She suddenly got a determined look in her eye. “I need to go visit my family. I’ve put this off for too long, and now that I know how much longer it will be, it’s safe to make it official. I can arrange a little time off. I’ll go see them this week.” She looked at him. “I’ll be gone for a few days, maybe a week. Think you can manage on your own?”
He grinned and nodded. “You don’t want me with you?”
“You’re not supposed to travel, remember? Besides, it’s going to be a scream-fest with my sisters-lots of elevated emotions. The second visit is when I introduce you,” she exined. “That’s the grueling ordeal of surviving their inspection and interrogation.”
“Ah, okay,” he responded nervously, and she giggled.
Tish stood and pulled Henry to his feet. “Come on you. You’ve had quite the day. Time for bed.”
He yawned suddenly. “See, you’re casting spells of your own on me!”
They headed to the bedroom arm in arm. Henry felt better after opening up to Tish. She looked pretty happy too. He was looking forward to a good night’s sleep.
Then he felt her hand slide down his back to cup his ass. He nced over and saw she was biting her lip with a mischievous smile.
Sleep would be his second objective tonight.
Tish spent Sunday making arrangements for visiting her family in Phdelphia. Henry smiled as he recalled hearing each sister’s squeals of excitement through the phone as Tish rolled her eyes happily at him.
Dayshia and Sandy came over and were simrly inspired to visit family. Soon all three were on their phones making arrangements to head off on Monday to see family. Dayshia’s sister in Chicago was delighted to have her visit. Tish’s sisters were fighting over who would host her during her stay, and Sandy’s parents were so happy to have their daughter home after so long.
Henry asked them to maintain their disguises at all times while visiting and received three annoyed stares in return. The advice from Captain Obvious was not appreciated.
Tish got a flight for that evening, while Dayshia would fly out on Monday morning with Sandy traveling with her as far as Chicago. The blonde would catch a bus from there toNowhere, Iowa, as she described it. While eager to see her parents, Sandy was least enthused about the journey as she said the bus ride was a grueling ordeal. At least it wouldn’t be as bad as her original road trip from them all the way to New York City.
After the flurry of activity starting just after breakfast and ending with Tish heading off to the airport and Dayshia and Sandy rushing back to their condo’s to pack, Henry found himself alone on a Sunday night. He didn’t feel like cooking, so he pulled out the wad of take-out and delivery menus to make his choice.
His cell rang on the kitchen ind, so he picked it up and saw it was Yuko.
“Hello?”
“Henry? This is Yuko. Tish called me to say you might be avable for dinner tonight,” she said nervously.
“Ah, she did,” Henry said as he pictured the sneaky little smile on the tall brte’s face as she called from the taxi.
“Are you not?” Yuko asked quickly.
“No, she was right. I have no ns. I was just going to order in.”
There was a moment of silence. “Would you like to join Jun and me for dinner?”
Jun would be there. Henry paused. That actually sounded less like a date, so he rxed a little. “That sounds nice. When-”
“Any time. Now, if you like. 708,” she chirped, then hung up.
Henry blinked in surprise then set the cell down. He decided to change his clothes to something a little nicer than a t-shirt and shorts.
Not that it was a date.
-=-
A short timeter, Yuko answered the door and paused to take in Henry’s ensemble. The ck short-sleeved button-down shirt showed off his muscr arms and broad chest, and his grey khaki’s fit very well.
He was busy admiring her silk blouse, printed with vintage French wine ads in bold colors. Her ck tights hugged her slim legs and ended at pretty white slippers.
She shed a nervous smile at him, then noticed he was holding a bottle of wine.
“Is that for me?” she asked.
He smiled and handed it to her. “To match your lovely shirt!” he said with a grin. “I’ve never been to your ce.”
“Pleasee in,” she said, stepping back.
He entered and left his slippers at the door. He saw the condo wasn’t furnished in the Japanese minimalist style as she’d done to his first condo. Her living room couch and chairs were contemporary, bordering on modern, but they lookedfortable. There were also several boldly colored movie posters on the walls. He saw West Side Story, Kill Bill, de Runner, V for Vedetta, Pulp Fiction, and Excalibur. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at Yuko, who grinned quickly.
