"In Oriental myth, the Foxwoman is an evil spirit of torment and strife. It took the form of a beautiful woman and seduced men to their ruin. Luckily, we no longer believe in evil spirits."

***

The blue ornate kimono she had been wearing had long since ended up on the floor. Her golden naked body was now clothed in a fine layer of sweat, from her and from him. He had his hands on her firm breasts and the nipples under his palms were stiff with excitement.

She rode him up and down slowly, her body quivering with tiny erotic ripples as her warm tight pussy clenched around his hard cock. The pleasure he felt was incredible. She did things no woman had ever done to him then did them again. She stopped her motion and just sat there with his thick cock buried in her deep. The muscles of her pussy squeezed his hard cock in rhythmic waves as she smiled down at him. Her dark red lips glistened in the candlelight.

He groaned and squirted another orgasm into her.

A candle went out.

His semen made her pussy even wetter than it was. How many times he had cum either on her or in her he could not remember. Each time he thought he was done, she would whisper in his ear and his flagging cock would stiffen yet again.

She leaned down and kissed him, holding his ears in her hand. Her eyes bore into his own as she ground her crotch against his re-stiffening cock. His mouth was dry and she let a little stream of saliva drip off of her tongue onto his lips. He tasted the sweetness of cherry blossoms and another taste too.

One more powerful: The taste of raw lust.

Sliding off of his now hard cock, she nibbled her way down his naked chest. She paused and sucked each nipple, giving them a sharp bite. He gasped and gave a little whimper. She seemed to enjoy the pain she caused him. He had never wanted a woman to dominate him like he wanted her to.

The room had been lit by dozens of candles at the start but now all but one was dark. The last flickering light painted shadows of their coupled naked bodies on the walls.

Kissing her way downward, her long agile tongue left trails of wetness across his stomach. She slid it briefly into his belly button leaving a bit of spit in the hollow. Then she sucked the moisture back into her mouth.

His cock was rock hard, red, stiff, and standing straight up from his crotch. Her small fingers took it and squeezed. He felt her warm breath on the head then her tongue slid up its length collecting the remains of his orgasm and her own juices. He groaned once more as he felt those lips envelop the tip of his cock. Her mouth was almost molten with warmth.

And oh so wet.

Each time he had sunk his cock into her tight pussy he had groaned with pleasure. Each time he had pushed his cock into her tighter ass he had groaned even louder. Yet neither hole could compare to the sensations he felt when she took him in her mouth. It was a thing alive and she acted as if she was sucking his very soul from him when she had her lips around his cock.

One hand was stroking the part of his cock not in her mouth. The other hand was fondling his balls. Both were slick with their juices. With one finger she teased his asshole, pushing against it. When she pressed her head all the way down and took his entire cock into her mouth, she pushed that finger into him.

He groaned yet again. His cock was deep in her throat with her nose buried in the hairs of his crotch. She gagged and the muscles inside her throat clenched around him tightly. His hands went to her head and grasped her by the hair. He clenched his fingers and tried to pull her even further down onto his cock.

With a moan of her own, she let him abuse her.

He felt her long tongue come out of her mouth and past his cock to wrap itself around his balls. It squeezed them in time to the thrust of her finger up his ass. His breath came in heavy gasps as he felt his orgasm erupt shooting his cum into her.

Pleasure enveloped his brain in darkness as the last candle went out.

And in that darkness, he found reason to scream!

***

The glass of whiskey was the last one in the bottle so George Saberson sipped it slowly. Even worst he was down to his last cigarette as well.

The evening's rain tapped gently at the windows gave his small two-room apartment a comfortable feeling not shared by its owner. Thirty-three but he felt twice that after all the day's problems. He sipped again from the glass and tried to relax. It was late, well past midnight. He should get some sleep but didn't even have the energy to get out of the chair. Let alone make his way to bed.

He sighed and took another sip. Then his cell phone rang.

