Somewhere Near Japan

Somewhere Near Japan

Chapter One

Addison Matthews put his head down on his desk, half-asleep, praying for his phone to ring. It had rung once that week, which was nice due to the fact that it had chosen to give him the silent treatment for months. Unfortunately, it was merely a wrong number and the person had hung up apologetically. He was nearly asleep when Kate Brooke's voice penetrated his comatose nature.

"The Chinese place or that Sandwich shop?"

Addison lifted his head quickly and looked up at her. "Huh?"

Kate smirked. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?"

His secretary got a huge grin on her face and pointed at him accusingly. "You were asleep."

Addison glared at her. "I was no such thing!"

"Oh, yeah. We all put our heads down on our desks with our eyes closed just because," she responded sarcastically. "Oh," she continued in a more matter-of-fact manner, moving her finger to the area under his desk, "and your foot twitches."

Addison shook his head, an expression of irritation hiding his true feelings. For, as he said, "I don't see how your boyfriend puts up with your silly, childish manner," he secretly had a bit of a thing for her. If only she weren't taken...

Kate shrugged in return. "I'm just too cute to pass up, I guess," she said cheerfully.

Addison scoffed. "You? Cute?!"

Kate's smirk turned to a pleasant smile. "Okay, okay, buster. Chinese or sandwich?"

Addison turned his head and looked out the window to see the magnificently grey sky accompanied with beautiful crystalline drops... who was he kidding? Another rainy day. A cold rainy day. A demonically, frigidly cold rainy day. "I'm more on the side of Chinese. We could use something hot to eat and a sandwich just doesn't sound right."

"Well, they sell soup there," Kate said helpfully.

Addison scoffed again. "Like that tastes foreign enough. Not even enough spice!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "And you call me the childish one," she teased with a sigh. "Alright. Chinese it is."
***
The Chinese place was insanely packed, which Addison acted surprised by, but Kate saw right through his façade and rolled her eyes as they waited in a corner for a table to become open.

Addison looked over to find Kate glaring daggers at him and shrugged. "What? It's good food! We can wait a few minutes for good food!"

"A few minutes?" Kate said, her temper shining through. "A few minutes. Aye, that would be fine. But it's been quite a lot more than just a few minutes! A half an hour?"

Addison's eyes widened a bit at her tone and his next words were selected very carefully. "I'm certain it won't be long. I know it has been, but I'm sure that something will open up within the next two minutes," he told her, pausing for a moment to look around, only to find his eyes landing back on Kate. "What? I'm certain!" he added on in response to her raised eyebrows.

Kate paused for a second in thought before giving one of her little smiles of submission. "Alright. I'm certain it will be. But, in the mean time, I'm going down to that sandwich shop. I'm starving and another few minutes is just a bit too long for my taste." She turned and walked out the door, calling over her shoulder, "tell me if the food was worth the wait!"

Addison thought for a split second of following her to the sandwich shop, but then his name was called and the idea of downing Chinese food made him forget she'd even been there with him let alone had left without him.
***
Kate tapped her fingers against the makeshift countertop in the office as she patiently made her tea. It was merely bagged tea and the water was heated in a microwave, not a kettle, but she needed something to get her through her long, cold days and any tea would do the trick.

The back of her mind registered the opening and frustrated closing of the office door. Having spaced out staring at the ugly green-and-gold flecked carpet and having been brought back to general consciousness by the sound, she looked up to see Addison standing there in the doorway, soaking wet. She raised an eyebrow in query as he finally got up the energy to shed his coat and walk over to his desk to plop down in his chair with a disgruntled sigh.

"So, how was the lunch?" she asked cheerfully as the timer beeped on the microwave. She took the mug out and dropped her chosen tea bag into it.

Addison responded with a glare.

"Oh, surely it was worth the wait. Otherwise you wouldn't be returning soaking wet."

Another glare. Oh, Kate was having fun with this.

"Care to know how mine was? I had the world's most wonderful soup. It was quick service, too. Oh! And it had some manner of rice in it and a bunch of other stuff that I've never seen before. And they topped it with some spice. A rather wonderful soup. I daresay it was foreign. So, what did you eat?"

Addison stared at her indignantly for a couple of minutes, his hard breathing and his facial expressions showing every ounce of ire that he felt. After a moment, he raised his eyebrows, perked his head up, and spoke: "Oh, I didn't have to wait more than a minute after you left to be seated. And the food was rather good. And foreign for
certain."

Kate cocked her head. "If you didn't have to wait," she said, taking her teabag out of her tea and dropping it into the small garbage can under the makeshift counter, "what took you so long to finish lunch and get back here?"

