Just a Little Magic Ch. 10

Afterwards, we lay together quietly for a while. I listened to her thoughts.

Kazumoto Ri was actually very sad. Her long-term boyfriend had broken off their relationship several months ago, and she still wasn't over it. The stupid bugger wouldn't even give her a reason. When Ri pressed him for an explanation, he simply kept repeating 'I have to go. I have to'.

Since she didn't understand why he was dumping her, Ri made up her own reasons: she wasn't attractive enough, he was ashamed of her, she was lousy in bed ... she started developing a full-blown case of insecurity.

And now I've fucked a gaijin, she thought. It was nice ... but now it's over, and I'm alone again. He'll kick me out, in the next few minutes, and I'll go home alone ...

I stirred, slowly, and put my arm across her. Then I pulled her closer, and kissed her.

- "You're wonderful." I said, in Japanese. "Can you stay?"

Ri let me shift her into a more comfortable cuddling position. I stroked her hair, and looked into her eyes. "Do you have to work tomorrow? I'd love it if you could spend the day with me ..."

She spent the night.

We fucked again. I tried to stifle her whimpers by kissing her as I stabbed my cock into her - it didn't work. She would let me kiss her, and then turn her head and resume her refrain: "Ee! Ee! Eee ..."

This was going to require some thought on my part.

Ri slept in with me, and shared a late breakfast. She went to work for a half-day, then joined me for dinner. She gladly accepted my offer of a free ticket to our show that night.

Janine called her onstage as a volunteer, which thrilled Ri. She was in the spotlight, a celebrity for a moment; no doubt some of the ladies she worked with would see her performance. It turned her on. She was fully primed when we returned to my hotel room.

In the meantime, I'd considered a few strategies for dealing with her off-putting whimpers.

69 worked. Then I took her in the missionary position, while I put my finger into her mouth. That ... was only a partial success. She kept trying to whimper, even when I inserted a second finger.

Eventually, I returned to a solution that worked: I put her on her hands and knees, and pushed her head into the pillows, as I pummelled her from behind. It didn't completely stop the 'Ee', Eee!' sounds - but there were enough groans and grunts interspersed to keep me happy.

Ri seemed a little happier, too.

***

My birthday celebration was fairly quiet. Lillian and Janine got a cake. Sammy and my Mother sent congratulatory messages. Sophie sent me a beautiful card, with a longer message. She also wanted to have a video conference with me.

Janine had appointed herself Comptroller-in-Chief of my social media contacts. She kept a calendar, and reminded me that it had been six days since I'd last contacted Ashley in Chicago.

Janine wanted to supervise me as I wrote emails - I had to threaten a work stoppage before she would back off. But she continued to remind me of birthdays, anniversaries, and the like, and organized the sending of flowers and other gifts.

I didn't just create one email, and send it to Sophie, Ashley, Breanna and Tamara. Instead, I composed highly individualized messages, to let each woman know that I was thinking about her, and that I cared.

It wasn't lying ... not exactly.

Ashley deserved better. She needed to respect herself a little more. Breanna might be vain, but she wasn't really hurting anyone. Tamara had had her heart broken; I might possibly help her recover a little happiness. Kazumoto Ri was in a similar situation.

And I loved Sophie. Loved and missed her. It might seem ridiculous, that I was seducing other women, while thinking of her ... but there it was.

***

#6 Sandra Yu Taipei (Taiwan)

We had no plans to perform in mainland China. If that looked like some kind of political statement, then so be it. I didn't understand all of the ramifications, but Lillian assured me that it wouldn't hurt our image.

It certainly made us popular in Taiwan. Our first show was packed.

With my approval, Janine called on our 'woman in question' to be the fourth volunteer.

Sandra was short, and slender, with coal-black hair. Shocking, right? My first impression of her face (when I was pretending to be an usher) wasn't all that favourable; oh well, I thought - I'll be taking one for the team.

But as she came onstage, Sandra was grinning - and that little half-smile changed her appearance completely: she was quite lovely. And when Janine began to talk to her, Sandra's answers revealed that she was confident and positive. 'Personality plus', as my mother would have put it.

Our routine went perfectly, and Sandra was very impressed. I thanked her, and shook her hand - giving her just a little jolt of magic electricity. She gave me a startled look, but she had too much composure to linger on stage. She went back to her seat.