For just a moment he considered ignoring it but ten years of answering late-night calls forced him to pick it up.

"Yes," he asked. "What is it?"

"Detective Saberson, there's been another killing."

***

The rain had tapered off to minor drizzle in the forty minutes it took Saberson to get to the crime scene. The forecast said it would turn to light snow before morning.

The address was nothing special, a five-story brownstone on the south side of downtown, except tonight it held a body. A small crowd of the curious braving the weather gathered at the police line. Saberson identified himself and was let through. Waiting on the steps was his partner Jeff Monroe.

Monroe had been his partner since Saberson had joined Homicide five years ago. The older cop, sixty-three and two years from retirement was a good friend and a valuable teacher. Monroe led him inside and up the stairs.

"Who is it?" Saberson asked.

"Morris Goldsmith. He worked down in the Department's Property room." Monroe said pausing on the third-floor landing. "Neighbors heard the screams and called it in."

Saberson stepped up beside Monroe. He noticed Monroe's dark face looked a little pale.

"The doctor says climbing stairs is good for me. I think he's full of shit." Monroe said breathing hard. "You go on up, I'll be there as soon as I catch my breath. Fourth floor, Apartment C."

He nodded. Saberson had seen this in his partner before. Monroe would be all right after a few minutes of rest.

He had to show his badge again on the fourth floor. Apartment C was a beehive of activity. The body waited in the bedroom, covered in a sheet. He walked over and gently pulled it back.

Goldsmith's face was a mask of frozen horror. Eyes closed, his neck muscles were tensed like corded rope. His mouth was locked open still trying to scream it seemed. Blood covered the belly and legs with a crimson splatter. Beneath the body the mattress was soaked in blood. The cause of death was readily apparent. Where Goldsmith's crotch had been there was now a ragged hole.

Saberson took several minutes to study the surroundings.

"If this keeps up," Monroe's voice said behind him. "I'm going to retire early."

His partner stood in the bedroom door looking better. Beside Monroe was the coroner Parker. Saberson letting the sheet drop knew what his partner meant. It was maddening for them both because they had no clues to go on. Goldsmith's death made five men killed in the past nine days. Three of them were police officers. All the men were found nude and with the same ghastly wounds. The heat from higher-ups was on them to break this case and break it now.

"You done Detective?" Parker asked. "Stone and I would like to get rolling."

Saberson nodded.

The coroner and his assistant Stone wheeled in a stretcher. Saberson and Monroe got out of their way. Parker flipped the sheet off the corpse as Stone readied a body bag. They pulled the body to the edge of the bed and in the process knocked the pillow off. It hit the floor with a loud thunk. Parker and Stone instantly stopped what they were doing and exchanged startled looks.

Motioning the two to one side, Saberson knelt beside the pillow and carefully opened the pillowcase. Inside Saberson found a small leather-bound book. Eight inches square and perhaps an inch thick, it had the look of something very old. The others gathered around as Saberson opened it.

"Lordy!" Parker exclaimed. "Look at the dirty pictures."

Each page of the small book contained an ink drawing of a male and female couple in a different act of making love. Saberson slowly flipped through it and stopped at one page. On it, a young Oriental woman of great beauty was kneeling and bent forward. Her lover also Oriental, knelt behind her and between her legs. She supported her position with one arm outstretched. With the other, she guided her lover's member towards the mouth of her sex. He seemed poised to take her in one mighty thrust.

The detail of the pictures was incredible. Definitely pornographic though the drawings were more like fine art than cheap thrills. He noticed that the woman was the same throughout, though the men were different on each page. A strange euphoria came over Saberson. He kept flipping slowly through the book.

"Let me see that," Monroe said reaching for the book. "I think I know what..."

Saberson recoiled, slapping Monroe's hand to the side. His euphoria was replaced by anger.

How dare he, Saberson thought, it's mine!

