her hands and led Sakura to the
couch. “I have no words to express my distress. Ian had no right to deceive you
so deliberately.” She spoke perfect English with barely the trace of an accent.
Perfect in every way. Sakura became even more determined to be rid of the
entire family.
“I accept your apology in his behalf. Are we done now?” After
her day on the ocean, Sakura felt sweaty and smelly next to the other woman,
and wanted nothing more than to get away and cry herself to sleep.
“I have also come to present Ian’s offer of marriage.”
Sakura snorted, reveling in the ugly sound. “You must think
I’m stupider than I look if you really believe I have any desire to marry your
son…even to salvage my honor,” she added just to make sure she’d covered all
the bases.
“Ian does not offer out of honor. He offers because—”
“I offer because I am an idiot and would do anything to
regain your trust and respect.”
Sakura jerked to her feet as Ian strolled calmly into the
room, followed by her father and another man she assumed was Ian’s dad. The
bastard had gotten the entire family involved. She would never forgive him for
that. “Not a fucking chance,” she stated, uncaring that she offended anyone
with the curse.
Now her mother chimed in on the situation. “Daughter, we
understand there have been some…indelicate…situations between you and your Bakushi .”
How in the hell did her mother actually know that word?“But there is no
shame in doing as he demands. Every woman who accepts her role as keisei is bound to her master’s will.”
“ Keisei ?” Sakura frowned. “That just means beautiful,
not whatever you’re implying.”
“It also means concubine,” Chiharu answered. “Woman of
pleasure. A pleasure both of us have known for many years.” She reached out for
Aiko’s hand and the two women clasped their fingers together. “Which is why we
hoped the two of you would make a very good match. And we hoped that despite
your independent personality, you might also come to enjoy a life of submission
and pleasure with your husband.”
Sakura looked from her mother to her father to Ian’s mother
to the taller man who stood silently behind them. The world had turned
completely upside down. “Are you telling me you have all done this for years?
Seriously?” The images that ran through her mind were enough to make her
stomach churn. This was way too much information. She couldn’t process any of it
now.
On emotional overload she ran up the stairs and locked
herself in the bathroom. Her mother and her father? Ian’s parents? They had
planned this all along? And Ian had even been in on the secret. Her stomach
lurched again as she turned on the water, but she swallowed down the bile and
got undressed, slipping into the bath with a groan before she passed out on the
floor.
She soaked for nearly an hour, finally able to relax when no
one knocked on the door or interrupted. When her skin had wrinkled nicely, she
dried off and combed her hair, leaving it hanging soaking wet down her back as
she shuffled to her room—only to feel as if she’d been sucker-punched when she
saw Ian sitting on the edge of her bed.
“Sit, keisei ,” he ordered, standing to circle behind her
and lock the door before she could escape. “We will talk.”
“I don’t have a damn thing to say to you.” She crossed her
arms over her chest and huddled in a corner as far away from him as she could.
“Then you will listen.” Despite her attempt at distance, he
calmly walked across the room and took her elbow, forcing her to sit on the bed
beside him. “I know you are angry and I know you think you hate me—and I will
allow you those emotions for a very short time. But you will marry me and we
will be very happy together.”
She let out a manic giggle. “You can’t make me. This is not
the Dark Ages.”
“Do you not enjoy the way I make you feel? The way you
scream in pleasure in my arms?” He
couch. “I have no words to express my distress. Ian had no right to deceive you
so deliberately.” She spoke perfect English with barely the trace of an accent.
Perfect in every way. Sakura became even more determined to be rid of the
entire family.
“I accept your apology in his behalf. Are we done now?” After
her day on the ocean, Sakura felt sweaty and smelly next to the other woman,
and wanted nothing more than to get away and cry herself to sleep.
“I have also come to present Ian’s offer of marriage.”
Sakura snorted, reveling in the ugly sound. “You must think
I’m stupider than I look if you really believe I have any desire to marry your
son…even to salvage my honor,” she added just to make sure she’d covered all
the bases.
“Ian does not offer out of honor. He offers because—”
“I offer because I am an idiot and would do anything to
regain your trust and respect.”
Sakura jerked to her feet as Ian strolled calmly into the
room, followed by her father and another man she assumed was Ian’s dad. The
bastard had gotten the entire family involved. She would never forgive him for
that. “Not a fucking chance,” she stated, uncaring that she offended anyone
with the curse.
Now her mother chimed in on the situation. “Daughter, we
understand there have been some…indelicate…situations between you and your Bakushi .”
How in the hell did her mother actually know that word?“But there is no
shame in doing as he demands. Every woman who accepts her role as keisei is bound to her master’s will.”
“ Keisei ?” Sakura frowned. “That just means beautiful,
not whatever you’re implying.”
“It also means concubine,” Chiharu answered. “Woman of
pleasure. A pleasure both of us have known for many years.” She reached out for
Aiko’s hand and the two women clasped their fingers together. “Which is why we
hoped the two of you would make a very good match. And we hoped that despite
your independent personality, you might also come to enjoy a life of submission
and pleasure with your husband.”
Sakura looked from her mother to her father to Ian’s mother
to the taller man who stood silently behind them. The world had turned
completely upside down. “Are you telling me you have all done this for years?
Seriously?” The images that ran through her mind were enough to make her
stomach churn. This was way too much information. She couldn’t process any of it
now.
On emotional overload she ran up the stairs and locked
herself in the bathroom. Her mother and her father? Ian’s parents? They had
planned this all along? And Ian had even been in on the secret. Her stomach
lurched again as she turned on the water, but she swallowed down the bile and
got undressed, slipping into the bath with a groan before she passed out on the
floor.
She soaked for nearly an hour, finally able to relax when no
one knocked on the door or interrupted. When her skin had wrinkled nicely, she
dried off and combed her hair, leaving it hanging soaking wet down her back as
she shuffled to her room—only to feel as if she’d been sucker-punched when she
saw Ian sitting on the edge of her bed.
“Sit, keisei ,” he ordered, standing to circle behind her
and lock the door before she could escape. “We will talk.”
“I don’t have a damn thing to say to you.” She crossed her
arms over her chest and huddled in a corner as far away from him as she could.
“Then you will listen.” Despite her attempt at distance, he
calmly walked across the room and took her elbow, forcing her to sit on the bed
beside him. “I know you are angry and I know you think you hate me—and I will
allow you those emotions for a very short time. But you will marry me and we
will be very happy together.”
She let out a manic giggle. “You can’t make me. This is not
the Dark Ages.”
“Do you not enjoy the way I make you feel? The way you
scream in pleasure in my arms?” He
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