Read Online Wet: Overflow by Zenobia Renquist - Free Book Online

unison, “That’s water from the barrier room.”
    “Yes, it is. He wants a piece of the proverbial pie.”
    Masato said with a snort, “So give it to him. It won’t work.”
    Lulu stared at him. “Huh? Why not? That water is from the barrier room.”
    “Doesn’t matter. It would work for a day, maybe two and then wear off.”
    Hotsuma straightened with a knowing nod. “That’s how it will always be. Only a member of the family remains under my power for life, and they have to visit the barrier room to do it.”
    Masato said, “Otherwise we would be shipping bottles of Hotsuma’s water back to Japan. Believe me, the family doesn’t appreciate having to come all the way out here just to do the ritual. That’s the source of all the stress and strife this last month. It’s time for the annual visit of the new children and spouses. Every year they bitch more. Or maybe I’m just sick of hearing it.”
    Lulu was glad to know that. Well, maybe glad was the wrong word. She was relieved the extra hostility wasn’t all about her marriage and Hotsuma’s new occupancy of Masato’s body. Both things might be contributing to make the situation worse, but they weren’t the cause.
    She said, “He’s threatened to out you and the Mizuno family.”
    Masato snorted. “Let him. He won’t get very far. The Mizuno family lawyers will bury him and his story under so much crap his family will have to buy him a tombstone just to find him.”
    “I’m sure the Mizuno lawyers are great. Lord knows, I’ve already met with them more times than I care to, but he has proof. Even if you try to dismiss the story as a hoax, there are too many witnesses who will attest to the validity of it. Hotsuma’s to blame for that when he went around fondling the women in the hot spring after he got free.”
    “You dirty dog.” Masato laughed as he clapped Hotsuma on the back. “I’d heard the staff talking about all the women and their stories of a phantom lover of the hot springs. I was too hung up on Lulu to investigate it.”
    Hotsuma pushed Masato away and cleared his throat. “What proof, Lulu?”
    She said, “He caught Masato and me talking when Masato was walking on water in a human form.” She stopped and thought back to that time. “Or actually, I guess that was Hotsuma then.” She shook her head. “Whatever. He’s got video of it.”
    “Lies,” Masato said in a dismissive voice.
    “I’m telling the truth, damn it. That’s why I was meeting him. That’s the reason behind all of this. I was trying to protect you. Both of you and the damn Mizuno family. Those people fucking hate me, and I was putting my marriage on the line to protect them. I knew you wouldn’t believe me.” The tears Lulu had tried to hold back flowed down her cheeks as she got the answer to her earlier question.
    Having them think she was a slut hurt, but she knew she wasn’t so she could ignore the pain. To tell the truth and have them doubt her was a pain unrivaled by anything else up to that point in her life, including being shot.
    Masato walked forward. He smoothed his hand over her cheek, pulling the moisture of her tears into his water body and leaving her skin dry. She stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief when he laid a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. “Sweetheart, I’m not calling you a liar. I believe every word you said.”
    “I believe you as well,” Hotsuma said though he didn’t join them.
    Lulu didn’t understand the expression he wore. He didn’t appear angry at Masato’s familiarity. He didn’t look happy either. His attitude was cold, apart. She didn’t like it.
    Masato said, “I’m calling Richard a liar. A good one too, since he got you to believe him, knowing full well he doesn’t have a damn thing.”
    “He does.”
    “Did you see it?”
    Lulu hesitated. She hadn’t seen it. That was blackmailing rule number one -- get proof of proof. She’d been so fixated on the fact that Richard knew about Hotsuma she