The look his partner gave him shocked Saberson back to reality.

"Sorry about that," Saberson said handing over the book. "I don't know what came over me."

"Forget it," Monroe shrugged. He waved Parker and Stone back to work. "This damned case has everyone edgy."

Saberson nodded. Monroe opened the book, looking closely at the drawings. Something about that book now made Saberson nervous but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Just as I thought," Monroe said. "I know what this is."

He pointed at something in the drawings Saberson hadn't noticed before. Small Oriental writing in the margins around the figures.

"I was stationed in Japan when I was in the Navy," Monroe explained. "There was this brothel in Kyoto we used to visit. One of the girls had a book like this to illustrate the different positions. She called it a Pillow Book."

"So Goldsmith had some Oriental sex manual?" Saberson said. "Is that worth killing him for?"

"The girl's book was very old. And very valuable," Monroe said. "This one might be too."

They both stood there for a few moments in silence.

"Why don't you go on home," Saberson said finally.

Parker and Stone were wheeling the stretcher with Goldsmith's body on it out of the room. Saberson glanced at his watch. It was nearly four in the morning. "I can finish up here."

"I'll phone some people tomorrow and see what I can find out about this book," Monroe said putting the book into his coat pocket. "Then meet you at the station. Say about 3?"

Saberson nodded.

Monroe followed Parker and Stone out.

Saberson stood there for several more minutes just thinking.

***

For a moment Monroe did not remember where he was.

The crackling of the fire reminded him. He was in the basement family room of his home. While calling some of the local rare book dealers, he must have fallen asleep. The Pillow Book lay next to him. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he went to the fireplace. He had started a fire that morning but it had burnt down to embers while he had napped. He added more wood and stirred the coals with a poker to get the fire going again.

The family room was his pride and joy. Since his three children had finished college and moved away, Monroe had spent much of his free time fixing it up.

Next to the stairs, he had built a fireplace. At the opposite end, he had covered the wall with mirrored tile. It gave the illusion of greater space and highlighted the pool table there. The other walls were covered with paneling of dark wood. A couch and short bar completed the décor.

Monroe walked over to the bar and fixed himself a drink. His wife was out of town visiting their daughter so he had the house to himself. He noticed the time was 2:15 in the afternoon.

"Better get my butt in gear," he said to himself. "I told Saberson I would be there by three."

Instead, he walked back to the couch and sat down. He began thumbing slowly through the book again. The fire burned brightly casting red highlights across the pages. Perhaps it was a trick of the light but the figures seemed to come to life.

In one drawing the woman received her lover from behind. Bent forward, her hair hung down in a black curtain swaying as he pumped. In another, they were in a classic missionary position. Red fingernails teased the man's back urging him faster. Monroe found something strangely compelling about the Oriental woman in those erotic drawings. He felt himself grow hard.

One drawing in particular caught his eye. In it the woman knelt, taking her lover in an oral embrace. Her yellow kimono had slipped from her shoulders, baring her breasts. Monroe's head felt light and his throat was dry. He raised his glass, only to find it empty.

A rustle of cloth nearby made him look up. Standing before him was the Oriental woman of the drawings. He smelled cherry blossoms.

"I must still be asleep," he said standing.

His glass fell to the floor.

The beautiful woman stepped closer. She prevented him from further speech by kissing him. Molding her body to his, she wound one hand through his short gray hair. With the other, she guided his hand inside her kimono to caress her silky breast. Monroe groaned as he felt her naked skin and the nipple harden under his palm.

She pulled away and slid sensually down his body. Kneeling at his feet, she deftly undid his trousers. Monroe stood there frozen with his heart hammering in his chest. Pulling his stiffness free, her kimono fell from her shoulders baring her breasts just like in the drawing.

Her small pink tongue came out to wet her deep red lips then holding him with one hand, she slid that tongue up the shaft to the tip.

"Oh my God!" Monroe groaned with pleasure.

