A Smell So Sweet by BelovedStranger

Blind Promise

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The premise came from a real life experience (not mine!), all thanks to Niketas (not a Dokuga member), who is otherwise known affectionately by me as ‘he-man’. Here is a comment he so ‘graciously’ gave me for writing this: “Thank you for fucking me seven ways to orgasm. That was two. Now give me the five you owe me.” (Again, no he is not taking to or about me. At least, he better not be.) And my comment to him is this: “I hope you get blue balls waiting for the other five orgasms.”

Happy reading! 

Prompt: Turmeric

The spice is not given by name but if you read the description below, you will see how I incorperated it. 

A/U

Kagome sat down with a weary sigh. Her back hurt, her biceps were in protest, and a headache was beginning to form, making her irritable. Though she was happy about her recent move in to her new apartment, unpacking all her things was a huge hassle, not to mention draining. When had she accumulated so much stuff, anyway? At least it seemed like an excess amount of things after having to pack everything up, move to a new location, and now unpacking her things again. It was already day three since moving here, and thankfully almost everything was put in their respective place. She had a one bedroom apartment, a living room, separate kitchen and bathroom, so it wasn’t small or too large—it was perfect.

Sitting at her kitchen table, she popped open a little bottle and swallowed two Advil Migraine pills, washing it down with her now lukewarm coffee. She should probably heat it up, but was too lazy to get back up. Setting her elbow on the table, she cupped her chin and gazed out her kitchen window. There really wasn’t much to see, being on the fourth floor and staring at the apartment opposite hers. It was a good fifteen or twenty feet away, but it was the same complex she lived in, as the building was constructed in a U shape.

She blinked, then blinked again, mesmerized. The curtains to the apartment across from her were parted, the blinds rolled up to reveal a living room, but what really held her rapt attention was the exquisite man reclining on a sofa. His long legs were stretched out on the floor in front of him. Slumped against the cushions, the back of his head rested against the back of the couch. At first, the color of his hair made her think he was older, for it was either white or platinum blonde, but she didn’t think so. Though she wasn’t up close to see his face, his profile didn’t seem to have age lines or spots… His head turned towards the window—towards her.

He stood with lazy motions, and he stepped up to the window. Her heart pitter-pattered. He seemed to be looking straight at her. She couldn’t define the color of his eyes from their distance, but she thought they were some light color—definitely not brown. Then he was lowering the blinds, closing her out. Only then did a flush of mortification spread across her cheeks, burning her with its intensity. She’d been caught staring into someone else’s apartment. Kagome hoped she never encountered this stranger, because she’d just die on the spot after her blatant rudeness.

*****

The next day, as fate would have it, Kagome met the last person she wanted to see. After shouting for whoever was in the elevator to keep the doors open for her, she ran inside, and breathed a sigh of relief since she didn’t have to wait for the next one.

“Thank you,” she said, turning towards the only other passenger in the small, confined space, only to almost bite her tongue.

Standing right beside her was the very man she’d been ogling yesterday. He was taller than she’d thought, over six feet, she was sure. He easily dwarfed her five foot five frame. He was wearing light blue jeans, almost white from many washings, that hugged his thighs to perfection, and a simple, cotton blue t-shirt that did nothing to hide the hard muscles of his chest and wide expanse of his shoulders. What really caught her eye was his long, white hair. It fell to his shoulder blades, and was as white as snow and not platinum blonde as she had previously guessed it to be.

Looking at his face, he wore wraparound shades, and though he looked mature, he certainly was not an elderly man. His head was turned slightly towards her as he nodded his head at her words.

“What floor?” His voice made her knees weak, the deep quality stimulating her nerves on high alert.

“Ah… Fourth floor, please,” she muttered.

She could feel her face heating up, wondering if he remembered her rudeness the day before.

“The same floor as me,” was all he said.

Oh, God! She should say something, anything.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a rush. It came out as a squeak more than anything, causing her to cringe at herself.

Now he was looking at her. Well, his face was turned in her general direction but somehow, the angle seemed off…

“For?” he asked.

His short replies were making her even more anxious. Trying not to squirm, she faced forward. It was too embarrassing to actually look at him.

“For yesterday.” She cleared her too dry throat. “It was rude of me to stare into your apartment. I just moved here a few days ago, and my kitchen looks in to your living room. I’ll buy some curtains so it doesn’t happen again.”

