The Sensei

This is a story about the wildest relationship I've ever had, the year I spent with a gorgeous Londoner in a small town in Japan. She was in a very committed long term relationship, but her loneliness and her desire to learn how to please her fiancé led us both down a very strange and erotic path.

*****

I was 23 and had just started my second year living in Japan. I working as an English teacher as part of a cultural exchange program run by the Japanese government. I had been assigned to a small town on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. For the first year, there had been one other native English speaker in the town, a guy named Jason from Seattle who was part of the same program and lived in the government-provided apartment right next door to mine. But he'd left to start grad school back in the States, and I was anxious to see who would replace him. While it was easy enough to take a train into Sapporo on the weekends and meet up with other expats from surrounding cities, during the week, it was just Jason and I, and we ended up hanging out nearly every day. In the three weeks since he'd left, I'd felt acutely more alone.

So when I received word that Jason's replacement would be arriving at the beginning of August, I was both pleased and apprehensive. It had crossed my mind that, while I got along well enough with most people, there was no guarantee that this new person would be someone I'd actually enjoy spending time with. But I needn't have worried.

MEETING NAOMI

I distincting remember the first moment I laid eyes upon Naomi Gray. I was just stepping out of my apartment, on my way to the grocery store, as she was being led to hers by our liaison from the education ministry, Mariko. Naomi had the same wide-eyed look that I must have had when I was being shown everything for the first time. Mariko smiled when she saw me and rushed over to introduce us.

"Ahhh, Jake-san, ohaiyo gozaimas, I am please to introduce Naomi-san. She is our new sensei for junior high school. She is from England. Naomi-san, Jake-san is your neighbor. He is part of same program and teaches at our high school."

I gave my best smile and reached out to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you, Naomi, I'm Jake. I'm from Montana. I've been here for a year now." As soon as I smiled at her, she immediately smiled back, and it was only then that I truly appreciated how beautiful she was. From a distance, she was non-descript: average height, with straight, black hair that was pulled back, wearing eye-glasses and dressed very professionally in khaki dress pants and a white blouse. But now that we were face-to-face, I could see that she was strikingly pretty. She had dark brown eyes and her skin was an olive-shade that suggested some sort of mixed ethnicity (I would later learn that her mother was of Japanese origin; her father a Brit). And though her professional attire disguised it somewhat, I could tell up close that she was very fit and well-proportioned, with defined hips and what looked to be reasonably large breasts underneath the blouse. She smiled at me with a kind of warm, genuine smile that conveyed immense relief at learning that there was at least one person in town whom she could have an actual conversation with.

As she reached out to shake my hand, still smiling, she said "Jake, it's a pleasure. I'm Naomi, Naomi Gray...from England." The last part was unnecessary as her British accent was unmistakable. She had that kind of educated, upper class English accent that made her sound like a BBC news reader. It's amazing how an accent can impact your perception of a person. I thought Naomi was pretty before she even opened her mouth, but something about hearing her speak instantly elevated her beauty in my eyes. I was immediately smitten, or as she would later put it, I 'fancied her from get go.'

Later that day, after Mariko had left and I'd given Naomi some time to unpack and settle in, I knocked on her door. She answered almost immediately and smiled brightly when she saw it was me. She invited me in and, before we knew it, several hours had passed. She told me all about herself and I did the same. I also told her just about everything I knew about the town, about the job, about things to do on the weekends and where to shop for food and other necessities.

I learned a lot in that initial conversation. For instance, I knew, almost immediately, that we would get along just fine. She was smart and witty and easy to talk to and she seemed to warm to me quickly as well. The other key bit of information that I gleaned very quickly was that she was in a very committed, long-term relationship. In fact, she had just recently become engaged. Her one room apartment was already littered with pictures of her with her fiance, Liam, a good looking guy who was apparently training to be barrister. He was a couple of years older than her, and the two of them had lived together for over two years. Naomi planned to return to the apartment they shared after her year in Japan, and to begin medical school. She wanted to spend a year in Japan to get a better sense of her mother's cultural ancestry; her mother's family had emigrated to the UK when her mother was just a child.