***

"Thank you, Mr. Kelly," Saberson said. "You have been a great help."

He closed the cell phone. It had been almost six before they had finished at the murder scene. Strangely nervous, Saberson had gone on into the station instead of home and bed. With coffee and donuts in hand, he had spent the morning going back over the case file. Now the donuts were long gone and his paper cup soggy from the many refills. He picked up his notes and the file then went to see Lieutenant Hansen, Head of Homicide.

Knocking on his superior's door Saberson said, "I think I've got something."

Hansen waved him to a chair. Saberson first described the discovery of the Pillow Book, then showed Hansen his notes.

"Jawloski was the first victim. He ran a small import business downtown," Saberson explained. "His partner Kelly confirmed they recently received a shipment from the Orient and that Jawloski was working late unpacking that shipment the night he died. Morgan and Pershall were the first officers on the scene. The killer must have been scared off before he could find the book."

"Morgan was the second victim?" Hansen asked. "Pershall the third?"

"The killer must have thought they had the book," Saberson nodded. "I think he was right. They picked it up at Jawloski's, I don't know why."

"Coffman and Goldsmith, how do they fit in?" Hansen asked.

Coffman, the fourth victim was the coroner's assistant on Pershall. He must have found the book just like Parker did last night." Saberson replied. He yawned, thirty-six hours of being awake were getting to him. "All the bodies were found at home. Except for Coffman: he was found in the park. Among his things was a backpack of books."

"And Goldsmith worked in the Property Department where he had access to Coffman's effects," Hansen nodded. "If what you say is true, we've got cops stealing evidence. Which doesn't make sense. Drugs or money, maybe."

"Where is that book?" Hansen asked.

"Damned," Saberson exclaimed, jumping up from the chair. "I've been sitting here all this time."

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Monroe's got it," he explained to his superior. "The killer will go after him next."

Saberson could hear the cell phone ring and ring. He cursed himself. After twenty rings he thrust the cell phone back into his jacket pocket and ran for the door.

"I'm on my way to Monroe's," he yelled back at Lieutenant Hansen. "Get me some backup!"

***

Rush hour traffic was light still Saberson cursed any driver that got in his way. Police Dispatch informed him his backup was delayed at least half an hour by a big multi-car accident on the highway.

His car slid to a stop in front of Monroe's house. Saberson jumped out and ran for the door. Letting himself in with an extra key he knew the first place to check. Drawing his gun he crept softly down the basement stairs.

The roaring fire painted the still form on the floor a bloody red.

Seeing no one else Saberson rushed to his partner's side. Monroe was naked from the waist down. His pants and his undershorts were around his ankles. Carefully Saberson turned him over. Eyes closed and his breathing shallow, Monroe had one hand clutched to his chest. Saberson was relieved to see he still had his privates intact.

Laying under Monroe was the open Pillow Book. Saberson reached for it but something stopped him. As if moved by an unseen wind the pages began turning. Position after position was revealed.

There was a rustle of cloth.

Saberson looked to the left and discovered he was no longer alone. A woman was kneeling, her back to him. She was dressed in a white kimono. In her hand, she held a stone teapot. She poured from it into a small cup. Setting the pot down she lifted the tray the cup sat on. She stood slowly up and turned.

It was the Oriental woman from the drawings in the Pillow Book. Slowly she walked towards him. Saberson was enchanted by her beauty. She stopped before him and offered him the cup. It was filled with tea. She smiled at him.

He smelled cherry blossoms.

Where had all the candles come from, he wondered. They were spread across the room on shelves and other places, flickering and casting shadows on the walls.

As he sipped the tea, the woman took off his jacket. His gun slipped from his fingers unnoticed. She loosened his tie and took off his shirt. She took the empty cup from him.

She raised up on her toes and kissed him. Saberson sighed.