I thought there was a 50-50 chance that she might stick around after the show.

She didn't.

No problem. We went with serendipity.

Sandra was a pharmacist. You can imagine her surprise when she saw me, bright and early the next morning, shopping in the drugstore where she worked.

I pretended to see her for the first time, and did a double take.

- "Peter Grey?"

- "Sandra?"

- "You remember my name?"

Yes, I told her that she'd made quite an impression on me. I also explained my mother's criteria for 'Personality Plus'. Sandra quite liked that. She was a scientist, but that didn't mean that she wasn't superstitious. Our unusual meeting, right after her appearance in our show, struck her as some kind of sign.

She agreed to go out with me that night.

Sandra had an excellent sense of humour. That allowed me to see her smiling or laughing quite often. She was also ... talkative. Gabby. Okay - in the words of the immortal bard, she never shut up.

That was fine. She talked, I asked questions. She talked some more, I responded appropriately. She told me about her health issues, I sympathized.

I didn't invite her back to my hotel room; she did that on her own. We could 'talk' some more, she suggested.

I was quite distracted by the Jekyll and Hyde nature of her face. It was like this: when Sandra tried to look serious, she pressed her lips together. When she wanted to look relaxed, she also pursed her lips. If she'd taken a look at herself in the mirror, she would've realized that she wasn't putting her best face forward.

On the other hand, when she laughed - which she did frequently - she looked great. And when she just smiled, she transformed into a very attractive, very intriguing woman.

She wasn't shy. Sandra hadn't invited herself to my room to talk - or to waste time. She was considerably more aggressive than I'd expected.

I was surprised at how pale her skin was; Sandra was 'whiter' than I was, by a fair stretch. She was small-breasted, but their shape was perfect. I was surprised by her full bush; it made going down on her a bit of an adventure.

She was enthusiastic, and inventive. During our first coupling, we migrated from missionary position to spooning, to cowgirl. I was pleased to see that Sandra enjoyed sex - she smiled a lot as we fucked.

I went to the bathroom, after our first session. When I came back, Sandra was kneeling on the bed, facing away from me. The sight just about took my breath away.

She had a very narrow waist, moderately generous hips, and a spectacular butt, round and plump. It might have been just my imagination, but her shape, seen from behind, reminded me of a cello - an instrument that it would be a pleasure to play on.

Sandra turned her head just as I re-entered the bedroom.

- "Do you have any more energy?" she asked, with a little smile.

The following day, I 'reported' to Lillian and Janine. Lillian was very pleased, but she suggested that I see Sandra again before we left Taiwan.

- "Just to make sure." she said.

I didn't think that was necessary, but I did as she suggested.

Sandra took me for one of the best meals I've ever had ( despite the fact that I didn't know what half of the things we ate even were). We came back to my hotel, where she once again displayed her enthusiasm and her imagination. Reverse cowgirl on the bed, doggie on the floor, and standing in the shower ...

I let her know, in no uncertain terms, that I'd be coming back to Taiwan.

***

#3 Vicky Singapore

We flew from Taiwan to Singapore in first class.

The reason for that was simple: Vicky was an elite air hostess for Singapore airlines. She served the first class passengers.

- "I hope you'll enjoy the flight, Mr. Grey." she said.

- "I'm sure I will."

- "Pardon me - I don't mean to be rude. But are you Peter Grey, the magician?"

I admitted that I was.

"Oh." she said. "I've seen your videos on Penn and Teller. And I have a ticket to your show tomorrow night."

- "You do? That's very ... flattering. I hope that you'll enjoy it."

Vicky was absolutely lovely. She was of Chinese-Malay heritage. Black hair, dark, almond-shaped eyes ... everything about her was attractive. I understood immediately why she worked the first-class section.

It was fascinating to watch her serve the other passengers. Grumpy, demanding, or outright rude, Vicky handled them with unfailing courtesy and professionalism.

It was also interesting to be able to observe her while she didn't know I was watching. She moved gracefully, light on her feet. Her flight attendant's uniform was sexy, but not particularly revealing. The more I watched her, the more I could see how adorable she was.

Then Vicky turned her head, and caught me staring.

She looked me in the eye for a full second. Then she smiled and returned to what she'd been doing.

It was some time later when she came to check on me.

- "Are you enjoying the flight, Mister Grey?"

