Page 53 of Companion Required

Chapter Twenty-Three

Kennedy

Dressed in casual navy cargo pants and a lemon Ralph Lauren polo shirt, Kennedy rested an elbow on the counter as he checked into the five-star hotel in Naha. At his feet he had a small bag containing toiletries, with a change of clothing for him and Kieran, plus a small gift bag. While waiting for the clerk to photocopy his passport, he mulled over his conversation with Steph. What he still couldn’t fathom was why Kieran hadn’t told him about Richmond warning him off. Why keep that to himself? Although, in all fairness, Richmond hadn’t been wrong. Kennedy’s usual holiday companions came with a short lease on life. But using the word ‘disposable’ had not only been brutal, but unnecessary. Kieran didn’t deserve that, and if Kennedy saw Richmond again on the cruise, he’d confront him.

At the thought of Kieran’s name, Kennedy’s mind replayed the events of the morning. He had woken to a warm body aligned against his own, opened his eyes to find Kieran leaning over him and grinning. After a brief ‘good morning’, Kieran had satisfied his appetite with a deep kiss. Tasting of minty toothpaste, and smelling of orange shower gel, he had obviously been awake for some time, had already showered and done his other ablutions before coming back to bed. Sporting substantial morning wood, Kennedy had felt his lust skyrocket, and he’d rolled a sniggering Kieran onto his back, silencing him by tasting every inch of his body from neck to groin, before swallowing his cock whole again. This time, emboldened by the gasps and moans coming from above, Kennedy had not only sucked on each of his balls, but had then pushed both of Kieran’s thighs up and swiped his tongue along his crack.

No sound had come from Kieran, just a sharp intake of breath. Kennedy had looked up then, seen Kieran watching him with wonder, and a fair amount of shock. Kennedy had wondered if he’d gone too far.

‘“Do that again,’”Kieran had said.

Kennedy had grinned and wasted no time. Not only had he taken his time to prepare Kieran, but he’d probed with his tongue, feeling Kieran’s body shiver with each invasion. When he’d finally returned to the task at hand, sucking on Kieran’s erection, he’d pushed a fingertip into him, only up to the first joint, to get him used to the invasion. Finally, he’d used Kieran’s pre-cum to moisten both of their erections, and, while feeling the muscles tighten around his digit, he’d pulled on their joined arousals—Kieran’s introduction to frottage—until they’d both come to a shuddering climax.

* * * *

At ten past seven, darkness had already begun to fall, and he spotted the silhouette of a man on the right side of the up-sloping lane, leaning against a wall. As was customary, most of the bar signs had been illuminated in florescent colours, and opposite the man, at the top of the stairs, stood the bar called 036.As Kennedy approached, the tall shadow peeled away from the wall.

Kieran.

Kennedy smiled at the sight.

“Kennedy.” Just the sound of Kieran’s voice made his heart dance.

“You made it. How long have you been here?”

“Ten minutes max. The sign went on only a few moments ago. What’s in the bag?” Kieran nodded to the carrier bag Kennedy had brought with him.

“Presents for Tim and Hiro.”

With a quick check along the empty lane, Kennedy stepped towards Kieran and began to pull him in for a kiss, but Kieran stopped him.

“You said we need to be discreet.”

“In the bar, yes.”

“In the gay bar?”

“Correct. It’s a cultural thing. Although they probably wouldn’t say anything to us, most locals don’t appreciate public displays of affection. It’s not homophobic or anything, simply cultural, and something we have to respect. The same thing goes for straight couples.”

“But in agaybar?”

“The bars here aren’t like England. Most are well-lit and similar to sitting around in someone’s living room. Some have karaoke and others have theme nights. A few years ago, I walked into one that had a fundoshi night, kind of like a traditional Japanese jockstrap. All the men sat around completely naked except for these items of underwear. Talking politely to each other, but no touching and definitely no kissing. We walked out pretty much immediately.”

“ButnoPDAs?”

“Not that I’ve seen.”

“Then why are you trying to snog me in the street?”

“Because there’s nobody watching, dummy.”

Kieran laughed, but only long enough for Kennedy to pull him into a kiss. Something had begun to feel incredibly familiar about kissing Kieran, almost like a drug he had become addicted to. Before things got too intense, Kieran pushed them apart when he spotted an elderly Japanese couple in the distance strolling their way. While they stood staring at each other, waiting for the couple to shuffle past, Kennedy’s eye was drawn to the bar signs on the building opposite the one housing 036, behind Kieran’s head. On the ground floor stood a bar called Gents with what appeared to be a sign for the toilet, except the sign had two men instead of a man and a woman. On the next floor up, the bar announced something in Japanese with a red fluorescent dragon, and, flickering to life at that very moment on the top floor, Giant Buddha Lounge. Tacky, he thought, but at least a name he could decipher. When another person appeared on the lane, Kennedy breathed out a sigh and led them up the steps to their destination—the bar called 036.

Inside the small room, they found only the bar master, and Kennedy’s two associates, Tim and Hiro, seated at the counter. He led Kieran over to join them and they were immediately provided with cold towels by the bar master, who introduced himself to Kieran as Kazuki. Kennedy had so much to say, but wanted to let Tim—his English friend and his private investigator who now lived in Tokyo—get some friendly banter out of the way before they got down to business.

“Tim and I went to university together. He was my best mate,” said Kennedy, mainly to Kieran, who sat nursing an Asahi beer, whereas Kennedy had opted for the local Awamori with plum soda. “After we graduated, I went into the family business, and Tim decided on a career with the metropolitan police force, before meeting Hiro. They’ve now set up home in Tokyo. Tim’s a highly resourceful private investigator while Hiro does confidential work for me in a research and development capacity. He’s a technical wizard and, hopefully, has brought samples of the latest security devices to show me.”

Hiro stood up and formally shook hands with Kieran. When he sat back down and nodded a welcome to Kennedy, only those who knew him well would be able to recognise the little tell, the mischievous curl at the edge of his mouth, which meant he had some interesting gadgets to show.

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