Lifting his arms, she helped him off with his bulletproof vest, then the t-shirt underneath. She ran her fingers across his naked chest and Saberson shivered. Her touch was electric and he felt his cock beginning to stiffen in his pants.

The kimono was sheer and he could see her breasts clearly through the silk. There was a red ornate sash around her waist which kept it closed but below that he could see the dark impression of her crotch. She was naked under the kimono.

Saberson was strangely rooted in place. The woman knelt and opened his pants then slide them with his underwear down to his feet. His now stiff cock sprang out. She reached up and took his hands, pulling him forward out of the clothing. Then she guided him down onto the floor beside her and pushed him onto his back.

His cock was standing straight up from his crotch. The woman took it in her hand and with a smile slowly started stroking it. She watched as a small drop of pre-cum oozed from the hole in the tip. Her hand slid across the top and wet itself with that earliest sign of his excitement. She leaned in so her nose was almost against the shaft and licked his ball sack.

Saberson groaned at that touch. He let his hand reach out to take her by the hair, pulling her face into his crotch against his cock. Her mouth opened and she took his balls between her lips. Her tongue played with them. First one then the other felt it caress them.

He groaned again and she smiled.

Climbing up she opened the folds of her kimono showing him her crotch. It had a small strip of black hair on it. The lips glistened with her juices. She still had his cock in her hand and she guided the tip to her pussy. Rubbing the head between the lips she grinned as she teased him. He was just about to reach up and grab her when she let her body sink down on him.

His head went back and he loudly groaned. She was so warm and tight around his cock.

She had taken about a third of him when she stopped and rose back up. Then she dropped again this time taking all but the last inch. She rose once more, paused then dropped to take him whole.

Saberson came, shooting his cum deep inside of her.

It was her turn to groan.

A candle went out.

After a moment, she put out her arms. He raised his and took her hands in his, supporting her. She slowly raised herself. His cock slid from her until just the head was inside of her. A small bit of his cum dripped down his hard shaft. She let herself slowly slide back down, returning his cock to where it had been deep inside of her.

Up then slowly down. Up, then down.

His excitement built again as she took her time fucking him. He let her do the work for now but he wasn't the kind of man to just lie there for long.

Her naked breasts moved around under the sheer kimono as she rode him. The small nipples rubbing against the fabric stiffened and grew hard. A sheen of sweat formed on her face making her glisten in the flickering candlelight.

She stopped at a downstroke to pull open her kimono. Her body was even more beautiful now that he could see it completely. He sat up and helped her disrobe, tossing the discarded garment to the side. Her lips came to his. They were soft and moist. He kissed her first gently then with increasing passion.

His arms came down to take her ass in his hands. She leaned back and put her hands on the floor to support herself. This caused her pussy to slide up his cock. Saberson gave her a rough pull and shoved his cock back into her.

She gave a small cry. Whether of passion or pain, he didn't know but his cock got even harder at the knowledge he was the cause. He wanted her like he had never wanted another woman before.

His cock shot a load of cum into her again.

A candle went out.

They fucked with increased urgency, his hands on her ass pulling her up then driving her small body back onto his hard cock. Each time she gave a small noise as their crotches hit. He could feel her clit grow stiff and hard against him.

He let a finger slide into the crack of her ass seeking that second hole. When his finger found it, she stopped. She looked deep into his eyes and her head gave a small shake. Saberson found her hesitation exciting and he used his strength to pull her back down onto his cock, burying himself deep inside of her.

She cried out as his finger slid into her as well.

His cock shot another load of cum inside of her.

Another candle went out.

Saberson pushed her onto her back. He didn't know why but the desire to dominate this woman was overpowering. He had often been the one to take the lead in with his lovers but this was more. Almost like he wanted to take her whether she wanted to be or not.

She was small and his large body loomed over her. Both his hands were now on her shoulders pinning her in place. She looked away from him, biting her lip with her teeth. He shoved his cock into her hard.

She cried out.