In a way, learning all about Liam from the beginning made things much simpler. As attractive as Naomi was, she was clearly off limits, and so we skipped right past the sexual tension stage and moved straight into the friend zone. By the next week, it already felt like we were old friends and we were hanging out together nearly every day, watching TV, eating meals together after work, jogging together when the weather cooperated.

In fact, we spent so much time together, and it was such a small town, that the students at my school (and even many of the teachers), just assumed that we were a couple. Many asked what my girlfriend's name was. I had to explain repeatedly that Naomi was just a friend and a fellow English teacher. I got the sense that most of the students didn't believe me.

A NEED FOR HUMAN CONTACT

As the weeks wore on, I could tell that the separation from Liam was wearing on her. I had developed friendships with some expats in neighboring towns, who I often spent time with, particularly on the weekends, when I would often take a train into Sapporo on Saturday and not come back until late Sunday. But Naomi hadn't yet developed a social network and was more of a homebody anyway. She didn't like to stay up late in the city. And as a result, she was spending a lot more time alone than she was used to.

One night, as we were hanging out in her apartment, she confided to me that what she missed most was regular physical contact. She quickly clarified that she didn't necessarily mean sexual contact - though she missed that too - but things like hugging, cuddling, holding hands, all the things she used to do with Liam every day. At that point, sensing she wanted it, I reached out and gave her a hug. She immediately hugged back, gripping me pretty tightly.

After about ten seconds of silent hugging, just long enough for things to start feeling awkward, she pulled away and looked up at me.

"Jake, that was lovely. Exactly what I needed. But I don't want to give you the wrong idea. I love Liam and I'm never going to cheat on him." Seeing the look of protest on my face, she quickly added, "and I know that's not what you were trying to do just now...it's just...I'd like...I'd like to hug some more if it's okay with you...and I...I don't want you to get the wrong idea or think that I'm wanting anything more than that."

I shook my head, "of course not."

She continued, "it's just, I really miss human contact and I trust you and...oh god...I'm probably making you feel so uncomfortable."

I reached in and hugged her again. "Don't be silly. I get it. We can hug or cuddle or whatever you need. I promise to behave myself. Just friends. I promise." As I pulled away, she smiled warmly at me and reached for my hand.

"Thank you for being so great. I really lucked out having you next door." With that she pushed me back against her pillows and leaned in, resting her head on my chest. I stretched my arm around her and we lay there, watching TV, looking for all intents and purposes like a real couple.

I dozed off with her in my arms and woke, at little disoriented, a few hours later. By that time it was after midnight. Naomi was asleep too, her head still on my chest. I tried to gently move out from underneath her, planning to head back to my apartment, but the movement woke her up and she looked up at me with those puppy dog eyes.

"Why don't you stay?" she asked groggily. "I sleep so much better when I'm not alone. Please. Just tonight?"

"Okay," I said "just let me go brush my teeth and change into something more comfortable."

When I came back about ten minutes later, now in a t-shirt and some pajama pants, I knocked and Naomi opened the door for me. My eyes were immediately drawn to her. She too was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants, but that wasn't what caught my eye. For a top, she was wearing only a small t-shirt that fit snugly over her breasts. With no bra on underneath, the contours of her ample breasts were apparent, as were the protrusions caused by her nipples. She must have noticed me staring at her chest because she said, "I hope you don't find this too immodest. I just can't sleep in a bra."

A little embarrassed, I gulped, and said, "Sorry, it's just...it's a side of you I haven't seen. I'm only human." I smiled meekly.

"Oh don't be silly, Jake. I'm asking a lot of you. You can look as much as you like. I don't mind. As long as you stay with me and keep me company."

There was something so wholesome and disarming about her. So many beautiful girls have a way of making you feel self-conscious and on edge around them. Not Naomi. From the very first day, she made me feel completely at ease, like being around an old friend.

She beckoned me over to the bed, and I followed, lying down on my back on the right side of the bed. A moment later, she crawled into bed next to me, pulled the covers up over us and snuggled up against me. "Let me warm up against you for a little," she said, "then I'll leave you alone. I promise."

