All Things Come... Vol. 2 Ch. 09

'Thank you Luke.' She raised her eyebrows comically. 'There: I said Luke without hesitating: it must be the wine. It still feels odd though.' I reached into my pocket.

'Here: Happy Birthday, my little pearl.' I handed her a small package and she dropped her eyes.

'You shouldn't have.'

'But I did. Go on, open it.' She fiddled with the wrapping and took out the little box and opened it. Her eyes widened as much as possible.

'But Mr. Lan... Luke, it's gold.' I nodded, and wondered why she suddenly looked shy.

'And the charm is gold too. It's your birth sign according to western astrology. Taurus, the bull, and the other little charm is an emerald. Only a tiny one though. It's the birthstone for May.' She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, making the front of her jacket swell tantalizingly, then held out her hand with the bracelet in the palm.

'Put it on for me, please. I'll thank you properly later.' I heard the promise in her voice, and the prickle of excitement raced through me again as I fastened the clasp of the bracelet round her tiny wrist. She rotated her hand, admiring it.

'It's lovely, Luke, just lovely.' Her eyes hooded and lost focus. 'I wonder if you knew or if it's just coincidence...'

What?' She shook herself and came back to earth.

'Nothing.' Her tone was light and I didn't push. It looked as if I'd get the explanation later, and meanwhile there were places to go.

'Time for the treat now,' I said cheerfully, and rose to my feet. 'We'd better find a taxi or we'll be unfashionably late.' As we came out onto the street she tugged my arm.

'Where are we going? To the cinema?'

'Not at all,' I said smugly, and waved vigorously at a passing cab.

'What's this place?' she gasped, as we drew up behind a line of dark limos.

'Commission Headquarters. We're going to a party.' She gasped and dived into her bag.

'I need a mirror, and what about my hair... what do you mean, a party?' I reached over and took her hand out of the bag.

'Stop it. You look lovely, and you don't need to do anything to any part of you, and your birthday treat's about to happen. It's business, so put your professional head on.' I took pity on her. 'Anita's going to be there, and her boss too, so let's have Miss Xian, accredited observer and representative of her country, on stage front and center, please.'

Her back straightened and her nervousness seemed to disappear, tucked away somewhere out of sight. The taxi reached the head of the line, and a flunkey opened the door. As we climbed out and started up the steps, she managed a small smile.

'There's actually a red carpet: I thought it was just a phrase.'

'First time for me too,' I admitted. I had the cards in my hand and passed them to the doorman as we entered. Anita and Elena were waiting in the entrance hall. Elena was glancing at her watch. When she saw us she darted forward.

'Is this Mary?' I nodded. 'OK, Anita and I are going to brief her quickly. It's going to be a point scorer for us if, and sharing it with the Austrians is a small price. Off you go.' She gave me a little push and I carried on through into the assembly room, crossing my fingers and looking for a waiter. From the corner of my eye I saw Anita talking urgently to Mary, her arm round her shoulders. I found some champagne and mingled. Time to start looking for next year's job, I thought. Somewhere near enough to Munich for weekends, but far enough away so that neither Uli nor I felt crowded. I drew an imaginary circle in my head, with Munich in the center. Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Northern Italy, Switzerland. Pity the Swiss weren't in the EU, and it might be better not to be in Austria again. Mountains everywhere. Maybe it was time to think about buying a car. Maybe I should check train connections. I shook my head and started hunting VIP's who came from inside the circle. Someone must know someone with a problem child.

An hour later I was leaning against a pillar, tired of noise and smoke. As I was wondering whether a long wait was a good sign or not I saw Anita's cap of chestnut curls moving through the crowd towards me. She saw me looking at her and raised her hand and punched the air. A breath I didn't know I'd been holding escaped in a rush.

Anita leapt forward and hugged me as soon as I was in reach.

'Smooth as silk,' she crowed. 'That Angela knows how to put rockets up people's asses. From her to the Austrian Foreign Minister, from him to our minister, down to the ambassadors, down to us... Magda's been running round like a maniac all day, and so has Angela, and so have Elena and I, but we've done it: an official EU young democracies initiative, and we've got the moral high ground, the political inside track, more access to how budget funds get directed, everything. Promotion all round, and it's all thanks to you. Timing is everything. Look in the papers on Monday for an announcement; we're too late for the Sundays, but it's going to be such good press, and it's cheap as hell too...' She burbled on and I looked down at Mary. There were undried tears on her cheeks, and her eyes were shining. She looked up at me and tried to speak, but words failed her and she flung her arms round my waist and hugged me instead. I looked over her head at Anita.

