The Tao of Sex

Chapter 17

STEPHEN CHU WAS NOT handsome. He was too masculine to be labeled anything that soft. He was also dressed in Armani and carried a dozen roses for Tracy. The bouquet of orchids went to the Tigress Mother, passed off reverently as the woman padded away down the hallway.

Then it was Tracy alone again, this time with a ruggedly sculpted Chinese aristocrat, if such things existed in modern China. He stepped forward, offering her the roses. She took them slowly, her smile uncertain. His smile was equally hesitant, but oh so much more charming.

“Miss Williams,” he murmured with a slight bow. “I am so pleased to finally meet you.” His words sent a low thrill down her spine. He knew just how to modulate his voice to the perfect mixture of friendliness and sexuality.

Tracy blinked, unsure how to react. In truth, the man was perfect. The roses were perfect. The entire rustic setting was perfect for a romantic first meeting. But she didn’t want to be attracted to him.

“I had hoped you would come to my home first. I would have let you rest, freshen up, get settled before meeting the Tigress Mother. She can be a bit overwhelming, can’t she?” His expression invited her to confide in him. When she didn’t say anything, he continued with smooth charm. “But no matter. The worst is over now. Everything will get better and beyond better soon enough.”

“Uh, yeah,” she said. “About that…” Her voice trailed away as he waited patiently for her to finish. But she didn’t know what to say. “I…uh…”

“You are confused and overwhelmed. Yesterday you were in Illinois where all made sense. And today…” He stepped forward and gently touched her cheek. It was a familiar gesture, but one she didn’t step away from. And where their skin touched, a tingling began that heated her face. “Today is the beginning of something very different. I understand, Tigress Tracy. I will wait until you are ready. I am just so pleased that you are finally here at the temple.”

She blinked, her words—her thoughts—abruptly blank. He was that suave. And while she stood there looking at him, a student entered the hallway. The woman glanced coyly at Stephen, her manner obviously flirtatious, and Tracy was abruptly surprised by a surge of anger. Stephen was here for her!

Tracy blinked. Except she wasn’t interested in Stephen.

She glanced back at the handsome man, seeing wealth and sophistication in his every breath. Better yet, he barely even noticed the other woman. His focus remained completely on her, and she smiled with feminine satisfaction. No, not feminine—feline. Feline satisfaction so strong she almost purred. So this was how the tigresses got their name. What she felt at this moment was very primal, very animalistic, and yes, very, very catty.

Tracy lifted the roses in her arms and all but shoved them at the other girl. “Can you put these in water please?” she asked, not giving the woman a choice. Then she turned back to Stephen. “Perhaps it would have been better to rest before meeting the Tigress Mother. She is a bit more than I expected.”

He grinned. “My first meeting with her was horrible. I spilled the tea all over my pants and she had me stand around in my underwear while they were cleaned.”

Tracy felt her eyebrows rise. “How old were you?”

He shrugged. “Fifteen. She was my, um, birthday present from my father.”

It took a moment for her to understand exactly what kind of present he meant. “Must have been some kind of birthday,” she drawled.

Stephen’s mouth curved into a slow, seductive smile. “Oooooooh, yeah.”

Tracy was equal parts intrigued and shocked. Who gave a tigress to a teenage boy? But before she could speak, he focused all his very potent attention back on her.

“Do you want to clean up before dinner? My chef has prepared the most perfect American meal for you, but there will be Chinese delicacies, as well. Anything your heart desires—”

“Whoa!” Tracy said, holding up her hand. “Your chef?”

He looked charmingly befuddled. “Of course. A new tigress is something to celebrate,” he murmured.

Tracy looked at him, trying to sort through her conflicting thoughts. There was little air in the narrow hallway, so she could smell the man’s cologne clearly. It was dark, carnal, and…and perhaps it wasn’t cologne after all. It was his own scent—as strongly masculine as the Tigress Mother’s femininity. And damn if Tracy didn’t feel a moistening deep in her core. She didn’t want to be interested in this man. She didn’t want to be charmed by his good looks, his obvious money, and most of all, the way he set her at ease. But she was charmed. She was also curious. Did he kiss like Nathan? Were all dragons this magnetic?

She lifted her gaze to his and without conscious decision, she licked her lips in enticement. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. Tracy had a split second to be shocked by her own behavior before Stephen closed the distance between their mouths.

He kissed her. He pressed his mouth to hers, teasing her with his lips, stroking her with his tongue, and yes, he did those same little nips that Nathan did. But Stephen had his own style—more possessive, more demanding. He took what he wanted from her lips, silently daring her to match his fervor taste for taste.