"Whatever you say," I replied, reaching my arm around her and pulling her up against me. With all of the close contact, the smell of her hair, the feeling of her breasts pressed against my side, it wasn't long before I was sporting an erection. I was pretty sure she could tell, but she didn't say anything or give any indication it made her uncomfortable, and after a while we were both asleep.

The next morning, we both got up early to get ready for work. We didn't talk much, but before I left to return to my apartment, Naomi came up behind me and gave me a bear hug, saying "thank you for staying with me. That's the best I've slept since I got here."

"Any time," I said as I left, wondering if I really meant it.

A NEW ROUTINE

That night, I went to dinner and drinks with some fellow teachers and didn't get back until around ten o'clock. Exhausted, I immediately brushed my teeth and got ready for bed. Just as I was about to hop in bed, there was a knock on the door. It was Naomi, and she was dressed in her same sleeping clothes as the night before.

"Hi...uh...come in," I said. She readily accepted the invitation and a few minutes later, we were lying on my bed, watching TV, her head again resting on my chest. Thanks to the light of the TV, I had a pretty good view of her cleavage down the collar of her shirt, and the shirt itself was pretty thin, easily showing the outline of her nipples. I hadn't had any kind of sexual release in days and was still a bit worked up from all the close contact the night before, so within seconds I had a raging erection. This it time I was certain she noticed. It was right in front of her face, after all. So I decided to address it first.

"I'm...sorry about that. It's...um...just a reaction to the close contact. It's involuntary."

"Are you saying you would get hard no matter who was cuddling up with you? Even some hideous hag?"

"Um...no..." I started to say, fumbling for words.

"Relax, Mr. Uptight American. I'm just having a laugh. I know how you boys work. And I'm not even the slightest bit bothered. As long as you don't expect me to help you with that, it's not a problem."

"Of course not," I added quickly.

Naomi ended up spending the night in my bed that night, and before I even appreciated what was happening, we had established a new routine. We spent the night together, in one or the other's apartment, every night that week. And it was always the same: very affectionate, but not intimate, not sexual.

But it was starting to present quite the conundrum for me. I was incredibly attracted to Naomi and all of the close contact was a constant stimulant. I had an erection nearly continuously and not much opportunity to address it. One morning, I was so desperate that I ended up rubbing one out in the shower before work, something I almost never do.

ANOTHER GIRL

By the time the weekend rolled around, I knew I needed to find a better outlet, so I reached out to a fellow expat I knew who lived a few towns over. Her name was Lynne. She was from California, a Chinese-American girl from L.A. with a pierced nose and several tattoos. We had hooked up once at a house party four or five months before. We hadn't slept together at the time - just drunkenly fooled around a little on a couch - but she had made it clear that she was up for a casual hookup any time. She wasn't on the same level as Naomi on the attractiveness scale, but she was cute enough, and I knew that she wasn't looking to get attached.

Thankfully, she didn't have Saturday plans and she agreed to meet up with me in Sapporo. I left a note for Naomi letting her know that I was going into Sapporo and didn't plan to be back until Sunday some time. I met Lynne at a ramen shop and, after we ate, we rented a karaoke booth and ordered drinks. By the end of the third song, we were making out. I had so much pent up sexual energy that the mere act of kissing made me instantly and powerfully aroused. At my urging, we were soon on a train headed back to my town, which was closer than hers, and making out the whole way, much to the curiosity of our fellow train passengers.

When we finally got to my place, it was a little after 10:00 pm, and by the time the door was shut, we were kissing passionately and starting to pull off each other's clothes. As I was about to reach for Lynne's shirt, there was a knock at the door. I knew instantly who it was and felt awkward about it. When I opened the door, Naomi immediately saw Lynne sitting on my bed, saw my disheveled appearance and no doubt knew exactly what was happening. For a moment, there was a flash of what might have been jealousy or hurt in her eyes, but she recovered quickly and forced a smile. "I'm so sorry, Jake. I didn't realize you had company. Have a good night!" And with that, she was gone.

I closed the door and returned to Lynne. "Who was that?" she asked.