"It took them for-bloody-ever to make my food. Then even longer to get it to me. And all I did the entire time I awaited my service was check my watch and fret over remaining past lunch hour. Which, it does seem, has happened."

Kate shrugged. "Like it matters. It's been silent as an undiscovered tomb for months in here." She sighed, wrapping her hands around her cup of tea to chase away the ice prickling at her. "Addison?"

He looked at her, eyebrows risen. "Hm?"

"Have you ever thought... I mean, I know you're good at this job, but it doesn't seem that people have needed a good inspector very much as of late. Have you ever thought of maybe... well, changing professions?"

"It's not usually like this, Kate. It's just been a very slow year. I'm certain that something will come up soon."
***
Addison glanced up at the clock on the wall and sighed-eight. Eight O'clock at night and still no calls. He groaned, laying his face in his hands, propping it against his desk with his elbows. 'Perhaps it's for the best,' he thought, having already sent Kate home a few hours earlier. He knew she wouldn't want to miss out on anything.

He sighed again. "Perhaps I should go, too," he informed no one, standing up. He slipped into his coat and dropped his hat on his head, grabbing his keys. He clicked the lights off as he walked out the door, locking it behind him. When he turned to his car, he made a sigh of extreme disappointment. 'Why can't I get a car like James
Bond's?' He walked over to it, dropped his coat and hat in the passenger's seat, sat behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition to get... nothing. "Oh, come on!" He turned the key again. Rev, rev, rev, rev, rev, klu-klunk. "Damnit!" He turned the key one more time. "Come on, baby, come on," he encouraged as he listened to a continuous rev. Just as he was about to stop and take the key out so that he could go look at the engine, it started up. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath until it all came out in relief. "Good. Thank you, baby. The only girl who's never done me wrong," he said, patting the dashboard.

The drive home was hardly even noticed. His mind was so busy racing around about how he was going to make it if it didn't pick up at work soon that he didn't even notice the music playing on his stereo. He eased up next to the curb of his duplex, put the car in park and turned it off, taking the keys out of the ignition and grabbing his coat and hat from the passenger's seat. Just as his head rose to begin the process of getting out of the car, he saw a girl pacing rather comfortably by his door. His brows furrowed in slight confusion and he opened the door and got out. "Hey!" he yelled as he walked towards the door.

The girl turned, putting enough shock into him to make him stop in front of his car, dropping his coat and hat on the pavement.

She ran to him, all smiles, as if this was some normal occurrence, throwing her arms around his neck and laying her head on his chest. "Addison!" she said, "You're here!"

"I just got off of work," he told her, pushing her away. "Jade, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I've come to see you, of course! It's been a long time, you know."

"Yes. Yes, it has," he said, monotone, his arms back at his sides.

She looked up at him with her gorgeous green eyes. "I haven't heard from you lately. Have you been doing alright?" she asked, going to caress his sides with her hands.

He pushed them away, roughly this time. "You were the one who vanished without a trace. No note as to where you were going, no implications that you were even going to leave. If anyone should have heard from anyone, it should have been me from you, not the other way around," he growled angrily.

She sighed and looked down. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Looking back up, "it was a bit of an emergency. I should have told you, but I didn't want you to get hurt," she explained. "I promise, I'm getting better about that. I just... I've missed you so much."

"Yeah, I'm quite certain," he said, sarcastically, pushing her to the side and walking to his door.

She followed in his wake. "I'm in a bit of trouble again," she informed him. "You're the only one who can help me."

He took a deep breath. 'Damnit, I hate how she can do this to me?' "Would you like to come inside and talk about it?" he forced himself to ask. 'Why am I doing this?'

Her smile widened and she gave him a peck on the cheek. "You're a doll," she said sweetly, walking into his house ahead of him when he unlocked the door.

"Would you like a cup of tea or something?" he asked, dropping his coat and hat off on the hooks beside the door.

"Have you got any brandy?" she asked. "I've been pretty stressed out today," she explained when he shot her a suspicious look. "I can see that you haven't had much better. So tense."

He walked to the kitchen. "So, what's the problem that you need my help with?" he asked as he opened the liquor cabinet.

"Well," she began slowly, "my job wasn't really the most... respectable type," she told him. "I no longer work in that field, but I had to for a short while to make ends meet."

"Understandable," he said, handing her a glass of brandy and taking his own to the couch to sit down.

"Unfortunately," she continued as she followed him, "I was hired on for a few nights by some men who seemed quite kind. Well, to make a long story short, they weren't so nice and I saw some things that they didn't really want me to. Luckily, I managed to escape and I got back here as quickly as possible."