“Jun is very fond of American pop culture.” She looked over at the posters. “I just like the colors.”
There were other pop culture references scattered throughout the room, like small figurines and toys.
He spotted Jun working in the open concept kitchen, and she looked up to smile at him as she worked at the ind. “Hi, Henry!”
“Hi, Jun. Something smells delicious!” he returned with a smile.
“It’s almost ready. Please make yourselffortable in the living room.”
Yuko took the wine to the kitchen to open it.
He sat and picked up aic book left on the couch cushion. He’d seen other kids reading them at school as he grew up, but he’d never had the money to buy one. Baba had made it clear such activities were a waste of time.
He flipped through the book and found himself enjoying the story and the colorfully costumed superheroes.
Yuko sat next to him. “You likeics, too?”
He smiled at her self-consciously. “This is actually the first one I’ve ever read. It’s good!”N?velDrama.Org content.
She looked at him in surprise. “You’ve never read aic before? You are so much like Jun. I thought you would readics like her too.”
He nced towards the kitchen, where Jun smiled back at him as she worked. He looked back at Yuko. “I’m like Jun?”
“She means we’re both nerds,” Jun volunteered from across the room.
“Ah,” Henry sighed as he leaned back against the cushions. “It’s true we both like technology, but I wasn’t allowed to collectic books or y with toys like these while I grew up,” he gestured to the collection around him, “Baba was a little strict about what she considered y.”
Jun looked over at him. “So, it’s true. You were raised by Baba Yaga.”
He sighed. “Yes. She was strict, but she was fair and treated me well.”
The twodies were quiet as they struggled to fit that image into their perception of the witch.
“What did you read growing up?” Yuko finally asked.
“Non-fiction. Mostly science-rted. You know, nerdy stuff.”
Jun and Yuko chuckled.
“Dinner is ready. Please take a seat at the dining room table,” Jun said, so Yuko and Henry stood and walked over to a four-seat table by the window overlooking the water. Yuko lit the candles as Henry sat and smiled at the elegant ce settings.
Jun approached with a tter of sliced prime rib surrounded by potatoes and carrots. Then he noticed she was wearing a frilly apron and not much else. She’d been behind the kitchen ind, so he’d missed it earlier.
She noticed the widening of his eyes and smiled demurely. “I am merely the help this evening.”
As she walked back to the kitchen, he saw the g-string disappearing between her perfect ass cheeks. His face heated up, and he nced at Yuko, who seemed to be enjoying his reaction.
“I understand Tish, Dayshia, and Sandy have all gone to visit family,” she said, holding his eyes with hers.
He cleared his throat and smiled at the wee subject change. “Yes. It began with Tish feeling a little homesick, then it spread to the others.”
“But not you? You do not feel homesick?” Yuko asked with a little smile.
Henry shrugged. “It’s no longer there. Baba’s cottage was located in a bog north of the city, but it’s been filled in. Thest time I went back, everything was just… gone.” He shook his head and smiled self-consciously. “I mean, it was just a small cottage with no electricity in a swamp, so not much to be nostalgic about.” He saw the beginnings of a look of pity in Yuko’s eye and moved to nip that in the bud. “Not as gorgeous as your home in Japan!” he eximed.
A look of confusion came and went on Yuko’s face as she recalled he’d visited Japan and her parent’s home.
She nodded. “Yes, it was pretty but not to our taste. Too traditional,” Yuko answered as she shook her head.
Jun was nodding as she approached the table with a gravy boat. “Definitely, mother’s taste. I think even father would have preferred something a little more contemporary.”
She looked at her sister. “Before I forget, Mother told me to let you know if we are sessful tonight, she will expect us to return to Japan immediately.”
Yuko gaped at her sister, and her short temper looked like it was about to make an appearance.
Jun set the gravy down and held up a hand. “Not permanently. She just said it was critically important for us to not dy our return.”
Yuko pouted but nodded. Disobeying a parent was obviously something to be avoided in their household… as it had been in his too.
Henry was still confused. “I-I thought you’d need to be in heat or something. Human women have to be at some particr phase of their monthly cycle to be fertile or…” He stopped as both Jun and Yuko were giving him the look. The one which said he was a man and therefore not an authority on the subject and should shut up.