The Mysterious Mr. Inoue Ch. 04

Hello everyone. Here's another update. Hopefully it's good. I hope to update the other stories within about a week of this one. Thanks for the feedback!

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I sat at the table in a daze of confusion as my mother and new fiancé chatted happily like old friends. The new Phillip was right next to me but he could have been miles away. He was so completely changed.

Mad George ate contently in the corner and I looked down at my own plate. I hadn't eaten much; everything was confusing to the point that even the food tasted different. I felt a gentle nudge to my shoulder.

"Everything alright, Sweetheart?" Phillip raised an eyebrow at me.

"I think I'm just tired from the road." I smiled soothingly.

"Want more wine?" He started pouring my glass before I answered.

"Sure..." I stared at the glass and nodded before picking it up and sipping.

My mother grinned at me. "Isn't he thoughtful?"

"Absolutely..." I put my head on his shoulder to play along and she cooed.

"That's just precious." Her eyes glittered with excitement before she took a breath. "Nisha... I'm just so happy you decided to do it here. You don't know how happy it makes me."

I must have looked like a deer in the headlights because Phillip immediately spoke up. "She wouldn't have it anywhere else. Twisted my arm, didn't you Sweetheart?"

"Y-yeah, practically twisted it right off..." I was still lost but his hand on my thigh was enough of a warning not to make a scene about it.

"But... don't you both think it's a little soon? I mean is there something you need to tell me first? Maybe a little one on the way? I'm not trying to pass judgment or anything. I just want to know what's behind the rush..." My mother pried in her polite southern way.

I blinked. Fucking Phillip, we were getting married here on my family's land and I just found out. His hand slid up and stretched across my stomach possessively, the fingers spreading. I felt the urge to stab that hand. "I assure you Mama, love is our only driver. But don't worry, Vinisha and I plan on giving you a lot of grandchildren in wedlock."

My mother grinned happily. "Good. Good for both things. I'm just so happy that you two are here with me. I can't wait to show you all the things that Nisha got to see growing up. Ooo! Once we've finished dinner, I'll show you the album!"

"The album?" Phillip raised his eyebrow, sounding genuinely intrigued.

"It's the family history album." I whispered into my glass of wine before taking another long sip. His hand was still on my stomach, draining my freedom and filling me with a fearful anticipation of all the things I still didn't know about my life at this moment and in the future.

My mother wrapped up my plate and ushered us into the parlor before rushing to the library. I brought my wine with me and sat on the edge of the loveseat. Inoue sat comfortably in the middle, stretching his limbs before wrapping an arm around me.

"Come here Vinnie. Be good." His voice coaxed at me.

I didn't move immediately, instead side-eyeing him as I finished my glass with a gulp. With exaggerated distrust and hesitation, I turned into him. He grinned and kissed my temple and I rolled my eyes.

"Point taken now straighten up, or else..."

I sat up and plastered on a smile just in time as my mother rushed back in with a big book the size of most family bibles. She grinned and sat on the other side of Phillip. Nestling the book in his lap, she cracked open the first page to a handsome but modest black couple in a picture. It was their wedding picture. The woman wore a plain white dress and held onto the man's arm. He was in a simple shirt and pants. Both of them had solemn faces but the picture still had an air of love and fun.

"Now see these are my great-grandparents, Bethulah and Joel Cochrane. They were sharecroppers who saved up and came west. They had to leave everything behind." She turned the page to show a far off picture of a small farm. "This is their land. We still own it but we rent it to other people."

She turned to the page to a family portrait of the Cochranes with 4 girls. Their ages ranged from late teens to about 6. "These beautiful ladies are their daughters. Joyce, Liza, Neesia, and the youngest is Odette. Odette is my grandmother. Now let's see. Joyce moved to St. Louis and married a jazz musician. Liza became a school teacher and they say she died a spinster but she was a lesbian. Neesia married another farmer and moved down South until she left her first husband for a Mexican. And at last we have Odette."

As she spoke she turned the pages showing pictures of the women as they grew up and went off into the world. There were even pictures of Liza's lovers in there. I could retell the stories from heart now but Phillip sat in childlike wonder as he poured over my family history. I cuddled into his shoulder as my mother turned the page to a blown up picture of my grandmother. Dark and grinning at the camera with big eyes like black diamonds. Her hair was tucked behind one ear and every inch of her face screamed mischief afoot.

