Tono directed them to sit on the floor as he pulled multicolored jute from his bag and placed it beside the girl. There was a psychological component to his placement. Brie knew the girl was already anticipating the caress of the rope as she watched him lay out the different colors of jute. Each new bundle meant another length of rope that would sensually constrict her. It made Brie shiver just to think about it—she could only imagine what Chikako was feeling.
Tono turned down the lights and put on music to accompany the performance. Although it was his customary flute melody, this one had drum beats behind it, giving it an edgier sound. Brie smiled, liking the new element.
“What makes this performance unique,” Tono informed them, “is the rope I am using. It has been specially treated to glow under black light.” He switched on ultraviolet lights from above, and suddenly the rope on the ground glowed in a multitude of vibrant rainbow colors.
Brie clapped her hands. “Oh, I love it, Tono. I really love it!”
Tono smiled at her. “I thought it might appeal to you.”
“Very clever, Nosaka,” Sir complimented him. “Please enlighten us further.”
Tono bowed slightly, then sat behind the girl. He whispered to her as he gathered her in his arms and closed his eyes. Brie knew they were matching their breaths, finding their connection.
The young woman began to sway slightly in time with the music, the look on her face one of peaceful expectation. Brie was envious; there was no way around it. Any time she saw Tono performing his craft, there was a touch of jealousy—not for his partner, but for the rope’s caress under his skilled hands.
Tono whispered a command, and the girl took a kneeling position. He took a length of glowing blue rope and tied her long hair into a ponytail, binding it in a pattern of decorative knots. He secured it to a second rope he had wrapped around her chest, forcing her head back, her throat now in a long, graceful curve. Then he took the end of her long rope of hair and secured it to a ring above her.
Once she was immobilized, Tono began to tease the girl with the slide of his rope and his gentle caresses. In time with the music, he raised her arms above her head and bound them into an attractive ballerina pose.
As the music began to build in tempo and sensuality, the anticipation in the room heightened. From behind the girl, Tono took hold of the front of her silk kimono and waited, ripping it open at the dramatic crescendo of the song. The aggressive movement caught Brie by surprise, and she found it exhilarating.
She held her breath as Tono readied the girl for flight, reliving that incredible feeling herself—the moment when the body leaves the ground for the first time. Brie moaned softly as she watched the girl lifted into the air, bound in the glowing rope, the full beauty of the intricate bindings and her pose finally realized.
It was visually stunning!
Tono caressed his partner as he checked the knots, his movements in time with the melody. When the intensity and mood of the music changed, Tono’s binding changed with it. He began to bind the sub roughly, slapping the jute hard on the floor, pulling and tugging on it as he tightly constricted her chest with his rope.
Brie trembled, imagining the feel of the forceful binding, and grabbed Sir’s hand in response. He lightly trailed his finger over her skin, sexual energy flowing from him.
The feeling of eroticism between Tono and his partner definitely transferred to their audience, making it a shared experience. There was no doubt that Tono was on to something huge with this new kind of Kinbaku.
Brie’s nipples ached as she watched the Asian Master possess the young woman with the jute. The act was raw in nature, but as always, Tono created beautiful art as he interwove the different colors, making simple designs that transformed into something unexpected and visually captivating.
He untied certain portions of rope as he went, turning the girl and binding her into new positions. Tono did it with such precision and speed that it became a slow dance as the young woman moved from graceful pose to graceful pose.
Brie was thoroughly entranced, admiring the strength of the sub as well as Tono’s exceptional skill. It was easy to see how deeply she was under Tono’s spell from the look of sensual bliss on her face. Brie could almost feel their connection—every touch, every slide of rope, every tug tingling on her own skin.
Tono gently touched his partner as he checked the knots, his movements always in time with the song. Then he pushed her heel and the girl began to spin like a ballerina. Brie gasped, captivated by the pose.
“You like, téa?” Sir whispered.
“Yes…”
His hand lightly brushed against her erect nipple, sending sensual shockwaves to her groin.
“Feel my desire,” he growled, biting her earlobe as he placed her hand on his hardening cock.
Brie moaned softly.
He placed her hand back in her lap and patted it, looking forward with a sexy smirk on his lips.
Such a wicked Master.
Tono’s light caresses and careful unbinding as he released the sub from the jute were every bit as sexy as when he was tying her up. When he was finished, he held the girl in his arms and spoke to her softly as he kissed her.
Brie always loved seeing aftercare between partners, being that it was so intimate and sweet.
“Shall we leave Nosaka and tend to our own needs?” Sir suggested.
Brie purred, “Please, Master.”
Sir went over to the couple sitting on the mat and quietly thanked them both for the scene, not wanting to disturb their aftercare any more than necessary. As Brie walked out of the studio behind Sir, she turned back and stared at the pair, wondering if Chikako might be the one…
Sir paid the cab that had been waiting for them, and took Brie for a walk instead. As they made their leisurely way down the quiet streets of the neighborhood, it was charming to hear the families gathered at their dinner tables, talking and laughing from open windows in the numerous apartment houses surrounding the studio.
The full moon was so bright that everything was visible, covered in its pale blue light. Brie tentatively took Sir’s hand. He squeezed it and smiled down at her. “Who are you, téa?”