- "I think that you know the answer to that question."

Vicky smiled shyly, and turned to look after Janine and Lillian.

Yes, I read her mind.

Vicky loved her career. She was the family success story, who'd come out of poverty to land a secure, well-paying job. She sent most of her pay to her parents.

She'd had very few romantic relationships in her young life - and regretted them all. That surprised me.

Today, though, her thoughts kept turning to the handsome foreigner in seat 3-A. Handsome?

I discovered that she was somewhat shy. She wasn't going to initiate a conversation, except to fulfil her duties. It would be up to me, then.

- "What made you get tickets to the show, Vicky?" I asked her. "How did you hear of us?"

She blushed. "My best friend won the tickets in a radio contest. She asked me to go with her. She's the one who showed me your videos. I ... I have to admit, I had never heard of you before that. Sorry."

- "No need to apologize." I said. "We're not that well known. But tell me ... did you enjoy the videos?"

- "Oh, yes. They were very good. I don't know how you do it."

I winked at her. "Magic."

I would have to send Vicky's friend a thank you card. Vicky herself had had no idea who I was until very recently. But she was absolutely thrilled at the great coincidence that had put me on her flight - in her section.

Serendipity, I could have told her. Serendipity, and Lillian.

I spoke to Vicky several more times, but I was careful not to flirt too much - I didn't want to make her uncomfortable in her work environment. But by the time our flight landed in Singapore, though, we were definitely well acquainted.

That was just the beginning of the serendipity.

I said goodbye to Vicky, thanking her for the excellent service. I didn't tip her - Singapore Airlines don't allow that - but I did leave a highly complimentary review at the Singapore Airlines desk.

You can imagine Vicky's complete surprise when she exited the elevator at her hotel - only to find me standing there.

Her mouth fell open.

- "Vicky?"

Vicky's friend wasn't so slow to react.

- "Peter Grey?" This was Vicky's best friend. She introduced herself as Amina, and told me that they were both going to be at our show the next night.

- "Pleased to meet you." I said. "And thank you, Amina, for inviting Vicky to go to the show with you."

Amina was short, cute, and nobody's fool. She could practically see the electricity between Vicky and me.

- "What are you doing at this hotel, Mr. Grey? I would have thought you'd been staying downtown?"

- "Yes. I'm afraid that my booking agent wasn't too clear on the geography of Singapore. No harm done, though: it's not that far, and then we're close to the airport when we have to leave."

- "Ooh - you have to watch out for Singapore traffic." said Amina.

Vicky's friend was never lost for words. She kept the conversation rolling for several minutes.

- "I'm sorry." I said. "I don't mean to delay you."

- "We were just going out for a late supper." said Amina. She glanced at Vicky's face, and then at me. Amina smiled. "Have you eaten, Mister Grey?"

Bless her little heart. Amina had decided to play matchmaker for her shy friend. She chose a place to eat, and then carried the bulk of the conversation.

- "Why are you two at this hotel?" I asked.

- "The airline pays for it." said Amina. "Besides, Vicky's family - and mine - live in Tuas. That's almost an hour's drive from the city - and half an hour more from here ... then we'd have to turn around and come back for the show tomorrow - did I tell you that we're both looking forward to it?"

Amina could have given Sandra Yu some stiff competition in a talkathon competition. But she was also tremendously honest and loyal. She was doing her utmost to set me up with her best friend.

Vicky was adorable. She was ... sweet (a description you don't hear very often anymore). Lovely, too - I couldn't stop looking at her (a fact that Amina was well aware of).

Vicky was also remarkably quiet, outside of an airplane. She had few opinions of her own, and was one of the most incredibly uninformed people I'd ever met. Thank goodness for Amina, or the conversation between Vicky and me would have wilted and died.

- "Tuas? That's in the west, isn't it?" I said.

- "You know Tuas?"

- "Only where it is."

The girls wanted to talk - in private. Vicky was overwhelmed by the serendipitous combination of the flight, the hotel, and the show tomorrow. Amina was almost equally overwhelmed, and she was keen to talk to her best friend.

I thanked them both for taking me out for dinner - and asked if they would let me repay the favour tomorrow.

- "Really?" said Amina. "That would be incredible. Right, Vicky?"

- "You don't have to do that." said the woman in question.

- "It would be my pleasure."

