Megumi did not meet me in the library that morning but she had been there long before me and left a stack of papers lying neatly on the desk waiting for me when I arrived. Losing myself in the tedium of my work is something I have always excelled at--it's the only way to survive in this job--but I just could not do it that morning. Thoughts of her plagued me, and fragments of our brief conversation the night before replayed themselves in my memory. I did not know what to make of her attitude towards me. Was she teasing me, leading me on? Or did I expect too much, only just having met her? Was she just trying to be kind in letting me down? And what did she mean by my "Americanness", calling me "un-Japanese", were these subtle digs? After two hours of fruitless time at my desk there was a soft knock at the door. On opening it I discovered an elderly woman standing in the hallway, Mrs Ogawa I assumed, and behind her the young Satomi. "Forgive the intrusion," she said. "Miss Yoshino informed me that I would find you here at this hour. I am Mr Ogawa's wife, and this is our daughter Satomi." She bowed slowly. They had on brightly colored silk robes, the mother in blue, the daughter bright red. Satomi held a tray with a tea pot and three small cups on it. "We have brought tea for you, Mr Sato," Mrs Ogawa said. "I hoped that this might be a convenient time for us to formally welcome you and show our appreciation." "Of course, please come in," I said standing aside to let them pass. The young girl followed her mother into the room like an acolyte trailing her priestess. Beautiful in her poise, her eyes remained fixed intently on the tray she was carrying. I escorted them to a low sofa situated near the bookshelves facing out the large windows into the garden. The mother and I sat in silence while Satomi served us. The delicate hands I had yesterday seen pulling lilies out of the pond now gracefully moved about the lacquered tray, arranging the cups and pouring from the pot, each tiny movement, sensuous in its delicacy and precision. When she finished serving the tea, Satomi seated herself beside the sofa in such a way that I could see her out of the corner of my eye. "We are honored to welcome you here Mr Sato," the older woman said, "especially in light of your father's greatness. Both my husband and I have devoted ourselves to following his career. We have all of his recordings and my husband has seen him perform when traveling over seas on business." "Thank you Mrs Ogawa," I said. "I am very proud of him too." Sipping my tea, I glanced at Satomi. She sat primly with her knees together and her eyes fixed on the tea pot and tray resting on the low table in front of her. Becoming aware of my gaze her eyes briefly flitted up, large eyes, beautiful as a deer's, that flashed across mine before her eyelids lowered and hid them. "And your mother?" Mrs Ogawa asked. "She died," I said. "She had cancer, when I was six." "Oh, I'm so sorry. How very sad. And your father, did he ever remarry?" "No, he didn't. He took it very hard. It changed him, his life, I think. After that he was never the same, and it was just the two of us from then on..." My voice trailed off. Satomi's eyes glanced off mine again, fleeting. The three of us sipped our tea in silence. "Your estate is beautiful," I said, "particularly the garden. I am enjoying my time there whenever I can." "This estate has been in my husband's family for ten generations," she said. "It is a great treasure. My husband is the first male heir to live in Tokyo most of the year. All of his ancestors lived here all year. The history of this guest house is particularly interesting," she gestured in the air "The original building that stood here was built to house concubines of the patriarch, and the garden was for their entertainment and diversion; its maze-like structure was supposedly designed to heighten the senses of lovers and to give real meaning to the idea of the chase, pursuing the object of one's desire. It is a family legend that the master of the house would slip out and by moonlight and search for his favorites. The women played a game, hoping to be caught of course, but not too easily, for he enjoyed the chase and it was often she who hid the most cleverly would gain the favor of his attentions, sometimes only after a full night of intrigue among the groves and along the paths." I glanced in Satomi's direction only to find her eyes already resting on me and quickly flitting away. "Of course none of that goes on now," Mrs Ogawa went on with a laugh. "The concubine's house burned down in the nineteen twenties and was rebuilt as the guest house you see now. The garden is too great a treasure to ever change. We still enjoy it in our own more modern ways, particularly my daughter. She seems to spend almost all of her time out of doors when we are