"She married a soldier and had my mother, Gloria. Then he died in WWII, leaving her a single mother. By that time, my grandparents were doing well enough to support the two but she caught the eye of this man," She turned the page to another blown up picture of a white man. His hair was dark in the sepia photo but his light eyes were nearly a transparent taupe with the lack of color. He had an easy going smile and a soft sort of handsome bordering on pretty.

"This is Victor Van Bart. He bought this land, built this house and all the other buildings on it for Odette. He came from this old money family, the Van Barts. There's still some in this area but not in this town. Him marrying a colored girl didn't go over too well with the family. Anyway, together they had a son, Maxwell."

My mother turned the page again to a picture of a young boy who was the splitting image of his father. "As you can see, he could pass. So when Victor died a decade years later from pneumonia, they came wringing their hands and weeping, wanting Max. Odette reluctantly let him go and he was sent to Europe to be with the other Van Barts and even attended Cambridge, all under the guise of being a white man. And these..." She finally turned to the start of the big section of the book. "are his letters. He wrote every week or biweekly and always sent cards and gifts like chocolates or bows. Stuff like that. Here's one little post card from a Roman holiday: Dear Mama, all the statues are naked. You would laugh so hard because all the Johnsons are so tiny. Love you dearly, Max"

Phillip and Mama cracked up a storm over that one. I loved Great Uncle Max's letters. I'd pour over them as a child and read them again and again imagining myself with him on his trips. My mother flipped through the pasted and saved letters and cards until she found the one she was looking for. "Ah, here's the most important one: Dear Mama, I've found a girl I love. She is like me but cannot hide it. The grandparents are not thrilled but on threat of exposure have given me permission to marry her. I'm bringing her to Texas for you. Love you Dearly, Max."

On the next page was a big portrait of two dark skinned women hugging tightly to what looked like a white man and a darker woman with pinned up curls. "There's Odette; Gloria, my mother; Maxwell, all grown up; and that woman is Evie, Max's wife." She began flipping the pages, passing through more photos. "And after that, every year at Christmas and sometimes more often, Max and Evie and their children and their children's children come back to Texas. Tomorrow I'll tell you about my Mama."

I watched my mother close the book in gleeful joy that was shared by my now future husband. He grinned happily at her. "I didn't know how rich your history was."

"Oh yes. It all started with Easter, one Liza's lover's suggestion to gather the family documents and we've just been collecting them every since. Now ya'll must be tired so I'm putting you both to bed. Come on, we'll take the tunnel to the guest house."

"Tunnel?" Phillip rose, pulling me with him. He grabbed our bags and I grabbed Mad George who had settled himself near our feet.

"Yes, one connects the main house and the guest house. You see, this land is one of the few places in Texas perfect for basements and the like and just in case of a tornado, why not? Plus it's much lovelier to travel underground at night when mosquitoes could be buzzing around. Come on."

I let him soak in the art deco interior as my mother guided us to the basement parlor. He was reveling but I was in realization of how much I missed my home and my mother. I visited often but after taking a man's life, there was nothing more that I wanted than these familiar spaces.

"I know it seems vast now but when everyone comes home, there's barely enough room." My mother laughed as we walked across what was intended to be a gentleman's den. "We've updated but made an effort to preserve the original work out of love and respect for Victor."

We finally reached a carved oak door with a glass doorknob. It looked and locked like a front door. My mother opened the door to the tunnel with its tiled roof, painted walls and glitzy chandeliers with their new LED bulbs. I heard Philip gasp but I wasn't sure if it was part of the act or if he was actually impressed.

On the far end of the tunnel was another door with a sign that read "Guest Suite" in gilded letters. My mother led the charge down the tunnel. It was about 60 feet long but took only a few moments to cross. Mama unlocked the front door and handed us the key chain with the mother of pearl and steel key fob.

"Well, this is it." She sang out as she turned on the light and walked through the small sitting room. The main house dwarfed the guest house but it was still lovely.

Up the stairs, the rest of the house was only one story. One large main bedroom, one smaller bedroom, a small kitchenette with a kettle on one burner and a bistro set.