She was babbling, she realized, and forced herself to close her mouth.

He was silent a long moment, the ding of passing floors the only sound, and just before they made it to their floor, he spoke.

“Apology accepted.”

Just as the doors slid open, he stepped forward. She thought he intended to get off first and not wait for her—obviously chivalry be damned. Instead, he turned to face her. One, large hand reached out and grazed her shoulder, then he was cupping her left cheek. Staring up at him wide-eyed, she watched him bend closer, and remove his wraparounds. At first, she thought his eyes were a deep shade of grey, but his low uttered words told her the truth.

“I’m blind, so stare at me as much as you wish. I wouldn’t notice one way or the other.”

Before she could say ‘I’m sorry’ or offer some lame condolence he’d undoubtedly heard too many times before concerning his lack of sight, his mouth settled over hers. They were barely felt, the pressure soft, and like a ghost, he was gone. The elevator doors were already closing before she realized she hadn’t gotten off with him.

*****

Two days later, and it was deja vu all over again.

It was late morning, and Kagome had just finished her morning run, wearing nothing more than red, short shorts and a plain, white tank top. Her long mass of black hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and she probably reeked of perspiration. Her heart still pounding a little too quickly, her breathing slightly labored, she took a swig from her bottled water, and ignored the confusion that was her elevator companion.

He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt again, and she glanced at him for just a second, before turning her music on her ipod louder. She would not ask him why he’d kissed her the other day, and though he’d given her permission to stare, she would not! Though she felt sorry for his blindness, he hadn’t even given her his name before surprising her with that all too brief kiss. She’d hungered for more, had wanted to deepen the kiss and plaster her body against his, and instead, he’d blatantly teased her. She viewed his actions as a taunt, so she ignored him, but it was hard. He was too male, too gorgeous, too…everything! Her attraction to him be damned.

But like last time, he moved in front of her, making her heart skip a beat at his closeness. All her previous ire leaked away when his hands found her shoulders. In a light caress, his fingers slid up her neck, until he was able to take her earphones from her ears. His wraparounds were in place, so she couldn’t stare in to his sightless eyes.

He bent until his face was hovering over hers.

“Can you hear me now?” His voice was pitched low and all too intimate.

She licked her dry lips. “Yes… How did you know I couldn’t?”

His chuckle was brief but licked across her nerve endings, enflaming her. “I may be blind, but I could hear your music perfectly.”

“Oh,” was her lame response.

“I’m Sesshomaru.”

The introduction threw her off, but her response came out reflexively.

“Kagome. I-it’s nice to meet you?”

“Hn.”

She didn’t stop him when he leaned closer. Dropping her bottle of water, her hands reached for him, clinging to his shoulders when his mouth captured hers. This time, he lingered. Consumed. This was no phantom kiss, but one meant to arouse, promising untold pleasure ahead. She was already melting. Had she stepped closer or had Sesshomaru? In any case, Kagome found herself against the wall and plastered fully against hard muscles, sinewy flesh, and grinding hips.

A large palm cupped her rear, forcing her against a prominent erection. Things were spiraling out of control, and yet she basked in the insanity, egged Sesshomaru on with low whimpers and heated moans.

Then he was pulling back all too soon, but he did not release her, kept her against him as he fought to breathe.

“Go out with me.”

It wasn’t a request. The demand thrilled her, and she found herself nodding. Belatedly recalling his lack of sight, she vocalized her acceptance. “Yes.”

They exchanged room numbers, then cell numbers, but not before Kagome remembered to pick up her water bottle.  

A hand placed on the wall, Sesshomaru moved towards the control panel and hit a button. Only then did she realize he’d hit the emergency button, keeping them enclosed in the elevator for privacy. She was surprised that not only hadn’t she noticed their lack of motion, but that security hadn’t called them to inquire why the car wasn’t moving. The lack of security made her think less of the building and its team, however nice the complex was.

“I’ll be at your door by five,” Sesshomaru murmured.

It was only until they’d gotten off on their floor and parted ways that she realized he had a walking stick with him…and that she had no idea where he was taking her, so she had no idea what to wear!

*****

Kagome was on her hands and knees on a bed, in a bedroom not her own, the lights off, with only the evening sun peeking through the curtains. A slick tongue teased her folds, making her gasp and bury her face in a pillow that smelled like the man on his knees behind her.