He took a drink, nodding slowly. "So... what made you leave here and get yourself into such a situation to begin with?"

"Family issues down in Italy," she said, nonchalantly. "That in itself is a long story."

"And they weren't caring for you because..." he said, moving his hand to suggest 'get on with it'.

"Another long story. My family's really not that close, I went down for a funeral and they just had to start in on me. I couldn't stand it there, so I supported myself until I had the finances to return."

"Okay," he said slowly, three quarters of his glass empty, hers barely touched. "So, you've got a group of... mobsters, of sorts, tailing you?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "And I can't just run forever. I mean..." she sighed. "If they're not... taken care of," she said with a raise of her eyebrows, "then I'll be running forever. And they've got contacts! They'll phone around a few places and have me slaughtered in no time for certain!"

He sat, pondering for a moment, making her wonder if he was ever going to say anything. Finally, just as she was about to say something to get the conversation back in order, he spoke: "we could fake your death," he suggested.

"But then where would I go? They've got pictures of me. They'll find me."

He looked at the fear in her eyes and ached. He'd never seen her so vulnerable in his life.

"I'm just... I'm so scared. I don't know what to do." She looked down, distractedly running her thumbs up and down her cup.

He reached out, gently lifting her chin so that she was looking up at him. "I don't want you to worry about a thing, love. I will take care of you. You may stay here as long as you'd like." He stood up and went to put his cup in the sink. "Now, you drink that. Calm your nerves. I haven't got a guest bedroom just yet, but you're welcome to stay on the couch until we figure something out. If you need anything, my bedroom is just up the stairs and to the right. I will see you in the morning. There are blankets in the closet right here," he told her, patting the door, "as well as pillows. Now, I'm off to bed. I'll see you in the morning." He got a look of sympathy on his face. "Sleep well, okay?"

She nodded and he walked away.
*
A knock on the bedroom door woke Addison, making him force his eyes open. It took him a moment to process what was going on as he peered through bleary eyes at the door, then glanced at the clock. Two in the morning. He sighed, dragging himself out of bed and stumbling to the door where he heard muffled sobs, which made his eyes widen as the entire night before decided to give his memory a good slam. He opened the door quickly.

"Jade? Love, are you okay?" he asked in extreme concern as he gently pushed her hair out of her eyes and took hold of her face. "Jade?"

"Th-" a sob cut her off, "they phoned me on my cellular, Addison. I'm afraid they have a tracking on it!" With that said, she broke down frantically.

Addison ushered her into the room, closing the door and leading her to the bed, where he sat her down. He sat beside her, holding her tight as she drenched his shirt in her tears. After about an hour, she'd resorted to sniffling and, unable to hold her own weight in her exhaustion, she let it all fall against him.

He ran his fingers gently through her hair, kissing her on the head, lost in his mind as he pondered, biting his lip... should he...? Finally, he decided. "Jade, would you like to sleep up here with me tonight?"

Jade looked up, running her hand across her dampened nose. "Huh?" she asked, clearly confused.

"I know sleeping alone down there on the couch can't be easy for you at a time like this. I'm not after anything, I just think, for your comfort and to help you sleep, since, under such stress, I'm certain you won't get back to sleep alone. I'll be here to protect you. You can sleep on that side of the bed, away from the door. Or, if you'd
rather not share a bed, I can always take the floor, I don't mind, really-"

"Of course," she replied, cutting him off and wrapping her arms around his neck, part of her near-black, usually-perfect hair falling over the back of his shoulder,the rest teasing his nose.

He took in a deep breath... that sent... God, how he'd missed her. He hadn't even known it. His mind chided his heart for still loving someone who'd ripped it to shreds, but his heart didn't care.

After a few minutes, she pulled back. "And I don't mind sharing a bed." She smirked. "In fact, as I recall, you were wonderful to sleep with."

Addison blushed a vibrant red at her play on words, sending a gulp and a nervous laugh back at her. "You weren't half bad yourself," he rasped, his throat as dry as a bone. He cleared it.

Jade let out a rich, vibrant laugh that made his heart leap, seeming to have forgotten her fear. 'Good,' he thought. 'Keep her distracted, that's the key...'

Jade took a breath after her laugh, her eyes going strangely serious. "I wonder..." she said. "Don't you miss the old days?" she asked at Addison's raised eyebrow.

"The old days?"

"You and I. You know, we could bring all of that back again," she said sweetly.

"Could we?" Addison replied, having barely listened, being too focused on her lips. Soft. Perfect. Full. He licked his own.