She didn’t refuse. She wanted to. Her thoughts were on Nathan, and yet her body was running the show. She returned the kiss, her inner tigress roaring to life as she abruptly shoved her hands in his hair and held him close. They were fused—mouth-to-mouth—fighting, eating, consuming one another without thought as to where they were or what they were doing. It was an act of the body devoid of mind, and yet it was so powerfully primal that she didn’t stop.

His hands were on her shirt, and if it had been a blouse, she was sure it would have been on the floor. But she was wearing a collared T-shirt, the one with her brother’s high-school name embroidered on the front, and it would not come off without being stripped over her head. Which meant they had to stop kissing. Which meant…

She broke away, jerking her shirt from his hands. Tracy stumbled backward, her breath coming in gasps. Gawd, they were in the hallway! And she had been a breath away from mating on the floor with him!

He swallowed and drew a shaky hand across his mouth. “My God,” he whispered. “You are incredible!”

She shook her head, not even knowing what she meant by it.

“It’s true then,” he continued. “You are a virgin. You must be. No one has—”

“Stop it! Just stop it!” she gasped.

Stephen swallowed and slowly straightened. He smoothed out his tie, readjusted his pants. She could see the bulge there despite the perfect tailoring. He was shaken, his movements betraying an anxiety she guessed he rarely showed. But in his eyes she saw an insatiable hunger—dark and predatory. It scared the hell out of her. Not because he so obviously wanted her, but because she felt an answering cry inside her. The lust had nothing to do with her mind, but everything to do with power calling to power—male energy reaching for female—and she hated it.

“I don’t even know you,” she panted.

“Tigress training is not about knowing one another,” he answered, his voice slowly readjusting from a husky rasp back to smoother, more cultured tones. “It is about power mixing, mating and—”

“Heaven. Yeah, I know. I’ve been there.”

“And you can go back,” he coaxed, stepping up before her again. Thankfully, he didn’t touch her. “With me, we can both go back to heaven many times. This I know.” He took a deep breath. “The hardest part will be keeping your virginity intact. That must be the reason you are so strong.”

“No.” She forced the words out quickly before she changed her mind. “I’m not an animal. No offense, but it’s not what I want. It’s strong, really strong, but I’m not a beast to be controlled by lust.” She looked up at him and saw him staring at her in dumbfounded shock. Then he closed his mouth, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment.

“I forgot you are new to this. Such power…” He shook his head. “You are quite right. We must first get to know each other. Talk. You can attend some classes. Then we will speak again.”

She was tempted. Lord, how she was tempted. But primal power without emotion? Without a mind guiding it? “No,” she repeated. “I…I’m not doing any of this.”

He nodded, his eyes canted down. “As you wish,” he said. His tone and body posture said he was bowing to her wishes, but Tracy knew it was a lie. He was waiting, stalking, biding his time until the right moment to strike. And God help her, her belly tightened at the thought. Stalked by a rich, handsome man? How awesome was that?

“I…I think I’m going to the kitchen now. I think I need something to eat.”

He nodded again. “An excellent idea. And I shall find Nathan. He and I have some business to discuss.”

Tracy felt her breath trap in her chest. “Business?”

“Nothing important. I’m sure you have enough to handle right now without trying to sort through the complex financial matters of the temple.”

In other words, she shouldn’t worry her pretty head about it. Of course, he was right. She had no business poking her nose into their finances. Still, she stayed in the hallway, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as she tried to make sense of her thoroughly alien environment. “Nathan never mentioned anything about you and the business side of the temple.”

Stephen shrugged. “I support the temple in a variety of ways. Up until now, my financial support has been relatively modest.”

She frowned, looking outside. “I thought you built the road up here.”

He shrugged. “A calculated risk.”

“I see.” She did, actually. Or guessed she did. “You’re the one buying the temple, aren’t you?”

His gaze sharpened with a gleam that had nothing to do with sex. Suddenly his smile shifted to a more professional competence that was even more devastating because it showed total confidence and a glint of pride. “I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity. I will ensure that the temple survives for another hundred years.”

She wanted to find out more. She wanted to know his plans for Nathan’s family. But in the end, she shook her head. “I’m sure I’ll learn more in time. Right now, I would like to go to the kitchen.” And Nathan. She wanted to see Nathan.

Stephen nodded, but he didn’t move. Instead, he hesitated. When he finally spoke, his voice was low as if he was confiding in her. “He does not love you, you know. Not how you think. Not forever, not the marrying kind of love.”