Sesshomaru had taken her to a lavish, Italian restraint with an amazing window seat that looked out on the properties garden. He’d acted the perfect gentleman…until he’d taken her back to their apartment complex. He’d whispered heated words during their taxi ride back, held her close, and stroked her thigh, openly enticing her. He’d captured her lips again in the elevator, and somehow she’d wound up in his apartment, sharing a glass of wine. They hadn’t been able to keep their hands off of each other for long, and soon her dress and heels were discarded, and Sesshomaru’s suit was abandoned on the floor with her clothes.

Another long lick, more groans. Her hips swiveled, trying to follow that wicked tongue, but hands on her hips kept her in place.

“Ahh, Sesshomaru. Please! Don’t tease me,” she whimpered.

A wicked chuckle, a lash of tongue on that spot. Perfection.

“Patience,” he whispered huskily, tasting her.

Was it her imagination, or was he savoring her? The thought made her melt, but need caused her to object.

“Fuck patience.”

“Momentarily.” A wicked promise. A blatant tease.

Her next entreaty for more was swallowed up by a cry she couldn’t possibly contain when his tongue speared her, pushing through tight, slick muscles. Hands forced her knees wider, his tongue going deeper, rubbing, stroking in all the right places. Fingers teased her flesh, pinching and rubbing the bundle of nerves between her thighs.

He seemed to be toughing her everywhere. Lost in her own pleasure, she was mindless to the way she panted, how she quivered on the brink of climax, deaf to her vocal pleasure, and blind as she planted her face firmly in his pillow. As blind as he in this moment, her sense of touch was heightened. The firm press of his fingers against her thigh, his swirling and plunging tongue, and rubbing fingers.

However, just as she was about to tip over the cliff and into pure bliss, he stopped. Jackknifing back up onto her arms, not having realized they’d given out on her before, she begged him to finish her.

He was moving. Hard muscle gliding along her back, he used his chest to force her back down. Keeping her hips in the air, her breasts against the coverlet, his palm traced up her flat stomach until he cupped one of her breasts.

“No, you can’t come yet,” he breathed in her ear, nipping at the lobe—a slight sting.

She groaned. “Sesshomaru…”

His lips went to her shoulder, teeth grazing. Then she felt the tip of him against her entrance, and she mewled in encouragement, needing him inside her.

“You beg so beautifully,” he praised. He pushed forward, the head spreading her, forcing her body to accept him.

He was larger than she’d thought. As he thrust forward, possessing her, there was a distinct burn, but instead of it hurting, it felt good, wonderful. Her fingers fisted the sheets. The position he had her in kept her still, making it impossible to push back, to quicken his movements. She ached for him to take her, but he went slow, forcing her to feel every inch of him.

When she thought there was no way he could go any farther inside her, he proved her wrong, and with a grunt, he pushed past her body’s unwitting resistance and planted himself firmly within her. The burn had turned into a sharp spike of pain. He groaned, holding still, while she gasped, body quivering. Kagome wasn’t sure if it hurt or if it felt too good.

“Breathe, Kagome.”

Until he’d uttered the command, she hadn’t realized her lungs had ceased to function. Now she felt the burn in her chest, her need for air, and she sucked in a much needed breath. As if realizing her difficulty to take him, he kissed the nape of her neck tenderly.

“Relax,” he murmured.

He pulled back, the motion slow. She hissed. He thrust back in. It was a slow forward and backwards pace meant to stretch her, make her accustomed to his length and girth—and it turned her wild. Though he was controlled, smooth glide after smooth glide, he went deep. It was a possession. Next came a swivel of hips, rubbing her within in the most mind-blowing of ways. An ache built, not of pain but of want. Liquid heat bathed his cock, made his strokes easier, but still he went excruciatingly slow.

“Faster, harder,” she demanded, clawing at the sheets.

“Do you not like it?” he asked—a tease. Another thrust, not giving in to her demands.

She tightened around him. Now it was his turn to groan, a low, deep sound that vibrated along her vertebrae.

“Wicked woman.”

Harder thrust, jarring her. His hips slapped against her rump. Her breath caught. The tempo changed, if slightly. A slow withdrawal, a powerful lunge. He placed a forearm beside her and grasped her upper thigh, keeping her in place, making her take every strong thrust.

