Free No Ordinary Love by Kenya Wright Page B

if I could date Kenji.
    The dating would only be temporary. Three weeks, at the most. We’d probably go out to eat, see the city, and maybe, if he continued to behave, have sex. This wasn’t the first time I’d visited a country and had a fling with a hot foreign guy. I was no virgin or prude, guarding her vagina from the big bad penises of the world. I enjoyed a man’s attention, relished in a confident lover, and adored the feel of a man moving inside of me.
    This can’t be that bad. I would be safe. I think. If I didn’t feel safe, I’d end the dating instantly. No problem. Right?
    I looked at myself in the mirror, shrugged at my reflection, and considered what Dad used to say, back in the day, when Mom didn't drown in tears and Dad was Dad, not a monster.
    “No success comes from the fear of losing, so just jump in and try to survive.”
    Yanking up my dress, I slipped off my panties, folded them in as tiny a square as I could, put my shoes back on, and went outside to hand my silky undies to the Dragon.

Chapter 9
     
    NYOMI
     
     
    How do you give a man your panties in a restaurant without seeming like a slut?
    Here I was, heading to Kenji, that bit of silk concealed in my closed hand. With each step, cool air brushed against the area between my legs, tantalizing my center. Had he hoped for a thrill to skitter against my flesh? Was the act of giving him my panties some sort of dominance rush that he relished in? I had no doubt Kenji enjoyed pushing people's limits, or maybe he just did what he wanted and didn't care about the other person's reaction.
    What do you get out of this?
    He sat there at the table and sipped his sake as if it was a regular night. His men stood close. Their gazes followed me as I headed back. How many times had they watched a woman offer her underwear to their boss? With his looks and swagger, I bet a lot. Panties meant sex, and I was demanding that there wouldn't be anything more, while giving him my undies. The words “bullshit” and “contradictory” spun around in my head.
    I guess I'm a twister of reality just like Dad.
    Kenji rose when I approached. His gaze shifted to my closed hand as I tried to conceal the panties as much as possible. Once I got in front of him, I raised one finger. “I’ll date you, but if I don’t like the situation or feel unsafe, then we’re done dating.”
    The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Okay.”
    “If I’m doing this, then I want my money back from Jun.”
    His face transformed to an angry mask. His eyes filled with rage. “What money?”
    I inched back and swore heat rose in the room. “The money I gave Jun to do the research in the first place.”
    “He charged you?” Kenji asked.
    “Yes.”
    Seething, he rubbed his chin as, second by second, the calm man from earlier zipped away at the center and revealed the monstrous creature within. Shit. I edged back some more. What a thing to behold, a mad Kenji. Like a dragon, he rose in the air. I could imagine hisbright gold scales pushing out of the surface. Blood-red glazed over his eyes. Smoke pushed out of his nostrils. My flesh trembled as the place heated and filled with thickening smoke.
    Thank God Zo can’t see this. He would be pissing himself.
    Even Kenji’s voice rushed out in a rumbled tone. “How much did you give Jun?”
    “Five thousand dollars.”
    “When?”
    “The day before yesterday. He promised me access to Castle in the Sky.”
    Kenji no longer stood before me. I talked to the Dragon now as he exchanged glances with a short guy, dressed in black and standing a few tables away. Kenji blew fire as he spat out Japanese to the man in black. The guy smirked and left.
    “What's going on?” I asked. “What is he going to do?”
    “Get your money back,” Kenji said.
    “In a nice way?” I watched the man storm off. My heartbeats increased and boomed in my ears.
    “Yes. In a nice way.” Kenji's relaxed expression returned. Just like that, the Dragon had left. In its