She gasped, startled by his words. How could he know she was thinking about Nathan?

He reached out and touched her arm. She felt the tingle there, of power arching from him into her. “A man knows when a woman is thinking of another man. But Nathan is a dragon, and we do not love that way.”

She stepped backward, trying to find clarity in her thoughts. But that would take more than just distance from this charismatic man. “I thought Nathan was kicked out of the temple.”

Stephen shrugged. “He was. His mother did not like him controlling her spending. But that has nothing to do with his training. He was trained as a dragon, trained as someone who touches women and moves on.” He shook his head sadly. “Nathan is in a difficult place. He had no example of marriage, normal love. He does not know his father, never heard of weddings until he was ten. He trained since birth to touch a woman and then move on.”

“He says he is not a dragon,” she said.

“His natural inclination is to attach too easily. This traps him in a place between—too flighty for marriage, but too attached to earth to attain heaven.”

“That’s not true,” Tracy said. “Nathan’s very stable. He’s taking care of his family, studying to get a good degree.” A list of his many admirable qualities formed in her mind while Stephen rocked back on his heels.

“Do not fall for him, Tracy. He is not your future.”

She folded her arms across her chest. Everything was happening too fast. She had wanted to learn more about Nathan’s family, not plunge headlong into temple politics. But then again, perhaps they were one and the same. Meanwhile, Stephen did not ease up his campaign to win her.

“Every tigress, every dragon must choose between earth or heaven,” he said. Then he touched her face, skating a finger over her lips. “Choose heaven and I can give you everything you want.” He let his hand drop away. “Choose earth and we will have no more to discuss.”

She bit her lip, finally understanding what she had been missing. “Nathan chose earth. That’s why he says he’s not a dragon. He chose to manage things here on earth.”

Stephen shrugged. “Someone has to make sure the bills are paid, the food is cooked. There is great honor in that path.”

“But it is not a dragon’s path?”

Stephen’s smile grew sensuous, and his entire demeanor shifted into that dark, primal place that called to her on an animalistic level. “I am the dragon path,” he said.

She swallowed, her options crystal clear: Stephen or Nathan. Except according to Stephen, Nathan was too flighty to be a real life mate on earth. “You’re a persuasive man, Mr. Chu. You make it sound like you’re my only choice.”

“Don’t you long to return to heaven?” he pressed. “I can take you there. Again and again, we can both dance with immortals.”

She was tempted. The urge to run with Stephen was like a mythical call. But she was more than just her sexual side, and she would not make a decision like this without thought.

“Nathan said he’d be in the kitchen,” she said. “Can you show me where that is?”

“Over here,” he said in a normal voice. His sexuality abruptly masked beneath his smooth, urbane, ultrarich persona, Stephen escorted her to the largest kitchen she had ever seen.

Tracy stepped inside and was hit by the delightful scents of soy sauce, spicy pork and herbs. Heat crackled across her face, but her attention was on scanning the huge room. She saw movement everywhere: people chopping or stirring or steaming things along a huge wood table or by an equally huge stove. Gleaming pots cluttered her vision, and strange roots dangled from the ceiling. But in all that, she focused on one person: Nathan. He sat at a large wood table and sipped tea. A dumpling lay half-eaten on a plate before him.

Their eyes met immediately, and then his gaze flickered to Stephen right behind her. She stepped forward, wanting Nathan’s attention to return to her. It didn’t. In fact, he seemed to carefully avoid her as he stood up from his seat.

“Ready now?” Nathan asked.

“If you are,” Stephen answered.

“I am.”

“Then, shall we?”

Nathan nodded and grabbed his battered attaché from the floor. Seconds later, both men had left the kitchen without one more glance at Tracy. She watched them go, still hoping for a connection with Nathan. A look, a touch, anything to remind her that he was still the same Nathan who had carried her into her bedroom, who had served her an omelet and kissed her senseless. But there was nothing.

“He can’t see you anymore,” said a woman from behind her.

Tracy spun around to see Nathan’s sister standing by the table. “What?”

“Nathan. He’s handed you over to your new partner. Since he’s not part of the temple anymore, he can’t talk to you. He’s only allowed in the kitchens and back gardens, and that’s just because he’s family.”

Tracy swallowed. “That’s silly. He’s taught me everything.” And she felt lost without him.

Cai Ting gave her a wry smile. “That’s exactly why. Do you honestly think you’re the first tigress to fall for her teacher? Trust me, it’s better this way. Break ties. Move on. Easier for everyone.” Then she leaned forward, her expression abruptly fierce. “Better for him.”