here." She turned to her daughter. "Don't you Satomi?" Satomi nodded shyly, without looking up. "Her English is fine," the mother said with pride, "she works very hard at it, although you may never know it. She is a little shy around strangers." Taking advantage of the opportunity I allowed myself a longer look at the girl, studying her delicate beauty. She blushed and looked down at her hands resting in her lap. "We don't mean to disrupt your work Mr Sato," Mrs Ogawa said, breaking the awkward silence. "My husband has spoken glowingly of your talents. Don't let his manner fool you. He is very pleased with the project so far." She rose to her feet. "We will go now. Satomi, have you not one word to say to an honored guest?" she asked the girl as I accompanied them both to the door. "It is a pleasure meeting you," she said in the clearest bell- like voice, her eyes meeting mine for the first time, locking me in their gaze. Her purity, her virginal beauty pierced me: this time I looked away first. *** I worked long into the afternoon and Megumi never came to see me. Of course she had no need I reasoned: the amount of work she left me in the morning would see me through the entire day and probably well into tomorrow. Still I found myself looking out the window often, wondering where she might be, hoping to see her. After supper, passing in front of the house towards the library I caught sight of Megumi some distance away in the garden. I quickly abandoned my plans to continue working and set off in search of her instead. There were many paths she could have taken I realized once I had reached the spot where I had seen her. My hope of finding her diminished. She might have been heading in the direction of the Ogawa's house, in which case I would never catch up to her: she knew all the quickest ways. Slowing my pace I decided to enjoy the evening. My body was stiff from long hours of sitting and the evening air felt cool on my skin, the sweet fragrances soothing as I began to wander aimlessly along the pathways. I imagined myself to be the master of this house long ago, what it must have felt like setting out on these paths each night in search of my concubines, unsure which one I might encounter, around which bend in the path I would suddenly discover my partner for the night. The light was failing as I found myself skirting the edge of the pond, traversing the path from which I had seen Satomi. The density of the trees blocked out much of the light forcing me to walk very slowly. "Mr Sato!" an unfamiliar voice hissed, whispering from somewhere off the path. "Mr Sato, wait!" I stopped, unsure from where the voice had issued. There was a soft rustle of leaves and a figure emerged behind of me. "Mr Sato, it is me, Satomi," she said in a half whisper. "Oh, good evening," I said softly. "Why are you whispering?" "I'm sorry," she said a little more loudly "it is just that we are not alone here." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Of course I mean Megumi." Her voice sounded a little perturbed. "You were searching for her just now, were you not? I'm surprised you did not go directly to the bridge as you have for the past two evenings, that is where I have been waiting." "How do you know about that?" I asked, uncomfortable that the girl knew about my comings and goings. "I just do," she said. There was a long silence before she spoke again. "Do you think Megumi Yoshino is a beautiful woman?" she asked softly. "Satomi!" I stammered. The young girl had completely taken me off guard. Could this be the same shy creature who had sat with me in the afternoon, blushing every time I looked at her? "You don't have to answer me Mr Sato," she said coolly. "I know you do. All men do. They buzz around her like bees, just as you are buzzing around the garden now, searching for her. Well, I know you will not find her again tonight, not here anyway." Her precocious manner completely shocked me. I didn't know what to say to her. I stood in dumb silence looking at her. "But I'm certain you would like to see her right now, wouldn't you?" she asked, teasing me. Without waiting for my reply she set off on the path, sharply whispering over her shoulder: "Follow me!" The encounter happened so quickly I never regained my composure. As she started walking away from me I felt I had no choice but follow. Twilight descended on the garden as I followed her along an unfamiliar path that climbed steeply, switching back through shadowy groves of trees. The girl walked quickly and stealthily, the only sounds of our passage the occasional clump of my wooden sandal on a stone and the wind rustling in the branches high above our heads. When the path leveled out I looked down: it surprised me to see that we had come around behind the guest house and were some height above where it lay nestled against the steep