He fucked her with deep strokes hammering her into the floor. She shook her head back and forth. One of her hands came up to push against his chest. It didn't matter to him. He would have her no matter what.

He felt his crotch clench. He growled loudly and a huge load of cum shot into her.

Another candle went out.

He lay there on top of her breathing hard, then pushed himself up to stand over her. His cock, semi-hard and coated in semen stuck out from his crotch. It glistened in the dim light.

Before him, the woman gave a small whimper. Cum leaked from her pussy and dripped down across her asshole.

Perhaps he would take that next, his fevered mind thought.

The smell of cherry blossoms was overpowering.

After a moment the woman collected herself and crawled to a spot before him where she knelt. She raised a shaking hand and grasped his cock. Her head came up and she raised her mouth to it. Her tongue licked his shaft and her eyes looked up as his almost pleading.

Was it for mercy or was it desire? he wondered.

She smiled as her mouth took the head of his cock between her lips as if to answer.

He groaned at the touch.

Sweat dripped from him and he wiped his forehead with the back of one hand. Something caught his eye and he looked across the room. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirrored wall. Eyes wild, flicks of foam dripped from his mouth.

Then he glanced at the woman in the reflection

What he saw in the mirror was a form of nightmare and horror. Waxy skin covered with sores, it had an old woman's body. A long-nailed hand caressed a saggy breast. On its shoulder was the head of a fox. From the mouth filled with sharp teeth a long, long tongue slid around the wet shaft of his cock.

Bile rose in his throat. Fear clenched his heart.

The illusion of beauty and desire broken, Saberson staggered back. He tripped after two steps and fell tangled in his pants. He had but one thought.

His gun!

His pistol lay underneath the Pillow Book. Saberson frantically crawled on hands and knees towards it. Just as he grabbed the gun and book, a heavy weight landed on his back. He was knocked to the floor, the pistol and book flying from his fingers.

Sharp nails bit into his shoulders. Saberson tensed but Death did not take him.

Hearing terrible painful screams he rolled over. The creature stood looming over him, claws spread wide but stopped. About its legs, strange green fire burned. Still screaming it beat at the flames.

As Saberson watched amazed, it turned and fell. The monster tried to crawl towards the fireplace as it burned.

Suddenly Saberson saw why.

The Pillow Book had landed on the hearth, half of it in the fire and burning. He realized the book was the key. Jumping up Saberson ran past the burning horror and kicked the book completely into the fire.

The monster gave a blood-curdling scream as the green fire shot upwards from its legs and engulfed its body. Blisters formed and popped open. Its skin blackened and peeled back. Still, the monster crawled forward towards him and the fire.

Saberson's legs gave out and he slid down the wall to the hearth. The stones were cold on his bare ass. Inch by inch the monster drew closer. Saberson could see his Death in its eyes but he just did not have the strength to flee.

***

"Monroe is going to be alright," Lieutenant Hansen said. "Paramedic says it was a heart attack."

Saberson nodded. He'd had time to dress before Hansen and the backup had arrived. And to pull Monroe's pants up as well. That had saved embarrassing questions.

"I'm going to the hospital." Hansen said. "You coming?"

"You go on," Saberson replied staring into the fire. "I'll be along."

His superior gave him a strange look but left anyway. He climbed the basement stairs and Saberson was alone.

The green fire had harmed only the monster. The rest of the room was untouched. Even the carpet where it had stopped mere inches from his legs was undamaged. There was no trace of the horrible event.

Had all this really happened, Saberson wondered. Or was it the delusions of an over-stressed mind?

Taking the poker he stirred the coals before adding more wood. Then he noticed something on the hearth. Burned and blackened, it was the corner of a small leather-bound book. Reaching down Saberson picked it up and held it to his nose. It smelled faintly of cherry blossoms.

Carefully he set it on top of the fresh wood in the fire. Then with a smile, Detective George Saberson went to check on his partner.