Wet: Overflow (6 page)

Lulu shook her head. “There’s no way in hell. The Mizuno family defines loyalty. None of them would ever talk to you about Hotsuma.” Sure, there was a lot of infighting, but the Mizuno family protected their own at all costs.

“I’m sure they are very loyal to those in the family. But for those who have been kicked out, that loyalty is nonexistent. The Baba family showed a great deal of interest when I told them about my encounter with your water man.”

“Why the hell would they care?”

“Because the Baba family is descended from Shinichiro Baba, who went by the name Ichiro Mizuno before the family disowned him.” Richard’s smile turned into a knowing one. “I see you know the name.”

How could she not know that name? Ichiro Mizuno was the reason Onsen existed in the first place. His bid for power over two hundred years ago had consigned Hotsuma to a well that later became the pool in the barrier room. For his folly, the Mizuno family cast Ichiro out.

Richard said, “The Baba family has held onto their ancestor’s grudge all this time. They want their rightful inheritance.”

“What has that got to do with you?”

“When I told them about my deal with you, they offered me more substantial leverage to make a bigger deal that will benefit all of us.”

“It makes no sense to have a middle man. They could have approached me themselves.”

“Ah, but you don’t know what they have. You see, the Baba family isn’t all named Baba. Daughters do get married and change their names, after all. A few of those who don’t share the family name work at Onsen, staying close to the family power source for when they can use it or destroy it.” He nodded. “They spent the last two hundred years researching ways to end the
ageman
power forever. In this generation, they finally found one.”

“And that is what?”

“I’m not at liberty to say, and I won’t tell you the names of the sleepers inside the hotel, either. Suffice to say they are there, and they have the means to end the
ageman
power if they so choose. Using me as a spokesperson shields the family from being identified. You could look up their name, but it wouldn’t do you any good.”

“So they want the
ageman
luck too?”

“Their rightful inheritance as part of the Mizuno family, yes.”

“And for being a good little middleman, they’ll break you off a piece and send you on your merry way.”

“Something like that.”

When she first met Richard, something about him had annoyed her. Too many things had distracted her to figure out what. Now she knew. He was an opportunist. He couldn’t just settle for a simple bottle of water. He had to take it one step too far.

Lulu had as much chance of refusing him as she did before -- none. “What do you want? And don’t say gallons of water again. There’s no way I can get that much water out of the hotel.”

“If you can’t bring it out then they want in. They want access to the barrier room. Full access with escort. Your escort.”

“So they can use whatever thing they found to negate Hotsuma’s powers? No way. What else?”

“They wouldn’t do that. They want the power for themselves.”

“And you think I’m going to trust that? No deal.”

“Be careful, Lulu. These people aren’t playing. They’ve had time to plan their revenge, and they have the patience to see it through to the end. A simple dip in the pool would end all this.”

“And what about the next generation?”

“I’m not worried about that.”

“Of course you aren’t. It doesn’t concern you, but it concerns me. You’re talking about letting an entire family for generations to come have access to the pool. There’s no way the Mizuno family would go along with that.”

“You have to convince them. And you only have a week to do it.”

“Why one week?”

“People are much more motivated with deadlines.”

“And what happens after a week?”

“You’ll find out if Hotsuma can continue to exist without his
ageman
power.” He stood. “One week, Lulu. Non-negotiable. I’ll give you a call on Saturday. When you answer, all I want to hear from you is the time and place to meet to take our tour of the barrier room.”

She didn’t know what to say and wouldn’t have been able to make her mouth work to say it if she did. Richard escorted her to the door, urged her through it, and then shut it behind her. She stood staring at the door across the hall as a sense of despair came over her.

She was drowning. A simple exchange had turned into a hostage situation with the threat of casualties. She didn’t know what to do or how to combat it.

Her first step had to be to tell Hotsuma about Richard’s threat. But that would also mean telling him about Masato since that was who Richard had seen that night in the hot springs. Would Masato make good on his threat while faced with Richard’s? She didn’t know Masato well enough to predict his actions, and so couldn’t guess one way or the other.

How had everything gotten so out of control in such a short amount of time?

Lulu contemplated that question all the way back to Onsen. She was amazed she managed to drive back without an incident. She didn’t remember the trip at all. As soon as the bamboo-scented air of Onsen hit her, she came back to herself and figured out one thing. Her issues with Masato were a far second when compared to the problem Richard and his new friends presented. She needed to tell Hotsuma the truth and hope Masato would save his threat for another time, or forget it all together.

She rushed to the front desk.

The clerk smiled at her. “Good morning, Mrs. Mizuno. Did you need help with something?”

“Yes. Where is Masato?” She didn’t have time or the patience to go searching his usual haunts, looking for him.

The clerk picked up the phone and dialed a number, probably Hotsuma’s secretary. After a short conversation, the clerk hung up and said, “It seems Mr. Mizuno went out earlier today and then returned to your private rooms when he got back. He’s cancelled all meetings for the rest of the day.”

Lulu stopped herself from frowning. That wasn’t like Hotsuma. Where had he gone? And what had happened that he would cancel everything and seclude himself in their room? She forced a smile for the clerk’s sake. “Thank you.”

“Glad to be of service, ma’am.”

Lulu rushed to the elevator. It took her a moment to retrieve her key card from the depths of her purse so she could access the panel that held the buttons for the topmost floors of the hotel. She stared at the numbers as they illuminated the floors being passed. The higher the numbers went, the faster she breathed until she was almost hyperventilating. She tried to calm herself, but calm wouldn’t come until she saw Hotsuma and assured herself he was okay and safe.

