Free Gloria Oliver by In Service Of Samurai Page A

asked for this!”
    Kneeling close, Miko undid his sash and opened his shirt. Sneaking her hands over his bare skin, she began to lightly roam the area around his sides.
    An odd sensation coursed through him and it poked small holes in the fog about his mind. As the sensation persisted, he became more and more aware of it. The closer he came to awakening, the more annoying the sensation became. He moaned, trying to get away from the bothersome feeling, but couldn’t get rid of it.
    “Go away,” he mumbled.
    When it didn’t, he curled up tighter. His discomfort grew as the sensation didn’t cease, and he also started to feel the cold seeping into his exposed skin. The fog around his mind dissipated. He opened his eyes in surprise, as unwanted laughter bubbled from his lips.
    “Stop it!”
    Miko didn’t stop. No matter what direction he tried to roll to get away from her, he found Miko’s hands always following him, mercilessly tickling the sensitive flesh on his sides.
    “All bad boys have to pay the price,” she chortled. “You should learn to get up sooner.”
    To his chagrin, the geisha suddenly doubled her efforts. “Please stop. Miko-san. I’m awake now!”
    The geisha didn’t stop. He felt he might just die. His sides ached horribly, and he could barely breathe.
    Laughter continued to issue involuntarily from his mouth. “Miko-san, please!”
    She stopped. He instantly quit squirming and went thankfully limp. He closed his eyes, concentrating only on taking great lungfulls of air.
    “There’s no time for that,” she snapped. “You must get up, Toshi-kun, and you must hurry. You’ve only got a few minutes before we surface. Lord Asaka will be waiting for you.”
    At the mention of the samurai’s name, his eyes popped open. His body tensed as he fought to sit up.
    Without any more prompting, he stood and took off his clothes, rushing toward his waiting bath water.
    Shivering as he tried to dry off as fast as possible, he found Miko at his side holding out his clean clothes. He forgot to be embarrassed by her closeness, having at the moment only thoughts for what might happen to him if he were late. He never noticed the garment she held open for him as he slipped into it.
    When Miko pressed a cup of hot tea into his hands, he drank it down, cursing himself for having forgotten to put on his sandals before moving over the cold floor to bathe. He rushed back to his futon and the warmth he would find there.
    Miko took away his emptied cup as he rubbed his cold numbed feet with one of his blankets. The geisha took over the task after handing him a fresh rice cake.
    As soon as he’d gobbled the first one down, Miko gave him another with a new cup of tea. He felt his insides warming up, as well as his abused feet. As he chewed on his new rice cake, Miko uncovered his feet and put warm socks on them. It was only as he watched her that he realized Miko had not given him his normal clothes. Surprised, he stared down at the brown kimono, realizing it fit him perfectly. Miko had just finished putting on his sandals when he thought of trying to protest. He had no business wearing these fine clothes. He was a peasant.
    Miko took away his cup and the rest of his rice cake as he opened up his mouth to say just that.
    “Hurry, Toshi-kun, get your things. We’re out of time!” Miko reached for his arm.
    All his protests disappeared as his worries returned. Moving awkwardly in his newly fitted clothes, he rose to his feet while simultaneously trying to fix his mussed hair. He grabbed his basket and rushed for the door. Miko held out a bite of fish to him as he walked past. He stumbled out into the empty hallway.
    Cool night air swept over him as he stepped out on deck. The ship’s sail was raised high, catching all the wind had to give. In haste, he sent a sweeping glance over the men rowing despite the wind, and headed for the ladder that would take him to his post.
    Reaching the higher deck, he bowed to Asaka, who