How long he continued with this new line of torture, Kagome couldn’t say. All she could do was feel and hunger. He kept her on the edge, giving her just enough, tantalizing her with things she craved—the end, or was it a beginning?

“Fuck, you’re tight,” he grated out between clenched teeth.

He moved faster. A quicker withdrawal, a harsher thrust. Even if she could have moved, there was no way she’d be able to keep up with his fast pounding. Flesh slapped against flesh, wet sounds and heated groans filled her ears. Giving up any sense of rhythm, his forearms caging her on either side, his chest flexed against her back, their perspiration making them slick.

She shattered with a high pitched wail, but Sesshomaru continued to move, pistoning inside her. His movements were erratic as he chased after his own high. He bruised her inside and out, pain mixed with pleasure. Somehow, he felt larger, swelling inside her, and another climax surprised her. This time, she wasn’t alone. He stilled inside her, a harsh, guttural snarl against her back as he emptied himself inside her.

Long seconds later, he fell on top of her. Lying flat on her stomach, Sesshomaru pinning her to the bed. He would have cut off her air supply with his weight had he not kept most of it on his forearms. What was she to say in the aftermath of their sexual activities? Thank you for the multiple orgasms? You did great?

All lame, all inadequate.

Sesshomaru spoke first.

“I don’t think I can move.”

She laughed, a deep, throaty sound of feminine satisfaction, and he laughed with her. Instead of pulling out of her slick depths and moving away as she thought he would, Sesshomaru’s arms curled under her, embracing her from behind. Her heart softened strangely, and she did not tell him to get off of her but settled more comfortably on the bed. He was kinda heavy, but she didn’t want him to move.

“Let me hold you for a while longer,” he murmured above her.

Nodding her head, she soon felt sleep pull her into unconsciousness, but before she drifted off, a few strands of Sesshomaru’s long hair fell over her shoulder and against her cheek. In the poor lighting, it shone like moonlight and was just as beautiful. 

Turmeric 

The name turmeric derives from the Latin word terra merita (meritorious earth), referring to the color of ground turmeric, which resembles a mineral pigment. In Sanskrit, turmeric has at least 53 different names, including bhadra (auspicious or lucky), survana (golden color), hridayavilasini (gives delight to heart, charming), jayanti (one that wins over diseases), kaveri (harlot), nishawa (clears darkness and imparts color), patwaluka (perfumed powder), pavitra (holy), ratrimanika (as beautiful as moonlight), vairagi (who remains free from desires), vishagni (killer of poison), and yoshitapriya (beloved of wife). Turmeric has been in use for thousands of years. It was used to worship the sun in ancient India – its golden color most likely the inspiration – and was also worn to ward off evil. Buddhist monks even dyed robes with it. Today, it is still considered sacred and used in various rituals. Hawaiian Kahuna and traditional Vedic homes sprinkle turmeric mixed with seawater to purify the earth around them.

Turmeric has been put to use as a foodstuff, cosmetic, and medicine. It is used as a coloring agent in cheese, butter, and other foods. Turmeric is also used in manufactured food products such as canned beverages, dairy products, baked products, ice cream, yellow cakes, yogurt, orange juice, biscuits, popcorn, sweets, cake icings, cereals, sauces, and gelatins. Turmeric is used as an herbal medicine for rheumatoid arthritis, chronic anterior uveitis, conjunctivitis, skin cancer, small pox, chicken pox, wound healing, urinary tract infections, and liver ailments. It is also used for digestive disorders; to reduce flatus, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, and colic; for abdominal pain and distension; and for dyspeptic conditions including loss of appetite, postprandial feelings of fullness, and liver and gallbladder complaints. It has anti-inflammatory, choleretic, antimicrobial, and carminative actions.

In folk medicine, turmeric has been used in therapeutic preparations over the centuries in different parts of the world. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, turmeric is used to cleanse wounds and stimulate their recovery by applying it on a piece of burnt cloth that is placed over a wound. Indians use turmeric, in addition to its Ayurvedic applications, to purify blood and remedy skin conditions. Turmeric paste is used by women in some parts of India to remove superfluous hair. Turmeric paste is applied to the skin of the bride and groom before marriage in some parts of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, where it is believed to make the skin glow and keep harmful bacteria away from the body. Turmeric is currently used in the formulation of several sunscreens. Several multinational companies are involved in making face creams based on turmeric. It was and is used in religious ceremonies and offerings – often representing life, purity, and prosperity.