I excused myself, and returned to my hotel room.

I wrote a long email to Sammy, describing some of the things I'd seen, and letting him know how our shows had gone.

I miss you, man. I know that it makes more sense for you to be at home, but sometimes I wish you were here. Say hi to Trish.

Then I wrote one for Sophie. That was much harder. I was in love with Sophie. Yet I had to admit to myself that I was at least infatuated with Vicky. For tonight, at any rate.

I didn't want a relationship with Vicky - what on earth would we talk about? Yet I was still working on a seduction of the lovely flight attendant - and looking forward to it.

That was wrong, wasn't it? How could I love Sophie, and yet spend months away, having sex with other women? All in a good cause ... but if so, why couldn't I tell her about it? I tried to imagine how that conversation would go - and then I got such a severe headache that I had to go and lie down.

The show went well. Janine was in top form.

Vicky and Amina waited around afterwards. We had a brief chat, and then I suggested that they take a taxi with me back to the hotel.

Amina - bless her heart again - backed out of a late dinner, claiming that she wasn't feeling all that well. Vicky immediately volunteered to go with her.

- "No - you should go. I mean ... you can't leave Peter alone."

- "Oh." said Vicky.

- "I'll be fine. You two go on without me."

Vicky didn't know how to refuse. She didn't want to opt out, but loyalty to her friend was warring with her interest in me.

- "She's a great friend." I said.

Our conversation flagged almost immediately.

Vicky hadn't seem so tongue-tied on the plane. But in that environment, her lines were well-rehearsed. Here, with just the two of us, and no script ... it started to become a little awkward.

I asked about her home, her family, and her garden (her one hobby). Her answers were hesitant, and short, as if she herself didn't believe that they were all that interesting - I had to agree with her.

We were on more solid ground when I quizzed her about all of the places she'd been. Vicky was much happier to list them all. She couldn't tell me much about them, though. In many cases, they'd merely had a lay-over in a hotel before working the return flight. When she did venture out into a strange city, it was invariably as Amina's sidekick.

Amina chose their destinations and activities, and Vicky went along. She enjoyed many of the sights she'd seen, but didn't remember their names. Once we had covered all of these locations, Vicky had exhausted her store of conversation.

I could - and did - fill in the gaps. But a monologue from me wasn't going to advance our relationship very far. I couldn't read her mind while I was searching for topics that might interest her.

Fortunately, she had a sweet tooth. After we'd ordered it, I asked her a simple question.

- "What do you and Amina like to do in the evening?"

- "Oh ... sometimes we go out." She didn't elaborate.

- "What kinds of places?"

- "Oh, you know. Amina likes some of the clubs."

When our dessert arrived, I let her eat, while I read her mind.

Ah - that kind of club.

- "You know," I said, "it's still quite early. Would you let me take you dancing, Vicky?"

Her face lit up. "That would be nice."

Vicky just wanted to be with me. She just wasn't a conversationalist, and it never occurred to her to take charge and become a tour guide for a stranger in a strange land. But when I suggested dancing, she was able to pick a nearby club.

Dancing fit the bill perfectly. The cover charge was exorbitant, and the music was awful. It was loud enough, though, so that conversation was effectively ruled out.

I'm a terrible dancer. Vicky didn't seem to mind at all; she twirled and swayed beautifully. She attracted a fair bit of attention, but no one attempted to cut in, so I didn't have to use Janine's bladder control spell.

I was able to silently admire Vicky's grace and form, and she was able to enjoy being silently admired.

When the first slow dance came on, she hesitated only briefly before stepping into my arms. I held her close, but didn't let my hands wander. Vicky was a 'good' girl; nothing especially intimate was going to happen tonight.

That's not to say that we weren't making progress. Vicky was very happy with me thus far. She was definitely struck by the coincidences that seemed to keep happening: the plane, the elevator, the show, and now my invitation to take her dancing - one of her favourite activities (even if she didn't consider it a hobby).

I remained a perfect gentleman for the rest of the evening. At a reasonable hour, I took her back to our hotel, and escorted her to her room. Since she shared it with Amina, there was no fear on her part that I would press her any further.

- "Thank you for a wonderful evening." I said.

- "No - thank you." she said. "I had a very good time."

- "I want to see you again, Vicky. When I come back to Singapore, will you go out with me?"