"I had the linens changed and we have satellite out here with every channel imaginable. We even have NHK." She winked at Inoue who smiled in return. I was lost but just followed along as she walked into the main bedroom. The California King sat invitingly in the middle of the room with the goldenrod sheets turned down. I remembered fondly sitting in the middle of it with my cousins, laughing and telling ghost stories.

"And see here, a big comfy bed for George." She kicked at an oversized cat bed and I smiled, placing my little fat cat down. He didn't even have to adjust, just sank into comfort with a purr.

"Mama... It's all so beautiful." Phillip turned around in awe and I left his hold to go and hug my mother.

"I missed you so much." I breathed her in and melted in her embrace.

"I missed you to Nisha Pisha." She kissed my temple and stroked my hair. We rocked a little and she whispered into my ear. "Thank you for such a wonderful son-in-law."

It broke my heart. I couldn't tell her the truth. She could never know that I was a murderer and so was he and that was why we were there together. The sniffling came before I could stop in and then a hiccup but before she could ask if I was alright, I was scooped up and away.

Phillip laughed playfully as he spun with me, kissing my temple as a way to cover his whisper. "Hold it together for a few more seconds."

But it was too late, the tears were streaming. My mother, however, was almost out the door. "Goodnight you two, I'll make us a big breakfast in the morning!"

"Goodnight Mama!" Phillip called over his shoulder happily.

"Night Mommy..." I was able to eek it out without my voice cracking.

A few minutes after the door closed I broke into full sobs against his chest. I gripped his shirt and bawled for what felt like ages. Every time I thought I was done, they broke out again, shaking my body.

He sat on the bed and held me, stroking my hair and running his thumbs across my wet cheeks. "You don't lie to your mother, do you?"

I shook my head. It all felt dirty. I wanted to stop it all, run to my mother and hug her waist as I told every bit of the truth. It was like I was tainting the house just by being there, with him under such false pretenses.

He eased me back on the bed and ran his hands up and across my forehead, smoothing my hair back as and leaving the flyaways fanned out on the bed. I sniffled as he ran each of his fingers down the slope of my nose, one after the other. My sobs faded into little whimpers as his middle fingers ran across my temples before curving back in over my cheekbones. By the time his thumbs traced over my lips, starting at the Cupid's bow and moving out, I'd stopped crying. His empty face and the gentle touching was hypnotic and I stared at him up at the ceiling as he ran his finger tips down from the tip of my chin and across my throat.

"Vinisha..." His voice swirled through my head and sunk into the bog of my dazed state. "I have to do this to protect you... Both of you... I'll take care of you... I'll fix this..."

His fingers smoothed out over my shoulders and his tongue dipped into the impression at the base of my throat and he licked up and over my chin until our mouths met in a hungry kiss. I gasped into his mouth at the sudden rush of pleasure and the flood between my thighs. He spread my thighs and settled himself between my legs, grinding into my soaking mound. His lips never left mine.

I struggled, my sensitive core leaking through the fabric to soak the crotch of his khakis. My walls churned, empty and hungry as my sensitive clit took the brunt of his friction until my whole body caved against it all. I came with a muffled wail before he rolled us to the side and pulled me closer to him.

He kissed and nipped at my lips, cheeks and neck as he stripped me. I shivered against him, bare ass on fine sheets against his manly heat. He was still dressed and I felt the urge to complain until two of his fingers plunged into me. The shock made me cry out and grip his forearm as the tips dragged and tickled purposefully at the walls.

"Vinnie... sweet little Vinnie, focus on me baby. Look at me." My eyes finally settled on him as I continued to grip his muscular forearm, not sure whether I wanted to yank it away or hold it tighter to me. A strike against my ridges made me see him for what felt like the first time. This gorgeous man was smiling softly at me. He was holding back, easing me further into something like a skittish animal. Where was I going? Was it a trap?

His freehand gripped my chin and his fingers dug into that rough patch in my walls and I gushed across his hand. He smiled big like I'd just complimented him, maybe I had. Phillip leaned forward, pecking my lips as I panted before sliding his tongue between them and taking a slow passionate kiss from me.