hillside. "Now, quiet as a mouse," Satomi said putting a finger to her lips. "Take off those sandals and leave them here." She was just a shadowy figure standing close beside me in the growing darkness. She led me off the pathway and down the steep hill towards the house. The ground under my bare feet was covered with soft and springy moss. Satomi walked more slowly now, carefully placing each foot on the ground in front of her, shifting her weight cautiously. I did the same, afraid that I might dislodge a small stone and send it clattering onto the roof below. We descended still lower and the eaves of the house rose to meet us. Satomi stopped and whispered: "The windows are open. We must be even more quiet; we will be able to hear what is said inside but we must also hurry, we are late." Without waiting for a reaction she turned and continued. Now the eaves of the house were right beside us, at my shoulder height. Leaning over I could see that this wing of the house butted almost up to the hillside. Only a narrow chasm about four feet wide separated the wall of the house from the sheer edge. Satomi stopped in front of me. Turning, she put her finger to her lips but made no sound, then crouched low to the ground and sat, letting her legs dangle over the drop off. Ducking under the overhanging eve she began sliding along sideways; I noticed a large square of pale blue light several feet farther down the wall: a window. I slid across the moss covered rocks until I was sitting beside Satomi looking into the open window. I realized that my room in the other wing of the house had a similar window set high in the wall to let light into the room from above the slope of the hill. It opened inward by means of a small crank. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the dim bluish light flickering from candles burning inside. The first thing I became aware of was the sound of heavy rhythmic breathing. After a few seconds I realized I couldn't make out anything in the room because I was looking at the far wall. The position of the high window made me have to lean forward to see down into the room. The sight of Megumi's nude body crouched astride a man took me by surprise. She gently rocked herself back and forth over him, pushing off with her hands on his chest. How beautiful she is, I thought as I looked down at her. The candle light reflected off her shiny black hair splayed over her shoulders; her shapely breasts shook slightly from the force of her motions. Between her arms I could see in the dim light the shadow of her navel centered on her firm flat belly, and below it the soft patch of downy black hair between her thighs, pressed against the man's body. The sound of her breath floated out of the window to me: a slow deep inhalation in time with the rise of her body, held for a moment as she held herself poised above him, then a quick sharp exhalation as she let her pelvis fall back onto his, driving him deep into her. Her fingers curled and uncurled on his chest, grasping handfuls of his flesh as each wave of pleasure wracked her. Shadow the man's face but from the color of his skin and the hair on his chest I guessed him to be Caucasian. He lay with his arms crossed behind his head, watching as Megumi rode him, the softness of her body sheathing and unsheathing him. I glanced sideways at Satomi: she seemed lost in the spectacle unfolding below, but as I turned back I noticed out of the corner of my eye that she quickly glanced at me as well before returning her attention to the lovers below us. Megumi lowered her chest to his sending her hair cascading around their faces, spreading out across the pillows and sheets as an ink well overturned spreads its contents over clean white paper. He brought his arms down and hugged her body tightly; spreading his legs apart farther he began thrusting himself into her from below. Megumi let out a low cry that he answered with a drawn out groan. She lay still on top of him as he thrust upward seeking to probe into her as deeply as he could from below. His hands began sliding up and down her back, then went lower grasping the sides of her wide flat hips, pulling her down to meet his upward strokes. I watched him methodically and slowly impale her beautiful body over and over before he released her hips and brought his hands to her shoulders, pushing her chest away from his, straightening her upright. She folded her arms across her chest and hugged her breasts as she began vigorously bouncing up and down on him. Her breaths now had enough force to produce low vocal sounds, something between a grunt and a syllable that squeezed out of her every time she let her full weight fall on him. The muscles of his belly contracted and relaxed as he tried to increase the force with which they came together by stabbing upward into her, synchronizing his