‘Are you looking for a hot Asian mail bride?’
That was the standard heading for my online dating profile. Most men did not bother engaging by asking me about my favourite movie or colour. They initiated the chat by telling me how they loved my long dark hair and slim body. I pursed my lips and shook my head every time I read countless messages such as that.
After having a profile on several dating sites for years, I had pretty much come across every type of man. All of them wanted me to visit them in their home country, intending to marry me. Every time they mentioned marriage, I stared at the monitor in disbelief, wondering how they could even consider that with a person they had never met.
‘Make it out to Hina Cho,’ I replied to Oliver when he asked for my full name to buy me a ticket.
After he emailed me the ticket, I called Hina and told her to transfer me the money before forwarding her the ticket.
‘My mother was in a car accident. I just found out this morning,’ I emailed Oliver the following day.
‘Oh, my God. Are you okay?’
‘This is so traumatic. I can’t believe this is happening. I’m at the hospital as we speak.’
After Hina got on the flight to the U.K., I emailed Oliver again. ‘My mother just died. I can’t visit you now. This is so devastating.’
All of the men who bought me a ticket would email me a few days later after receiving the news about my mother to ask me when I would visit them. ‘My family needs me here to grieve with them. I’ll let you know when I can come,’ was my usual response.
The scam was simple. I found a customer who wanted to travel to a specific country. Then, I found a man in that country to buy me a ticket under the pretence that I would visit them. The ticket, which I would sell at a much lower price than the airlines, would be in my customer’s name.
The endeavour was so successful that I made a full-time living. The only time I regretted my scheme was the first few times I pulled it off. Reading the pleading emails from men to visit them made me feel bad, but seeing my bank balance increase made me forget about them. Using different pictures on sites and communicating only by email enabled me to continue the scam.
It amazed me how gullible some men were. In their defence, most of them were desperate and fell for my charms. Also, the pictures that I uploaded helped my case. I thought about pushing my luck several times when contemplating asking the men for a car, but I didn’t want them to get suspicious and ruin my venture.
‘Something about you piqued my interest. Can’t put my finger on it, but you seem like you’re an interesting person. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re also smart.’
The latest email was from Arthur. A smile appeared on my flushed face. Nobody had complimented me like that before. My cursor hovered over the delete button. He was unlike the rest of the men, so my conscience kicked in. I wanted to spare him the money and pain, but my gut told me to see what he had to say.
‘That’s so nice of you. Thank you.’
‘Your smile pulled me in when I saw your photo. I couldn’t resist zooming in. It’s like the Lord said to me that this girl is one-of-a-kind, and I should tell her how I feel.’
My forehead wrinkled as I pressed my fist against my lips. That is so adorable. I could not believe that I had met such an amazing man.
‘Hope you don’t mind me asking for your name.’
I thought about giving him a fake name but opted for the truth. ‘Lei.’
After going back and forth for ten minutes, I told him that I had to log off. That was an excuse to leave on a high note.
The following day, my energy slumped when I checked my inbox and saw that Arthur had not emailed me. How can this be? Every other guy would’ve bombarded me with emails.
My lips tightened as I glared at the monitor the day after and saw that he had still not emailed. Bastard. Who does he think he is?
While I was communicating with a client, Arthur’s email came through. ‘Hope you’re enjoying your day. I was thinking about you and wanted to check up on you.’
My gaze lowered before I read the email again. I wanted to ignore him. I should’ve, but I couldn’t resist.
‘I haven’t been able to log online because my business has kept me busy.’
‘What kind of a business do you have?’ I responded.
‘I run an animal shelter. Most of the animals are homeless dogs that I look after until somebody takes them into their home.’
I responded with a sad face and a smiley face emoji. Nothing pulled my heartstrings more than a man who cared about animals. My chin rested on my fist, and I leaned into the monitor when Arthur sent me a picture of him with the dogs. Tears formed in my eyes.
After being in touch with him for two weeks, he asked if I could send some photos of me wearing lingerie. I was self-conscious of my body, so I downloaded some off the internet and cropped out the face.
He emailed me the following day. ‘Wow. Those were amazing. I couldn’t help myself.’
‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
‘I thought about you and me together.’
‘In what way?’
‘Don’t know if I should get descriptive.’
‘Please, do. I want my imagination to run wild.’
‘I pictured you standing in front of my bedroom door in that lingerie, waiting for me to get home. After scooping you into my arms, I lay you on the bed before making love to you.’
‘Don’t leave out the details.’
‘Your ass was perked from the edge of the bed when I parted your cheeks, and I stared at your pussy. I bent my knees to lick it, and I teased you by rubbing your clit. You moaned and told me that you couldn’t take it anymore. When I slid my dick up your crack, you begged me to stick it in. That’s when I bit a chunk of your ass.
You moaned when I stuck the head in. Your tight pussy felt amazing. I felt it stretch as I penetrated deeper. You clutched the sheets and screamed as I spanked your ass while ploughing you. That tight, little ass of yours looked so damn good. When I climaxed, I frowned and pulled out my dick, then shoot a load on your ass.’
My hands slid up and down my leg, and I bit my lip while reading the email.
Arthur emailed me the following day and asked if I were interested in meeting him in America. My heart palpitated. I stood up and blew out a breath as I looked at the ceiling. Every part of my body said that I should go. It had been a dream of mine to see the USA for a long time.
Anxiety pervaded my body when I thought about him seeing me. Negative thoughts flooded my mind while thinking that he would be disappointed after meeting me.
For the following two days, fear had prevented me from checking my emails. I didn’t know how to turn him down, but I knew that I didn’t want to.
My fingers pecked my clenched teeth when I read his follow-up email about the visit.
‘Yes. I’ll come.’ I pressed send.
At the airport, Mom told me to take deep breaths. She had always supported me through everything and understood that I had a chance of meeting the man I had longed for.
The flight from Japan lasted 13 hours. I licked my parched lips and wiped my moist palms on my pants as the plane landed in America.
I collected my luggage and headed to the arrivals terminal. My heart pounded against my chest as I saw him. I stopped and considered walking past him. How could I? I had come such a long way after waiting to meet him my entire life.
“Hi. You must be Arthur,” I said.
“Yes. And you are?”
“Lei.” His eyes bulged as he gaped. My gaze lowered. I couldn’t look him in the eyes. “I know this is a shock. It’s not what you expected,” I added.
“But, you’re a man,” he said.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie to you.”
“This wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“I understand. I’m really sorry to disappoint you. It’s just that I couldn’t help myself. You see, I’m a gay man, and I’ve been dying to meet someone like you.”
He extended his hand. I looked at it and smiled before gripping it. He slapped cuffs onto my wrist and said, “I’m Detective Arthur Jones, and you’re under arrest for fraud and identity theft.”