'Really?' She nodded.

'Thank Angela: she's a bloody miracle. A year's worth of red tape sliced through in half a day. It's amazing.' She blew me a kiss. 'I've got a warm glow about doing some good for a change, but I've got to run. The politicians can't back out now, but I'd like to have them initial the draft announcements while they're still congratulating each other. Promise me you'll call Angela and Magda: they'll be like cats on hot bricks.' She reached over and touched my cheek. 'Have fun'. She turned and scooted off, and I pried Mary loose.

'OK, kid?' Her mouth was trembling.

'Can we go somewhere quiet, please?' I took her arm and we eased through the crowd.

'Do you need to stay for anything?' She shook her head. I steered a course for the exit and we escaped into the fresh night air.

'Can we walk for a bit, please, Luke?' Her voice was still shaky.

'No problem. I've got to make a call anyway.' I took my cellphone out.

'Magda? ...yes, it's me. The politicians are initialing it now and Anita's arranging press coverage for Monday. Your lot are the stars and the Austrians are delighted to be in on the ground floor of a young democracies' initiative to help democratic rebirth globally.... Tell Angela that her skills foundation is going to get government backing, and she should be able to go fundraising on a scale that's never been seen before.... Oh, yes, and you're probably going to get promoted.' I winced and held the phone away from my ear. 'Is Angela there? ... Never mind. Tell her I'll call when I surface tomorrow. Maybe about lunchtime... Don't be rude... OK, kid, talk to you soon... Bye.' I put the phone away. Mary was hanging onto my arm as if I was the only solid thing in the universe and I looked down at her.

'Don't try to say anything yet. It's good for your country, but it's also rich westerners scoring political points on the cheap, and it's a shame that's the only way to make it happen. Nothing's perfect. I'll arrange for you to meet the woman who pushed it through: if she's got her teeth into it you can be sure it won't die on the drawing board, and you can thank her. All I did was finally realize that her foundation was headquartered in your country.' She tugged at my arm.

'But you did realize, didn't you? Umm, Mr. Lancer?'

'What; Miss Xian?'

'Please can we go back to the pension?'

'Sure'.

'Go and change,' I said as we entered reception. 'This suit's reserved for public appearances, and you're going to need your outfit much more in the next few weeks. Ten minutes. I've got champagne.' She nodded and scampered up the stairs. Even from the back she looked different. Her shoulders seemed to be less hunched and her step was lighter. I decided that my celebration plans would have to be put on hold. Shooting fish in a barrel has never been an option that appeals. The coven would probably want to do some celebrating soon, and that would be fine too.

I put on a T-shirt and an old pair of sweatpants, fetched the champagne and canapés that I'd bought and sat, feeling virtuous. There was a light tap on the door, then she slipped through and locked it carefully, and my heart leapt. Being shot in a barrel is a completely different proposition. She still looked timid, but there was a hint of anticipation and determination hanging over her. She'd put on a skirt and blouse, and oddly, she had a plastic bag with her and put it carefully by the chair.

'How do you manage to look so good? Have some champagne and tell me what happened.' She sat and I poured, and offered, and was the genial host. 'Try these. I know Annette fed us, but she didn't give us caviar.' She nibbled and made a face.

'It looks like blackberry jam and tastes of fish. You western people have some really peculiar delicacies.'

'That puts my whole culture in its place,' I muttered. 'Tell me about the agreement.'

'No. Anita and Elena will love telling you everything. I just feel wonderful and amazed and....' She stopped and looked at me anxiously. 'Mr.... Luke, what's happened? Have you had some bad news.' I shook my head.

'Just feeling a little tired, Mary. I did a lot of arguing and persuading today and it's caught up with me.' A look of comprehension flickered over her face.

'I know what you're thinking. You were wondering earlier about ... about maybe getting to know me better, but now you think it would be too much like demanding payment. Well, it's too late. Let me tell you something.' Her eyes were snapping black fire, and something else that sent a shiver through me. She extended one delicate wrist, the little charm bracelet looking far too big for it. 'In my country giving gold to a woman who is not of your family is a declaration of intent, and if the woman refuses, well, bad luck, and if she accepts then she's going to think about it; but if she asks the giver to put the necklace or whatever on her, then she's already made up her mind.' I sat still.