Tracy swallowed, realizing that everyone here, most especially Nathan, expected her to embrace this tigress training, toss aside everything she knew and abruptly walk into the land of the divine. It couldn’t be that simple. It sure as hell didn’t feel that easy. And yet, the thought of returning to that heavenly place tempted her. Not to mention the youthful gorgeousness gifted to full tigresses. If Stephen could get her there—and he obviously had as much skill as Nathan—then shouldn’t she consider what they suggested? She bit her lip, feeling confused and disoriented.

Cai Ting shook her head. “You need a break. Here, Nathan had me get something for you.”

Tracy followed the woman to the table and a covered dish. A moment later, Cai Ting lifted off the lid, and Tracy’s heart melted in a rush. Nathan had ordered this for her? With a grin, she grabbed hold of the biggest and best burger she’d ever had in her life.

TRACY OPENED HER EYES to the deepest darkness she’d ever experienced. She tensed, her mind grappling with sensations too rapid to catalog. She was naked and blind. And not alone.

“It’s me,” came a soft, familiar voice. “It’s Nathan. I’m sorry I woke you.”

She exhaled in relief, her body sagging into a large comfortable bed. But she was still blind. Her eyes were open, but there was no electricity in the temple and no moon tonight. She might as well have been in a cave, except that she was warm and the silence was comforting, especially with Nathan there…somewhere.

“What time is it?”

“After two in the morning.”

“Really? It feels like later.” Sleep was rapidly fading as she sat up.

“It’s after noon back home.”

Of course. Jet lag. “Where are you?”

“Right here.” She felt the mattress dip by her feet as he settled on the bed.

“I should be annoyed at you for abandoning me.”

“It’s the rules, Tracy. I shouldn’t even be here now, but I…”

“Had to see me?” She couldn’t keep the hope from her voice.

“How was your first day?” he asked, obviously avoiding her question.

“Gorgeous women, ancient texts, frank discussions of sex with your mother.” She sighed with dramatic intent. “You know. The usual.”

“Of course,” he said, humor lacing his tone. She felt the mattress shift as he leaned back against the headboard. “And did you enjoy the usual?”

She hesitated, trying to frame her thoughts. “I got a bunch of stuff on how to control the tigress in me. At least now I’m not so afraid I will jump the next male body I see.”

“You never would have. Your strength of will is very disciplined.”

“Oh,” she teased, “you say that to all us tigress girls.” Then she sobered, realizing that he may have said exactly that to other girls. She felt the mattress shift again as he stood, and she abruptly reached out. “Nathan?”

She felt a soft kiss flutter across her cheeks. “Good night, tigress.”

“Nathan!” she called again. But she couldn’t say it loudly for fear that someone else would hear. And within another breath, she knew he was gone. She collapsed backward on the bed in a huff. Then she heard him, a voice from the hallway, whispering such that she could barely catch the words.

“Yes, I had to see you.”

SHE WAS AWAKE WHEN he came the next night. She’d been waiting for him, dozing fitfully, alert for the slightest sound. She’d already leaped upright when one of the temple cats had meowed in the hallway. But this time she knew it wasn’t a false alarm. She knew he was there, standing in the darkness looking at her, though how he could see anything was beyond her.

“You are awake,” he said, his voice a warm jolt of electricity to her spine. If she hadn’t been alert before, she was now.

“I didn’t see you today,” she said as she sat up in bed.

“The temple finances are a disaster,” he answered as he moved into her room. “How my mother can mess things up so quickly is beyond me. She only had a few months, but…”

“Big debt?”

“Big ignorance. She simply doesn’t want to understand anything mortal. Her whole focus is the divine, and as such, it is our duty to support her in her quest.”

“You mean your duty.” She wrapped her hands around her knees.

He was silent for a long moment, but then she heard him step closer. “It is my duty as—”

“Yeah, yeah, oldest male. Embrace the responsibility. I understand that Nathan, I really do. I just feel bad because it obviously wears on you.”

Tracy felt the mattress dip and smiled. He was going to stay for a bit. She’d set a candle on the bedside table and now lit it with unsteady hands. A warm glow filled the chamber, and she was able to finally see him sitting in his wrinkled suit. The light was gentle enough to emphasize his beauty, but she also saw the weariness in his face and the droop in his shoulders.

“You’re tired,” she said. “Did you get anything to eat?”

He nodded. “My sister left food for me. But what of your day? Temple accounting cannot be nearly as interesting as your first full day as a tigress.”

