbets for our quick rendezvous. When I got to the place, I drove my Honda in and lit yet another ciggy to deal with my nervousness. Good Lord! When they arrived, Hiroshi got out first and opened the door for her, so that Nguyet could step out of the automobile as elegantly as he just had, before he knocked on the driver’s window to give him instructions. The young, handsome guy – Would he join us as well? Ha! – went back to the trunk, though.
When the three of us were finally inside, I pulled the screeching, metal accordion-gate closed and asked if the driver would wait outside.
“Yes… I won’t stay long, Mister Garland,” he smiled.
Of course, I asked him to scrap the formalities now and call me ‘Ben’, to which he naturally replied that I should address him as ‘Hiroshi’. I took Nguyet’s hand again and then we began to ascend, after she had taken off her cardigan and draped it over the dashboard of my Honda, which told me that I would drive her back to her office, once we would be done here.
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