"Be mine again, Addison," she proposed. "It will be just like the old times. You. Me. I know I left you hanging before, but it was entirely for perfectly acceptable reasons."

He gave her a look of drunken suspicion. "Perfectly acceptable?"

"Listen, baby, if I told you, you'd be in danger. I can't do that to you," she purred, trailing her fingertip down his chest on the outside of his nightshirt. She smiled at his quick in-take of breath. "Oh, baby. You're burning up," she said, indicating the beads of sweat adorning his face. "Let's get this nightshirt off." She began to slowly pull it up.

"No!" he said, pulling it back down. "This isn't right. Not right at all. I haven't seen you in years and here you show up at my doorstep in danger and it's our first night together and no. It's not happening. We're not even dating!" he yelled frantically.

Jade feigned an expression of hurt, looking down and showing a pout. "I'm sorry." She looked back up. "You really don't want to date me? We could try again. I promise I'll stay this time. I swear, if it weren't for that emergency... I'd really love to be with you. I miss you so much," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him gently on the lips.

Addison sat frozen for a moment, not sure. His natural instinct made up his mind for him when he felt the tip of her tongue brush where his lips were meant to part. He allowed her entrance into his mouth and forced his own tongue into hers as they battled over who got to explore who. His arms wrapped tightly around her torso, pulling her even closer. He shivered when he felt her hard nipples pressed against his own and he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed her back roughly so that she landed on her back and, grabbing the bottom seam of her shirt, ripped it off of her body. A devilish smile spread across his lips when he discovered no bra.

His hands reached out and grabbed her breasts something fierce, emitting a soft cry of alarm from her before it turned into a moan of pleasure. He leaned down, his hot breath caressing her nipples as he flicked his tongue across the one on his left. He gave it a playful
nip with his teeth, then took every last bit of it into his mouth,
gnawing it gently as he flicked his tongue back and forth across it.

Jade's hands dug into the bed as she clung to the sheets, her back arching just a bit, and she let out a moan with a laugh, sending him a smile as she brushed her hand over his hair in a loving fashion just before his head moved to the other nipple, where she gasped and pushed his face into it more and more, relishing in his flicks and nips and scrapes of his teeth against her flesh.

After a few minutes, Addison got bored of the breast play, longing for something more. His hands swiftly moved down to undo her very form-fitting jeans and strip them off to discover her sexy, red satin thong underwear that were lined with black lace, which he rather carelessly tore out of his way. There... that's what he was looking for. Her clean, well-trimmed, well-kempt pussy stared up at him,
begging for his attention. He rammed his face in between her legs and his tongue dove straight in. Slowly easing its way out, it brushed her clit, causing her to moan a bit louder and shiver. He nipped it, too, his now-erect penis throbbing, unable to hold off much longer, her pleasure only feeding it with a strong craving to get in on the action.

He pushed himself up onto his knees and peeled his shirt off of his sweaty body so fast that Jade hardly caught notice of the action. Of course, she was still a bit dazed by him having just ravished her to near ecstasy and she panted as she felt like she was about to explode, having been left hanging.

Addison stood up and pulled his pants off, nearly tripping over the cuffs, then tore off his boxers, letting them fling from his hand and bounce off of the wall. He grabbed Jade's legs a bit roughly in all of his excitement, causing her to hiss in pain. He loosened his grip some as he crawled closer to her pussy. Once there, he rammed himself into her, unable to wait any longer.

Jade let out a scream of pleasure, digging her nails farther into the bed as he continued to push himself into her over and over again.

Addison moved his hands to her lower back, pulling her up higher, closer to make access easier. He felt her body tense and raise itself higher as her screams of ecstasy filled the room, then he felt her body go limp and begin to shiver. He was surprised that he'd been able to control himself long enough for her to get her pleasure out of it, but the surprise quickly flitted away from his mind as he drove himself into her one last time, this time going in a lot farther and harder than he had been and he felt the explosion of his long-deprived self. Seconds later, he collapsed, leaning himself to the side as he did so, so as not to crush Jade beneath him.

They both laid there together, panting for what seemed like hours. He sat up to check the clock-4:30am. His eyes widened in surprise. With a sigh, he rubbed his hand down his face and looked over to see how Jade was doing, only to find her asleep, her direction askew from what it was supposed to be. "I guess I'm on the couch tonight," he
muttered to himself. He stood up and grabbed his underwear, putting them on, then he turned to Jade, pulling the part of the blanket that she wasn't covering over her body to keep her warm. He bent down and kissed her forehead, caressing her hairline with his thumb for a moment before leaving the bedroom, sure to turn the light off and close the door softly behind him.