She looked deep into his eyes and stated proudly, “I’m a condor, Master.”
He nodded, gently affirming, “Yes, we both are.”
Sir took a detour when he saw a park set in the center of the apartment buildings. They walked down the wandering path, taking in the unique beauty of the foliage tinted by moonlight. The night had an almost fairyland quality to it.
Sir directed her to sit under a large cherry tree, the sweet scent of its blossoms drifting down from the branches. He asked her to lie down in the grass, then his hands began their exploration of her, passing over her clothing first before seeking more intimate access underneath the thin material.
She smiled up at him lustfully, adoring how cute he looked framed by the blossoms of the tree above.
“You are more than a condor, téa,” he said, leaning over her. Sir added in a whisper, “You’re also my babygirl.” Her heart melted when he bent down and kissed her in the silvery moonlight. Their hands sought each other out, rubbing, caressing and teasing each other. The sexual excitement created by Tono’s performance only added fuel to their raging fire.
When Sir covered her mouth and growled, “Come for me,” Brie shuddered in orgasmic release, moaning into his hand.
Afterwards she begged, “Now let me please you, Master.”
Sir lay down beside her and unzipped his pants, putting her hand on his stiff cock. Brie rubbed it, then stuck her fingers underneath the material of his briefs. She stroked his shaft with a slow, tight grip moving from base to tip, just the way he liked it. When his breath became ragged, she added a twist of her wrist to bring him over the edge.
Sir grabbed the back of her head, forcing her lips onto his cock. Brie gratefully swallowed his essence, but as she did so she heard voices in the distance.
Brie released her hold on his
shaft so Sir could zip his pants. Then they sat up and he gathered her into his arms, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as the old couple waved at them while they slowly shuffled past.
Brie waved back, sighing in contentment. It seemed like a dream, being here in Sir’s arms—as her lover and Master.
Could anything be more romantic?
The Kiss
Brie spent the morning giggling over Japanese television in their hotel room, while Sir met with potential clients. Her sides ached from laughing so hard at the practical jokes played on unsuspecting bystanders—it was pure silliness.
Suddenly, the screen changed as the local newscast broke in. Brie instantly recognized the private hospital and a cold chill ran down her spine when Master Nosaka’s photo popped onto the screen with the dates of his birth…and death.
She picked up her cell and called Sir to inform him of the tragic news.
“Go to the hospital,” Sir instructed. “Nosaka will need you now.”
Brie jumped into a cab, handing the man extra money and begging him to hurry. The cabbie had to park far from the hospital as a barricade had already been put up. Brie pushed through the reporters, as well as Master Nosaka’s many supporters, but she was stopped at the door by security.
She would not be denied and started screaming, “Tono! Tono Nosaka!” when she saw him through the glass doors. He turned at the sound of her voice, then nodded to a staff member beside him. The security guard did not open the door until he got verbal approval.
Tono looked at her with a sad smile when she walked up to him. “Brie…”
She buried her head in his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. He was stiff and unyielding, his whole body shaking with unreleased grief. She looked up into his sad, chocolate-brown eyes and whispered, “Breathe with me, Tono.”
He let out a subtle but heartbreaking groan. Her cheeks became wet as she cried the tears he was unable to shed. Brie squeezed him tighter, making a point to breathe slowly and deeply. She sensed his initial resistance, but in time his breath slowed to match hers.
They stood in the middle of the bustling hospital, in tune with each other, but oblivious to everything else as his sorrow became hers and her strength became his.
Finally, Tono whispered, “He’s gone.”
Brie nodded, knowing how great his loss was. Not only had he just lost a parent, but his teacher and mentor.
“I’m so sorry.”
Tono shook his head, fighting to maintain composure. “I will not cry, not here.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “Let’s go somewhere private.”
He led her out of the hospital, trying to guide her through the crowd of reporters to get to his car. To Brie’s surprise and gratitude, Master Nosaka’s fans pushed back the journalists to make a safe path for his son.
Tono drove away in excruciating silence, his grief overwhelming her with its darkness and depth. Brie struggled to breathe slowly as she accepted the onslaught of his crushing emotions.
Tono took her to Shinjuku Gyoen, a beautiful city park filled with over a thousand blooming cherry trees and the soothing sound of moving water. He walked with long strides, oblivious to her desperate attempts to keep up with him. She followed as close as she could while he led her deep into the park. Tono stopped for a brief moment when he came to a bridge, before he crossed over it to a small island dominated by an ancient tree.
There he sat under its immense branches and began to sob as he stared at the water—a black hole of grief Brie could not hope to penetrate. She settled beside him and the two sat in collective grief.
Eventually, when the tears stopped, he spoke. “Thank you.”
She looked at him questioningly. “For what?”
“For being here, for not asking questions or trying to comfort me with meaningless words.”
“I can’t begin to know your pain, but this garden,” she said, looking around, “it is a good place to mourn, Tono.”
He tilted his head back and rested it against the tree. “It doesn’t seem real. A man of great strength and wisdom is gone, yet the day continues unaffected.” He turned to look at her. “It is both tragic and reassuring to me.”