'And this is part of the courtship process?' I said carefully, wondering if I'd accidentally proposed marriage. She looked at me and burst out laughing, then stood.

'Yes, at home it's the last stage, but here in Rome, I'm going to do as the Romans do. You're tired, and you need some looking after. It's a perfect excuse'. She was unbuttoning her blouse rapidly and she slipped it off and tossed it on the chair behind her, then twisted to unzip her skirt. She wasn't wearing a bra and the first thing I noticed was that the promise of her cleavage had been fulfilled. She smiled shyly.

'Stand up, please.' Automatically I obeyed, feeling large and awkward and clumsy, and she led me to the bathroom. 'You really are much taller than me.' She knelt and undid the drawstring of my sweats and let them fall, then muttered something in her own language. She looked up, and astonishingly, winked. 'How many women have you killed with that thing? Take the T-shirt off.' Life was surreal enough without arguing so I went with the flow and pulled the T-shirt over my head. She stood up and stripped off her panties.

'I heard you tell someone that you weren't going to surface till lunchtime, so there's no hurry.' She turned on the water, adjusting it carefully, then grasped my cock gently and tugged. I wasn't even slightly erect but the touch of her warm, damp hand sent the blood singing through my body.

I hadn't noticed her bring the plastic bag into the bathroom with her, but now she opened it and it disgorged more bottles than I would have believed possible.

'You'll have to kneel down. In the middle, please, so I can move round you.' I did as she said and for the first time she was taller than me. 'Now relax your neck and shoulders.' I let her get to work and discovered paradise.

Shampoo is shampoo: it comes in plastic bottles and that's that, whatever the label promises. What she rubbed into my hair wasn't shampoo: the light lather tingled and stimulated like... like nothing I'd ever known. She planted her feet squarely and began to massage my head with small, strong fingers. Immediately in front of my eyes her firm breasts swayed gently in time with the rhythm of her hands. Dark nipples danced enticingly before me and I leaned forward, trying to capture one in my mouth. Her hands closed into fists in my hair and she pushed my head back, but I felt a ripple of amusement run through her. Her fingers dug into my neck muscles and I found myself sagging with pleasure. She shuffled forward and supported my forehead with her body, and I stared from a distance of a few inches directly into her crotch.

The hair covering her mound was as fine as a baby's and I could see the individual strands, flattened by the falling water, smooth against the delicate ivory of her skin, leaving the narrow slit completely visible; a flush of raw desire curled through me. Her hands stopped their searching and she stroked my head, holding it close to her body. I ran my hands down her flanks, her skin like silk under my fingers, and she shivered, then pushed me upright and kissed my forehead.

'Stand up now and let me wash you.'

I felt like a classic car being prepared for a show. She moved round me, soaping and rinsing and the sensation of being totally pampered overflowed and filled me with warm radiance. She scooted round and began to massage my cock and balls with a light oil that smelt of spices and nuts, then rubbed it between my legs and let her hand slide up into the crease of my ass, her fingers probing and twisting. My cock throbbed and she nuzzled it as it rose. I felt a warm finger circling my anus and then a feeling of fullness as she slid it into me. I tried to lean back into the pleasure but she wouldn't let me.

'In a little while.' Something mildly astringent replaced the oil and was massaged carefully in, sending warm sparkles through me, and the combination of her hands and the lotion left me achingly hard, my cock pointing skyward. Her finger slipped back into my ass and was joined by a second, and she began to run her tongue lightly over my balls and up the rigid cockshaft, stopping short of my glans each time. She must have had some of the lotion on her fingers, for the warm glow followed them through my sphincter and bathed me from inside.

She rinsed me carefully and darted out of the shower to get my robe. I shrugged into it and she led me back to the bedroom.

'Let me get dry. Lie down and concentrate on nothing.' She disappeared again and I tried. It's hard to concentrate on nothing. My cock was still rigid and even concentrating on nothing had no effect, so I concentrated on wondering why that should be so. I turned my head as she climbed onto the bed and undid the belt of the robe, exposing me completely, then reached down to my cock and began to stroke it gently, caressing it with butterfly fingers.

'It's strange,' she said, 'you western people are so impatient, snatching for more the whole time, but you haven't snatched at me at all.' She slipped her mouth over my glans, rolling her tongue experimentally round it.