“Doubtful.” Today had been a day for Stephen to show off his many accomplishments. Under the guise of “orienting her to Hong Kong,” she had wandered the finest boutiques where he had bought her silk robes and sexy lingerie. She had dined in a floating restaurant and then had high tea at the Mandarin hotel. Nathan knew, of course. One of the first things she’d discovered was that she was big news in this little community of women. “You didn’t tell me Stephen was that rich. I mean, wealthy, yes, but über-rich? Top-twenty-in-the-world rich?”

His gaze slanted down to the silk coverlet. “Money is nothing to him. He can put you and your brother through college and think nothing of it. He could set you up with diamonds, cars, a villa of your own. Whatever you want, Stephen can give it all to you.”

“I don’t want material things.” She saw him arch a brow at her, and she had the grace to blush. “Okay, okay, so I like the money. I’m human. And frankly, nobody is more surprised than me. But all I want is a financial cushion. I don’t need a whole pillow factory.”

He frowned at her, and she knew she wasn’t making any sense.

“I want enough wealth to live comfortably. I don’t need über-wealth.”

“And heaven?” he pressed.

And right there was the problem. Every moment she was with Stephen—no matter what he did or what he said—there was something elemental in her attraction to him. His energies, her energies—they yearned toward one another. It didn’t help that deep down, she kinda liked the guy. He was unfailingly suave. And who wouldn’t love being wined and dined by a gazillionaire?

“There’s nothing between us,” she said as much to herself as to Nathan. “Chemistry, yes. But a connection? No.”

“That makes it easier to launch to heaven, Tracy. Earthly attachments—”

“I know.” She’d already heard it from everyone. One couldn’t focus on the divine when your mind—or your heart—was on your partner. “Nathan—”

“It will get easier, Tracy. Give it time.” Was there a flash of regret in his eyes? She couldn’t tell in the dim candlelight. And worse, he was already standing up to leave.

“Don’t go, Nathan. Stay and talk to me. Tell me about the sale of the temple.”

He paused, his eyes warming into friendship. “What have you heard?”

“Nothing. Honest.” She shifted, crossing her legs as she faced him. “So what do you think Mr. I’m-so-rich-I-can’t-think-of-enough-ways-to-spend-it is going to do with the temple?”

“Keep it exactly the same or so it says in the contract,” answered Nathan softly. “I had hoped that Mama would take on some responsibility after I left. That she would see…”

“I doubt finances are your mother’s forte,” Tracy said drily. The Tigress Mother seemed to float through her days and nights, seeing only what she wanted to see, then ignoring all the rest for others to handle. Others like Nathan and his siblings.

“No,” he said with clear regret. “Managing money has never interested her.”

“So what are you going to do?”

He sighed. “Alienate my mother forever.” He reached out and gripped her hand, his warmth enveloping her. “The money will be evenly divided. We all will have plenty to live on assuming it is spent wisely.”

And there, of course, was the problem. “Will your mother spend wisely?”

He grimaced. “She will have to. She has destroyed her credit rating. So now, her monthly allowance will be given on a debit card. As long as she remains at the temple, her daily needs will be cared for. That, too, is part of the contract.”

Tracy smiled. “You’ve done well, you know. You’ve seen to everything and everyone fairly.” Then she sighed, guessing at the future. “She’s going to hate you for this, isn’t she?”

He shrugged. “That, too, sometimes is the lot of the eldest son.” He spoke casually, but she knew this wasn’t easy for him. She squeezed his hand and saw his expression tighten on his face. It was so intense, she felt as if he were actually touching her cheek, stroking her lips. Her belly tightened; her breath quickened. She had already consumed the yin-dampening tea, done her nightly meditation on not being horny. She’d done all the things she needed to so that she would not jump the nearest man.

But the nearest man was Nathan. And at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to touch him, to give comfort, to…She swallowed, realizing the truth in that moment. She wanted to give him the love he had been denied throughout his childhood. But the moment she leaned for him, he leaped out of bed, breaking the connection of their hands.

“You’re tired, Tracy. And I shouldn’t even be in this part of the temple.”

“I’m not tired!” she cried. “And you’re here. Please, Nathan, don’t go.”

She should have saved her breath. He shook his head and crossed quickly to the door. “You’re a tigress now, Tracy. You cannot see what is possible with me blocking the view,” he whispered. Then he ducked into the hallway.

“Nathan, wait!” She was already dragging on a robe. Then she grabbed the candle and rushed to her door. But by the time she got there, the only living thing in the hall was another temple cat.