Tokyo Seduction (Book 1 Of The Gaijin Series)

Chapter 5

After making a circuit around the large room she found the perfect spot. A quiet hallway tucked away at the far end of the room leading to a set of doors which opened out to the balcony that wrapped around the whole floor. She stopped in the middle of the glass lined corridor and looked out. It had stopped snowing during dinner and the snow blanketed the buildings, making the bright lights of the city look soft and muted.

She turned her attention to Tokyo bay and watched the high winter gales churning up the water in the bay. The turbulent waves smashing against the concrete sea walls mirrored the storm of emotions roiling inside her as she tried to process what just happened. After a few minutes she let out the breath she'd been holding and decided to file the whole thing under 'Mimi's Crappy Luck with Men' and forget about it.

The funk-jazz band started playing an unusual but catchy tune and she found herself tapping her foot to the beat. The sound of confident footsteps echoing on the granite floor cut through her thoughts and made her turn. Anger flared at the sight of Jinpachi. She stood up holding her chin up high and glared at him, silently telling him to piss off. He paused and smirked at her before levelling her with his own steely gaze. It was a plain and simple stair-off and she had no intuition of backing down.

Jinpachi slowly stalked toward her, the intensity of his stair grew with every step until the air sizzled between them. He stopped right in front of her, "I warned you time and time again, didn't I?" he growled.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were merely jealous," she fired back. She was actually grateful he had stepped in and stopped Darren but after his actions over the course of the night there was no way in hell she was going to let him know. Mimi steeled herself as he grasped her arm. She refused to show him a shred of fear, or weakness. "What are you wining about now, Jin?"

Her question added petrol to the fire, and Jin exploded like the bomb he was. In one sweep he took hold of her other arm, and closed the gap between them by pulling her flush up against him. His light-brown eyes so close she could discern the hazelnut flecks within them.

Yet, even as the storm in Jin raged, she couldn't find it in herself to back down. Maybe it was due to the countless sinful things they had done to one another, or maybe, it was more, a hard-headedness far beyond her understanding, but she had grown tired of being the gazelle ready to have a lion pounce on her.

Defiantly she returned his stare, filled with venom. "Tell me Jin, do you find this little game between us, amusing? Do you like riling me up or is it simply an addiction you can't be without?" Each word was a whip, which she gladly used. She grew tired of him. Tired of her own weakness, and if she couldn't release herself from his life, she sure as hell wouldn't sit back and allow him to toy with her anymore. He needed a dose of his own medicine.

"How dare you play innocent with me? You know you have just as much of a hand in this little game, as I do. Or shall I simplify it for you?" Jin paused, waiting on her to respond, but Mimi remained defiant, not willing to give in to the truth of his words. "Very well then. I made it very clear to you not to show up-"

She had enough of listing to him harping on about her coming, and hissed through her teeth, "Jeez, you don't say. Maybe if you had any regard for my feelings and asked nicely, you would have gotten your wish!"

His nostrils flared, his grip tightened around her arms and he pushed their bodies backwards, further down the hallway. "We both know pleasantries don't drill through that thick skull of yours, don't we. We tried that, remember?"

Mimi had no comeback, and no desire to think back on the past.

"So you not only defy me, but you show up in that goddamn dress. And to add insult to injury, I warned you in the elevator, didn't I? Yet, you bluntly ignored me, and then have the nerve to get angry at me when I saved you from the situation you found yourself in. Now I ask you, which one of us, could have shown some more gratitude? You act as if you're the innocent one, the one whose better, when we both know, you're no better than me."

Jin lowered his head, his breath hot against her cheek. He held her close, close enough for her to feel every curve, every rock hard muscle that moved underneath his tux. His tightly strung jaw rubbed against her softer skin, the stubble creating an almost pleasurable pain.

A breathy moan slipped out before she could stop it. He was mind numbing and her chosen poison. He had this effect on her from the moment they met the very first time. They had a connection, a spark and she could never, ever, kill it no matter how much she lied to herself. Each time they came close to one another, they both felt it. And her worst fear was, she'd wither away without that connection but she didn't want to admit it, not even to herself.

Jin's words held so many truths. By being spiteful, she ended up worse off than she would've had if she stayed home. And by angering Jin, she was indeed no better than he was. So why did she continue? Why couldn't she stop herself and walk away?

"Get to the point of this meeting, Jin. I have other things I could be doing." Mimi spat, not daring to look into his eyes for fear that, the truth of his words would be clear for him to see. His lips—inches from hers, were an irresistible temptation she didn't dare indulge in.