motions to hers. Bringing his hands up to grasp her slender waist he pulled her down onto him even harder. He stopped her, holding her down on himself with his strong hands. I heard his husky voice, a low half whisper: "Megumi, turn around. I want to see your beautiful ass." She leaned forward and they kissed deeply before she rolled off him. Glistening wet, his stiff penis fell to his belly after sliding out of her. He grasped and held himself pointing straight upward as she turned around and positioned herself astride him. Now facing his feet, she arched her body backwards sending her hair slithering down her back. Bringing a hand between her legs she took and guided him back inside herself. He groaned as he watched his penis disappear as she lowered herself slowly, carefully onto it. Now she leaned forward, grasping his ankles in her hands and I traced with my eyes the line from the base of her neck, between her jutting shoulder blades, down the cleft of her spine. Below her waist her hips spread, their soft feminine fullness flaring out from her slender upper body. As she rocked herself slowly up and down, her partner brought his hands to her waist, hooking them over her hips and pulling her down onto himself. "Fuck me Megumi," he said. "I love watching your sweet ass go up and down." She rounded her back and lowered her head between his ankles: her body now described one graceful arc that rose from her hips, over her shoulders and descended in the pool of her hair coiling about his feet. I glanced over at Satomi who caught my eye briefly before we each looked back through the window. I felt slightly self conscious watching such a scene with the young girl beside me. The way she acted made her seem sophisticated beyond her sixteen years: she had seen this before, that was obvious, but how many times, I wondered, and what kinds of things had she seen? When I looked back through the window Megumi was lifting herself off her partner who rose to his knees as she turned and lay in front of him. He held himself over her as she grasped his penis with two hands and stroked it before guiding it back inside her. Moaning as he entered her I saw his buttocks clench tightly, forcing himself all the way in. Their bodies were still for a moment, then he lowered himself onto her and they kissed while he slowly started making thrusting motions. Her hands found the small of his back and grasped him tightly as she brought her knees up enabling him to penetrate her more deeply. His thrusts became more powerful; I could see the muscles in his back and thighs knotting and unknotting; his breathing grew louder and an occasional grunt emerged from deep inside of him. Megumi was more serene. Her eyes had closed and there was a dreamy ecstatic look on her face. The man paused for a moment to hook his arms under her legs and spread them wider; he pushed them apart and towards her shoulders lifting the lower part of her body off the mat so that the angle at which he thrust into her was almost straight down. Now Megumi brought her hands to either side of his face. "Fuck me!" she gasped and he obliged, slapping his body against hers so that we could her the sound through the open window. He continued slamming his body against hers, forcing her legs down almost to her shoulders, folding her lithe body upon itself. Spreading his thighs apart, he straddled her, giving the maximum force to his thrusts, all the weight of his body concentrated on his stiff penis. They were both panting rhythmically and making involuntary groans as he repeated his relentless pounding. He stiffened and his motions became less fluid as he jerked himself back and forth. "Megumi...Megumi..." he said over and over again, his voice torn from deep in his chest. "You feel so good...I can't stop. I'm going to come." "Don't hold back," Megumi whispered harshly. "Come for me. Fill me with your hot come." With a loud cry he shuddered and became still for a moment. Megumi answered with a long low moan as he came inside her, his pelvis making small jerky thrusting motions while he drained himself. His spasms slowly subsided and he released her legs from under his arms, groaning when she wrapped them about his waist and pulled him tightly inside her. They exchanged a long kiss and he began thrusting himself into her again, now much more slowly, gently. They disentangled after several minutes and he rolled off to one side. Megumi had just reached for a small towel and was wiping off his glistening penis when I felt a nudge from Satomi. I didn't want to leave so soon: it interested me what they might have to say to each other, but the young girl's nudging grew to a push and I had no choice but to slide carefully along the rocks until I could stand up again. With a finger to her lips Satomi began leading me back up the hillside and away from the house.