She found him on the balcony staring into the waters of the miniature hot springs constructed there. His back was to her but she could tell he looked tense. She hated to add to his stress, but this problem with Richard wasn’t something she could handle without his advice and help.

“Hotsuma.”

He drew in a deep breath and faced her. “You’re back.”

“Yes. We need to talk.”

“No, I don’t think we do.”

His hostile tone gave her pause. What had happened? Hotsuma had only spoken to her like that once before. At the time, he’d been accusing her of using him. But at that same time, he’d promised never to do such a thing again. So what had caused his anger this time? Or maybe she was the target of his anger not the cause.

Whatever the case may be, she couldn’t let it deter her. “Yes, we really do. This is urgent and important. I went to --”

Hotsuma grabbed her and hauled her in close for a harsh kiss that hurt her lips. She tried to pull back a little to lessen the pressure, but Hotsuma buried one hand in her hair and held her in place.

Though harsh, the kiss was something she wanted and needed. She stopped trying to get away and leaned into Hotsuma. Just for a moment. Just for a few minutes she would pretend there was nothing wrong and be with her husband.

A wet kiss on her neck sent that thought from her mind. She managed to get free of Hotsuma and looked over her shoulder at Masato. He stood behind her grinning. She started to speak, but he pulled her into a kiss as rough and possessive as Hotsuma’s had been.

Only one thought filtered through her confusion.
He knows
. Hotsuma had found out about Masato and that was why Hotsuma was pissed. Why now? Nothing about today was going right for her.

Lulu wanted to move out from between Hotsuma and Masato, but they wouldn’t let her. Hotsuma unbuttoned her blouse and opened her pants, and then Masato pulled the clothing from her body.

If Hotsuma really was angry about her interludes with Masato, he wasn’t showing it by his actions. He had to know Masato was behind her; there was no way Hotsuma could miss it. And yet he ignored the man. Hotsuma sucked one of her nipples between his teeth and proceeded to tease it with the tip of his tongue.

Masato tweaked the nipple of her other breast and gripped her hip, bringing her back so her ass rubbed his hard dick. “Just for you,” he whispered. “I know how much you like my dick in your ass.”

Lulu started to speak, but her words choked on a surprised squeak when Hotsuma closed his teeth around her nipple at the same time he pinched her clit. Her whole body jolted before going limp. She thought Hotsuma or Masato would catch her. Instead, they let her drop to her knees.

Masato moved close to her side. “It’s time to show us how much you want it.” He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close.

She didn’t question it. She gripped his shaft, took his tip into her mouth and started bobbing her head. On her other side, Hotsuma brought her hand up to his hard arousal. She stroked it while she sucked Masato’s.

Hotsuma must have felt impatient, because he moved her head from Masato to him. She barely had her head turned before he shoved his dick past her lips. It was a little rough, but she took his length and sucked. He gripped the back of her head and held her in place as he thrust his hips.

Not to be left out, Masato wrapped his hand around her wrist and guided her hand so she pumped his dick. He grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed it a few times then rolled her nipple between two fingers. She squeaked when he pinched it. He continued doing it, not letting up until she made a noise.

Lulu didn’t go in for pain, but couldn’t deny the way her pussy clenched with pleasure each time Masato pinched her nipple. She also couldn’t deny the men’s rough treatment. This wasn’t a passionate encounter. It was an angry one. She could feel it in the way Hotsuma’s fingers dug into her scalp and Masato gripped her wrist.

Water rushed up and hit Lulu high on her legs, making her fall back. She gasped as it formed a flat top and hoisted her into the air. Hotsuma grabbed her knees, spread them wide, and buried his dick in her pussy with one swift stroke. He didn’t give her time to adjust before he started moving, shoving against her and grunting with the exertion.

The water supported her back but left her shoulders and head over open air. Masato took advantage of that. He urged her head back so he could push his length down her throat. Lulu braced one hand on his leg to push him back a little so she wouldn’t choke, but he moved with the same determination as Hotsuma.

Masato asked in a hard voice, “This is what you want, right? This is all you care about. So take it.”

Despite the anger behind their actions, Lulu was getting off. Her body loosened, accommodating both men, and pleasure followed. She twisted her upper body as she pushed at Masato to get him to ease off. Once he did, she settled her head against his thigh and licked his length from sac to tip.

The water didn’t feel like skin against her tongue, but it was solid and warm. She moaned as her climax neared. Just a little more. She reached down her body so she could rub her clit, to give her the last thing she needed to come.

Hotsuma grabbed her wrist before she could touch herself. He pulled out of her pussy and then made a sweeping gesture with his hand. The water platform spun, making Lulu squeak in surprise. The quick one-eighty positioned her head near Hotsuma, and her legs opened to Masato.

The men grabbed her and flipped her onto her stomach. The water shifted beneath her so she was up on her knees. Hotsuma cupped the back of her head and pushed his dick into her mouth while Masato spread her knees apart and then her ass cheeks, giving him a clear path to her puckered hole. She expected him to stuff his dick in quick, following the same pattern of rough treatment that defined this encounter. He placed his tip against her asshole and leaned forward, easing his arousal inside her.

With one leg beside her on the water platform and his hands braced on her waist, Masato bounced his hips, pumping in rapid motion. Lulu panted around Hotsuma’s dick. Cupping his balls, she moved her head. She alternated between taking him down her throat and pulling back so she could lick his length and sac.

Hotsuma rested his hands on her shoulders as he let out a grunting moan of satisfaction that made Lulu smile. Angry or not, Hotsuma and Masato wanted pleasure out of this as much as she did.