"Let's go to Chinatown."
"Why?" I asked, cradling the phone between my head and shoulder as I finished stirring some guacamole.
"I need to do some research for my ethnography class. We're supposed to interview someplace every week for the entire quarter and then write a paper on it. It's boring by myself. Come on, go with me. All the really cool kids are doing it..."
I did a mental checklist: my readings were done, I had started my paper due next week... "Sure, I'm free. Want me to meet you at the Blue Line, Kate?"
"That sounds good. I'll see ya there, John."
I hung up and took the bus to the Blue Line subway station. Katelyn was already waiting for me and waved wildly as I got off the bus. I gave her a quick hug and we made our way to the platform. I had to bat her long, violet scarf out of my face a few times as the wind blew it around chaotically.
"So where are you doing your research?" I asked as the train jerked to life, taking us towards Chinatown.
"At this massage parlor: Paradise Massage. At first I was thinking of doing a restaurant, but the employees don't really have time to just sit and talk with me, but there, they're stuck with me anyway, so I can talk to them all I like."
"Do they know you're researching them?"
"No, I'm worried they won't be as open if they know. It's easy to get them to open up, though. From what I can tell, they don't really have many female clients, and since we're all Chinese, I think they're just happy to have someone to share their stories with."
"Ya, I doubt many of the people who go there really care much about their life-stories." I paused and bit my lip. "So, um, is this is 'happy ending' kind of massage parlor, or?"
She laughed. "Jonathan! Do you only think with your dick? I haven't really asked. I don't want them thinking I'm a cop or anything, and it's not as though I can benefit from it, anyway. Maybe I'll talk to some of the guys there one day, ask them about it. I'm sure they'd love to brag about their exploits to a cute, curious Asian girl."
"Well if you want, I'll go undercover and try to find some stuff out for you," I offered.
She lit up. "Really?! You don't mind?"
"No, I've never had a real massage before. It'll be a nice experience. Would you want to come in and observe, or should I just tell you after?"
"Hmm...how about I observe one, and then you do another alone?"
"Won't they be suspicious if you're watching me?"
"I'll just say you're nervous going in alone. They know me there, anyway. I don't think it'll be a problem. Or I can pose as your translator. A lot of the masseuses don't speak good English."
"Sounds like a plan." I checked my watch: 12:00. "Want to grab a meal first?"
"Sure, it's on me. Thanks for being my undercover agent, John."
"It's quite a sacrifice to be massaged by beautiful women, but for you, I'm
just
willing to do it."
She punched my shoulder and laughed. "Jerk. You better do it. It'll help my paper, and I won't have to talk to any sketchy guys hanging out at the parlor."
"Alright, alright, for you."
We found a nice restaurant in Chinatown and ate. After we finished, she led me to Paradise Massage
"Alright, this is the place."
I examined it. The windows showed medical charts in Chinese, presumably extolling the health benefits of massage. The building was nondescript. Just a plain, two-story, brick building on a fairly busy street. I followed Katelyn inside.
There was a stairwell to one side, and a desk as soon as we entered the door. A middle-aged Chinese man sat behind the desk. He was clean-shaven and his hair was graying at the temples. Katelyn and he began speaking in Mandarin, and since I couldn't follow a word, I just took in the décor. It was simple, but nice. The walls were warm, with bamboo designs. The downstairs area looked more like a barbershop, with a number of cushy chairs connected to washing basins. I grabbed a paper menu and looked at what they offered. Swedish massage, Thai massage, table shower, foot massage, scalp massage, that must be what the basins were for, hot stone massage, interesting stuff. I wondered what made a Thai massage Thai and a Swedish massage Swedish. Was one hot and spicy and the other cool and serious? And what was a table shower? Why would you want your table to have a shower? Maybe whoever translated the term did a bad job...
"John?"
"Huh, ya?"
"He says it's OK for me to go in with you. He told us to head upstairs and ask for Mei. Oh, and take your shoes off here," she said, pointing to a wall of cubbies, several of which had shoes in them. "They're not allowed upstairs."
I slipped out of my sneakers and followed Katelyn upstairs. It consisted of a central room, connected to two long hallways. In the central room were chairs and couches, oriented towards a large TV. Right now a few girls were sitting there, ranging from their 20s to their 40s, chatting away in Chinese, taking a break between massages. We were there on a Thursday afternoon, so I wasn't really surprised by the lack of other clients.