'My dad told me three things,' I managed to say through the waves of pleasure that were curling round me. 'He said: number one, be clean; number two, don't grab; and number three, if you're not safely in bed by midnight, go home and get a good night's sleep instead. It's been useful advice over the years.' There was a brief pause as she worked it out, then she smiled.

Well, you're clean, and you haven't grabbed and you're safely in bed, but the good night's sleep is a non-starter, I'm afraid.'

'I'm wondering whether to go and get dirty just so you'll wash me again.' Her smile became wider and she blushed.

'I'm glad you liked it, but I have a confession.' I looked at her questioningly. 'Quite a lot of western people smell unpleasant to me. Not you: I mean you smell foreign but nice, but some people smell really strong, even when they've washed. I looked it up on the web. White people have more apocrine glands than Asian people, and black people have even more than that. I'm glad I found that out, because I was beginning to think that nobody here washed and just used deodorants instead. But I thought I'd get you especially clean just in case, seeing as I'm planning to get really close to you.' I was flabbergasted by her matter-of-fact explanation and nearly laughed out loud, then gasped as she did something with her lips and tongue that defied description. My heart accelerated and I felt as if I couldn't get quite enough air into my lungs.

'Tell me one thing,' I said, when my breathing was back to normal. 'What did you mean when you said "perfect excuse"?' Her teeth closed gently over my shaft, and her voice was muffled.

'Don't ask difficult questions. I've spent ages wishing I wasn't so shy, and that I knew how to flirt, and I let you find out that it was my birthday, and then you arranged much more than just a treat tonight, and I was excited and happy and I wanted you so badly, and then you went all noble and decided that you wouldn't take advantage of me after all. You saying you were tired meant I could start things off without just jumping on you.' She did the thing with her tongue again and I decided to stop asking questions.

'When in Rome, sweetheart, do as the Romans do: get your body over here.' I half twisted and reached out with both arms and was astonished at how easily I lifted her onto me. 'How much do you weigh, Mary?'

'Nearly ninety-two pounds, and I'm very tough and I won't break.' Her lips slid down my cock shaft and I raised my head to her body. She shuffled backwards, her mouth dragging up my cock till only the head was between her lips, and I took my first taste of her as she suckled my glans tenderly.

She was sweet and clean and her aroma was almost unnoticeable, but what she lacked in scent she made up for in pheromones. I inhaled deeply and felt the hairs on my arms rising as a completely basic part of me readied itself for sex. My cock pulsed hard and flexed, sliding out of her lips' soft clasp as I ran my tongue across the dark flesh of her surprisingly full labia and was rewarded by a dribble of clear syrup that held the faintest taste of... of something that made me want to raise my head and howl at the moon. Her thighs opened wider and her lips parted, displaying the smooth pink convolutions of her pussy. I lapped delicately across the petals of flesh and she drew her breath in slowly, forcing herself back to gain more of my tongue, then lifted herself and turned, lying on top of me, propped on her elbows, her breasts brushing my chest, and her soft mound pressing against my shaft. I took a deep breath and she wriggled.

'You tickle. I'm not used to body hair. I mean I've seen it in films, but I never realized... Asian people don't have nearly so much, and hardly at all on their chests. You haven't got as much as I expected though.' I was beginning to feel like her western guinea-pig.

'Look on me as a learning experience. What are you doing up here anyway? I was just getting interested.' She inched forward, looking shy again.

'Well, I don't really know how to say it, but I'm going to need to put some lubricant on you before I take you into me. You really are quite a lot bigger than I expected. Are western women bigger down there too? I hope so, for their sake.'

'Mary, do you know the expression, "shut up and sit on my face"? It's one that western men use in situations like this. You can kiss me properly first if you like, and then absolutely no more talking or I'll grab you and take you by force.' She scooted up my body and her lips sank onto mine, her dainty tongue sliding gently into my mouth, tasting of sweet, clean girl. My cock was nudging her between the legs and she closed her thighs and squeezed it as we kissed. After a minute I shifted and slipped my hands round to her ribcage, heaving her off me and resettling her over my mouth, then lowered her slowly onto my waiting tongue. I licked the crease of her ass gently, then levered her backwards, sliding her dark ring over my lips and forcing myself through her labia to taste her warm pink folds again. She wriggled above me and I heard a faint squeak.