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Captive
in Kyoto
Excerpts
from a story based in the historic Japanese city Kyoto
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By Deborah Kemp
(Excerpt from the novel
"Captive in Kyoto")
Kenji
was relieved that a woman owned the bar.
Apparently, he had visions of a male owner forcing me into some
compromising situation, and felt that Mrs. Suda would look out for me.
She wasn’t exactly the motherly type, but I didn’t share that
with Kenji. When I emerged
from the bedroom dressed for work the next night, I saw Kenji’s eyes
widen in surprise. I was
wearing a mini-dress of silver
sequins, and it was cut very low in the
front. I wore stockings in
spite of the heat, and held very high heels in my hands.
I would put them on before I went outside since we never wore shoes
inside the house. I did not
look sleazy, but much more dressed up than I normally looked.
My hair was loose around my shoulders, and the ends were slightly
flipped up. I wore more
makeup than usual, but I had tried not to overdo it. |
 “You
look beautiful. It’s a new
look for you, isn’t it?” I
smiled and walked toward him. “If
you were in the bar, would you be attracted to me?”
Kenji smiled. “Do you even have to ask?
I am so attracted to you right now I need a cold shower.
Forget this plan, and stay here with me tonight.” I laughed at
his obvious intentions. “As
tempting as that offer is, I have to refuse.”
“Page.
If you can refuse my offer, I feel confident that you will be able
to use those same words on other men tonight.”
I kissed him lightly on the lips and headed toward the door.
“If
you decide to skip the cold shower, I will be happy to accept your offer
when I get home.” I
slipped on the high
heels, and watched as Kenji eyed my legs in the
impossibly high heels. I saw
Fukuda waiting outside, so I said goodbye and left.
The
Happy Union was not crowded yet, and I walked in feeling a little nervous.
It suddenly dawned on me that Linda Jackson had done this many
times before she was taken away. I
wondered if she ever felt nervous. I
saw Patty Sue, and she smiled warmly at me.
She was dressed in a dress similar to mine, and I saw a few other
girls sitting together at a table, waiting for customers.
It looked like I was the only
blonde among brunettes and
redheads.
Patty
introduced me to the other girls, and the bar began to fill up.
Mrs. Suda told Patti Sue to keep me around her tonight while I
learned the routine, and she said she would help me out.
I was the new hostess in the bar, and I was blonde, so naturally I
attracted a lot of attention with the regulars.
The other hostesses were friendly to me, and I got to learn their
stories when there was a lull in the business.
Their stories were similar to what I had heard.
Most of them came from England or Australia, and I was the only
American. I told them I had
been teaching English in Kyoto, but I wanted to make more money.
I felt badly when I lied and said I no longer kept in touch with
any family back home, but it was important to put that story out there
right away. I knew people
would talk, especially when they drank, and if the man who abducted Linda
came in, he would want to know that I had no one who would look for me.
I
was able to understand all the comments the men made to each other, while
the other girls tuned them out since they didn’t understand Japanese.
The hardest thing for me was to refrain from making comments to the
men when I knew what they were saying.
I tried not to blush when I heard a couple of men talking about
what they would like to do with me. My
low cut dress displayed
cleavage (the way
Ali Larter did
at the Golden Globes) that some of the other women eyed
enviously. By the end of the
night, I had successfully avoided any encounters with the customers, but I
was disappointed that Linda Jackson’s captor didn’t show up.
I was hoping that he would hear about the new blonde gaijin
at the Happy Union, and he would take a chance to meet me.
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Fukuda
made sure I got home safely, and I found I was not tired in spite of the
late hour. I would never be able to do this job during school time.
I just hoped no one found out about it and thought I was doing it
as a real job. I would have
to call on Saito to bail me out.
Kenji
was in bed, but he woke up as soon as I walked in.
“Did everything go okay?”
I smiled and nodded. “Go
back to sleep. I want to take a shower and wash the cigarette smell off
me.” Kenji got up.
“No, I want to take a bar hostess to bed.
I have never done that.” I
was surprised at Kenji’s reaction, but I had seen that look in men’s
eyes all night long, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
It was a harmless fantasy to fulfill for my
husband, and I was
happy to play along.
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I
walked up next to him, and watched as he looked
down at my low cut dress. “It could be expensive to take a bar hostess to bed, sir.
Are you sure you have the ability to pay?”
Kenji smiled at my question. “You
can name your price.” I
stared at him as if deciding. “I
find you so attractive that I don’t care about the money.
I made plenty of money tonight, but I do hope you’re a good
lover.” It’s funny how
playing a role can actually make you feel like a different person
sometimes. I felt much more
worldly than I ever had before, and Kenji seemed almost like a stranger.
He
pulled me to him and began to kiss me.
His kisses were demanding and his hands were everywhere.
I had not had much to drink tonight, but still it was more than
usual for me, and I smelled like cigarette smoke.
The different smells and tastes lent an aura of authenticity to our
encounter. I felt like a bar
hostess that a handsome stranger had picked up for the
night.
Afterwards,
Kenji kissed me gently on the lips as if to apologize for his less than
gentle lovemaking. “Thank
you for acting out a fantasy with me.”
“I
enjoyed it, too. Now I am
going to take a shower and become me again!”
Kenji kissed me again and said, “I like that plan.”
Recommended links: Kyoto
Connection What
to expect on your trip to Japan?
How to create
cleavage?
Dating Japanese American
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