Katelyn asked for Mei, and a petite girl stood up from her couch and came over to us. She was wearing gray sweat pants, a low-cut white shirt, and bright pink flip flops. She was youngish, with a pair of red glasses, and a mildly entertained smile. She was about a head shorter than me and thin, although her arms were wiry from her work. She spoke to Katelyn and brought us to an empty room, gestured us in, and shut the door.
The room was bare: a wooden floor, a covered massage table, a small shelf full of oils and towels, a chair, and a stereo in one corner playing quiet oriental music designed to relax. "What now?" I asked Katelyn.
She pointed to a row of hooks near the door. "She said you should get undressed and get on the table. By the way, when I told the guy at the desk I wanted to go with you, he asked if I was your girlfriend, and I said yes." She shrugged, "It seemed easiest to just go with the story they gave me. Hope you don't mind."
"No, no problem," I said, taking off my shirt. "How much do I have to take off?"
"Everything," she smiled.
"Do you mind?"
"No, not at all," she said, watching me take off my socks.
"You know what I mean, Kate," I countered, averting my eyes from her mischievous smile.
"Oh fine, such a buzzkill," she complained, turning around to face the wall. "Is this better?"
"Yes, thank you." I hurriedly took off my pants and boxers and got onto the table, covering myself with a far-too-skimpy-to-be-practical white towel. God, it barely covered my butt. "You can turn around now."
She giggled. "It's a good look on you," she commented, sitting down. There was a knock on the door, and Mei peeked her head in. Seeing that we were ready, she came in. I turned my head to get another look at her as she prepared, rubbing a fragrant, flowery oil onto her hands, rubbing it into her skin. She was dressed for comfort, not sexiness, yet her tanned, glowing skin, large brown eyes, and sleek, long, raven hair made for a stunning figure before me. Her cheeks were rouged and she had a slight bit of turquoise eye shadow on. And
she
was going to be massaging my naked body, our forms separated by only a thin, skimpy, white towel... I adjusted myself on the table, trying to keep myself from getting hard immediately.
She turned around, and I realized she wasn't wearing a bra. Her shirt was distorted by two hard, dark points, poking eagerly through her almost translucent t-shirt. I buried my head in the face pillow, trying to keep naughty thoughts out of my head and failing.
Mei began caressing my body, light moving her hands across the length of my back, coating me in oil as she talked with Katelyn. I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting myself be drawn into the massage. She began to press down on my shoulders and back with more force than I would have guessed she could muster. I felt like I was melting into the table. She stroked up and down my back, and with each downstroke, I could feel my towel being pushed further and further down, an inch at a time.
"Does it feel good? Is it too hard?" asked Katelyn on Mei's behalf.
"It's perfect," I replied, ready to fall asleep, I was so relaxed.
After a while, she stopped her pretenses and began to rub my ass, kneading its muscles, running her hands along my inner thighs. I parted my legs instinctively, letting her work her magic. I was blushing, I was sure of it. I didn't dare raise my head out from its pillow. I didn't want to see Katelyn's face right now. I was sure she'd be grinning maniacally. She was the most sexual person I knew who didn't seem interested in actually having it. She just loved nudity and sex and being openly brash around anyone who was the least bit prudish, yet I had never seen her actually make a move on anyone. Was it possible to be an asexual pervert?
Mei starting rubbing her strong hands along my thighs, her fingertips brushing torturously close to my manhood. I was certain she was doing it on purpose. She was only a hair's breadth away, over and over and over again.
"Oops!" Mei giggled, as I shuddered from the electric touch of her fingertips against my cock and balls.
"Um, it's OK," I said, my heart pounding, embarrassed warmth spreading through my body. She gave it a gentle, apologetic pat and kept working. She and Katelyn exchanged some more Mandarin and the both of them giggled girlishly. Great, I bet they're trading stories...
After finishing rubbing my legs, Mei patted me on the butt. I looked up, confused. "She wants you to turn over," explained Katelyn.
"Oh, thanks." I awkwardly reached behind me, pulling the towel back up to where it could do some good, and slowly turned over, trying not to expose myself any more than necessary. I prayed the towel would be heavy enough to keep myself from embarrassing myself any further.