Brie smiled sadly.
“To never hear his praise again, or his correction—I can’t fathom it.”
“Neither can I.”
He looked at her with fresh tears in his eyes. “Otosama is dead.”
The pain behind his statement crushed her. “But you’re not alone, Tono. I’m here with you.”
His eyes reflected even deeper sorrow. “I wish that were true.”
She squeezed his arm reassuringly. “It is! I’ll always be here for you—both Sir and I will.”
Tono looked deep into her eyes. It was the kind of gaze that was disconcerting because of its raw intensity.
“Brie, I…”
“What?” she urged when he stopped.
“I’ve kept something from you. Something I’ve been hesitant to share, even though it has been eating me alive.”
“I knew you were hiding something from me. Please, Tono, I need to know.”
He looked at her uncertainly, then nodded. “My father said something just before you arrived in Japan. Something that has tormented me ever since he mentioned it.” He let out a long, drawn-out sigh, looking up towards the sky.
When Tono said nothing more, she encouraged him. “Whatever it is, I’m sure he never meant to hurt you. It’s obvious that your father loved you very much.”
He shook his head. “Brie, I’ve heard many words of criticism over the years, and have no problem receiving them.”
“What is it, then?” she asked, suddenly concerned when she saw the look of agony on his face. What terrible secret had his father shared?
Tono groaned, hitting the back of his head against the tree and closing his eyes. “My father said he was sorry.”
She was relieved to hear it, but couldn’t understand his odd reaction. “Why would that make you upset, Tono? I don’t understand.”
Tono refused to look at her when he explained, “Otosama apologized for being wrong about you.”
Brie’s heart skipped a beat. She said nothing as the gravity of those words slowly sank in.
With eyes still closed, he told her, “As he lay dying, he said it troubled him deeply knowing that he’d influenced your decision at the collaring ceremony.”
The joy she felt that Tono’s father had come to believe she was worthy of his son was tempered by the fact that it had changed the course of the evening—of both their lives.
Tono opened his eyes and turned towards her. “Thoughts spurred on by his confession have plagued me ever since, especially when my father admitted that you and I shared something he’d never known. He wished he hadn’t taken that from me and begged for my forgiveness.”
Brie stared ahead, reliving that night and his father’s cold rejection of her. She asked quietly, “Did you give it to him, Tono? Your forgiveness?”
“Of course. It wasn’t done maliciously.”
Master Nosaka’s rejection on graduation night had forced Brie to make a decision she hadn’t been prepared to make. It had led her into the arms of Sir—her Master.
Tono stroked her cheek lightly. “If my father had said nothing, everything would be different, and that’s what constantly haunts my thoughts now.”
She closed her eyes, rocked by the revelation.
“Toriko…”
Brie opened her eyes when Tono’s warm lips pressed against hers. She could feel his desperate need for connection—a connection that could release him from the pain and grief.
She instinctively pulled away and jumped to her feet. “No!” She ran from Tono, frightened by his emotional need as well as her desire to meet it.
“I’m sorry, Brie…” he called after her. “It was a mistake. There’s no need to run from me.”
She stumbled blindly out of the park, grabbing the first taxi she could find. Brie wrung h
er hands in the cab, wondering how she would explain it to Sir. Would he be understanding or angry, punishing Tono for this transgression?
In her heart, Brie understood the reason behind Tono’s kiss. He was in agony and longed for the natural connection they shared to alleviate his suffering. The Asian Dom was a man of high principles, but in his raw grief he had given in to his human need.
She arrived at the hotel and anxiously waited for Sir’s return. Rather than disturb him at his meeting, Brie undressed and knelt at the door. She contemplated how to break the news, praying she would be successful in swaying his reaction towards Tono.
Thankfully, all her worries were for nothing. When Sir opened the door and saw her, a slow smile spread across his face. “My beautiful pet…”
He walked over and placed his hand on her head, stating quietly, “Stand and serve your Master.”
She stood up gracefully, her eyes not leaving his. “Sir…”
He put his finger to her lips. “I know, Brie. Nosaka informed me what happened.”
“It was an acci—”
He shook his head. “Although it was not an accident, I do believe it was a gut reaction to the death of his father.” He brushed her cheek lightly. “I knew you would bring him comfort at this difficult time, but this was uncharacteristic of him. I noticed a similar breach of protocol when we scened together a few nights ago and he called you toriko. At the time, I had assumed it was a simple slip, him using his sub name for you, but now…” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “There is something else going on. I’m certain of it.” Sir tilted her head up. “Did he tell you what that is?”
Brie met his gaze, although she was tempted to look away. She licked her lips nervously when she asked, “Did he share what his father said?”
“No.”
“Master Nosaka told Tono that he regretted his influence during the collaring ceremony. He asked Tono to forgive him because he was wrong.”
Sir took a deep intake of breath. “What a difficult confession for Nosaka to hear. No wonder he is reeling from it.”
“You should also know that Tono apologized right after the kiss. He knew it was inappropriate, but I was so shocked by it that I just ran. My only thought was to come back to you and explain what had happened. I didn’t want you to be angry with me…or with him.”