He began to pump his fingers faster, pulling back to look into my eyes. There was no set emotion in them. It was almost as if he dropped a shining shield in front of them and I was medusa, shocked by my own reflection within them. I slammed my hips and came with a scream, turning my face from him.

He buried his face in my neck as soon as it opened, teeth sinking into the soft flesh. I whimpered as my body trembled in a merciless high. My nails dug into his forearm and I shoved his hand back, curling up on my side.

I trembled and hugged my knees tightly, protecting myself from him. Phillip hovered over me. I could hear him sucking his fingers.

"Pretty Vinnie... Luscious Vinnie..."

I ignored him, eyes shut tight. If I could only keep him out of my head for a few more moments I could free myself of him completely. He peppered kisses across the base of my spine, severing my freedom.

"Stop!"

He froze. I could still feel his breath above my skin but he didn't continue. I turned carefully, covering my breasts. Looking down, I saw his thick brown hair before those dark eyes slowly scanned up my body. There was still softness to his gaze. The kiddie gloves were still on.

This didn't help me. Fighting him didn't help me. I could make myself hate him, I could curse his name, but he was still the only person who knew the truth about me. What I'd done had separated me from the world on a desert island of sorrow and this bastard was the only one with a boat.

I let out a low sigh and uncovered my breasts as my hands reached to cup his head. "There were things you should have told me."

"There were things I should have told you." He parroted but leaned in to kiss my stomach. "And I apologize for springing them on you."

"Is there more I need to know?" I began to scratch his scalp in soft circles.

He groaned and wrapped his arm around me. "It's in two weeks."

I let out an exasperated groan. "You know, some girls get to plan for a year, get their dressed handmade, relax and try out cake flavors."

"You're not some girls. You're my Vinnie. " He eased his way up until we were face to face and tugged me closer to him. "You ran into an apartment and stopped a man from ending my life. Unfortunately, to properly pay you back I need to take control of yours for a little bit. Not too long though."

"Is that what this is? Repayment?"

He laughed, hard. "You know that's not the case. Don't pick fights with me." He put his forehead to mine. "I promise, I'll make up for all of this."

I didn't say anything but my body began to relax in his hold once more. He kissed me and I moaned into his mouth without any added fuss or struggle. I even slid his hands down my back and groaned when he grabbed a handful of my cheeks.

I fumbled at his button down and pants. He stopped kneading my flesh long enough to strip himself before pulling me back to him. "Come here my beauty."

We cuddled and kissed until he rolled me onto my back. I flushed and watched him position himself between my thighs before for accepting him within me with a cry. My walls leaked their rejoicing down his length, finally having something to grip around again.

I wrapped my legs around him and kissed him deeply as he began to pump. My arms encircled him as well and my nails dug into his the skin of his shoulders as he stroked against my tortured walls. I'd had too much of this man and we'd barely been together a week. Still, the pleasure erupted from me as eager as ever for more of his ministrations.

With the last of my sanity floating around the edges of my mind, I nipped at him for attention with his focused strokes. "Condom?"

"Might as well go for broke..." He grinned at me, not a pause in his pace.

"Might as well go for broke..." I parroted just as my orgasm built and rushed over. "ASSHOLE!"

He laughed and pumped through my climax and a few more swears before pulling back and out of me. I could barely keep my eyes open. He had worked me so thoroughly the whole trip.

"Come on Vinisha. One more big O and I'll let you rest all day tomorrow."

I groaned as he moved me. He sat on the edge of the bed and had me straddle him. I hugged his neck and focused my reserves on riding him like the crazy stallion he was. "And tomorrow night?" My voice was hoarse and breathless from my eager bouncing hips.

His hands went from gripping my hips to gripping the sheets then back to my hips. He growled and groaned, trying to get his thought processes going while being ridden by a woman possessed with need to see him drained. "Fuck! What? What about-oh goddamit girl! What about tomorrow night?"

"A rest! Give me a rest? Or should I wake you up like this as well?" I started adding grinds in between my slams. His head was knocking right into sweet spots so I wouldn't be able to keep it up long but I could talk a big game while I could.

"Ugh..." His head fell back against my forearm with the groan and I knew he was getting close. "Damn girl don't tempt me..."