"Just my neighbor," I answered. "She's new. Probably just wanted to watch TV or something."

"She's hot. Lucky you, Jake." And with that, we picked up where we'd left off. Within minutes, we were both nearly naked and Lynne had dropped to her knees at the foot of my bed and quickly taken my cock into her mouth. She was unusually confident and aggressive, at least compared to the other girls I'd been with up to that point in my life, and it was an enormous turn on. And given that I hadn't hooked up with anyone in over a month and had been in a state of perpetual arousal all week, I knew I had no hope of lasting long, at least during round one. Lynne must have sensed this as well by the way my body was tensing up, but she didn't let up a bit and, within no time, I was coming hard in her mouth. Given the week I'd had, it must have been an awful lot of fluid, but she swallowed it down without objection.

Moments later I pulled her to her feet and then pushed her back gently onto the bed. I then moved down between her legs and began to return the favor. I prided myself on being good with my tongue and, based on her reaction, she agreed. Within minutes she was moaning loudly enough to wake the neighbors, and it occurred to me that Naomi must be hearing everything through the paper thin walls that separated our apartments. But I pushed that thought out of my mind and concentrated on the task at hand, which, within a few minutes, led to an enthusiastic orgasm.

By that time, my cock was rock hard again. I reached under my bed, fumbled around for a second and eventually pulled a condom out of the box I kept down there. As I pulled myself up onto my knees in front of Lynne, she saw what I had in my hand and smiled wickedly. As I tore open the wrapper and began rolling the condom on, Lynne did something that surprised me. She sat up and then flipped over onto all fours, facing away from me. She grabbed my headboard with both hands and stuck her ass out toward me, clearly wanting me to take her from behind. To this day, when I close my eyes, I can still see her tight little ass wagging in front of me, glistening with sweat, begging to get fucked.

I was happy to oblige. I gripped her hip with my left hand and, with my right hand, guided my cock inside her. Before I was even halfway in, she pushed back with her ass, completing the connection. Within seconds, we were fucking fast and hard, our bodies slapping and the headboard banging against the wall. She was very vocal, encouraging me to go harder and faster, yelling "fuck me, Jake" every so often. I couldn't help wondering what Naomi must be thinking next door. We were making such a racket.

When it was all done, we lay there naked and panting, drenched in sweat. The sex had been smoking hot and exactly what I needed, but now that I'd scratched that itch, my thoughts kept returning to Naomi. It had only been six nights that we'd spent together, but it had quickly come to feel comfortable and normal, and I missed her. I hoped that what had just happened tonight wouldn't scare her off.

In the morning, Lynne and I had sex one last time, this time with her on top. And then she gathered her clothes and left without saying much, giving no indication she expected a call or any follow up.

THE BARGAIN

When I eventually got dressed and ventured out around lunch time, I thought about knocking on Naomi's door but decided against it. I'd wait for her to come to me. But she never did. The evening came and went. I knew that she was home because I could hear her TV on, but she never knocked, and I fell asleep alone. Monday came and went in much the same way, without Naomi calling, texting, or stopping by.

On Tuesday, she finally made contact again, stopping by my apartment as she got home from work (and looking as pretty as ever). She invited me to dinner and I accepted. Once we were seated at the sushi place down the street, she finally came out with it.

"So I know I don't have any right to be jealous, Jake, but who was that girl? Are you two together now?"

I smiled, "no, she's just a girl who lives a few towns over, an english teacher, like us. We've hung out before."

"Not that it's any of my business, I guess, but it sure sounded like you were doing more than just...um...hanging out."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. It's kinda awkward with such thin walls. We definitely hooked up. But it's nothing more than that."

Naomi's eyebrows were raised, a skeptical look on her face.

I continued, "look, I'm not generally a one night stand kind of guy, but the truth is, after last week, I really needed an outlet, and I kinda had a sense she would be up for that, you know, with no strings attached. Naomi, I love spending time with you, and I loved sharing a bed with you all last week, but it's tough, having a beautiful girl pressed against you all the time and knowing she's off-limits. Like I said, I just needed an outlet."