A/N: It has been a few years since I last wrote a fiction. It was rather difficult for me to start writing again and it took me a while to transfer my ideas into words. As English is not my first language, I apologise if there's any grammatical errors. This chapter is self beta-ed. Please read and review!

You'll notice I use Aoe-san and Reji interchangeably. Aoe-san is used when I write on Naoya's thoughts.

Disclaimer: Of course, Love Mode is not mine. I'm merely borrowing the characters.


"Excuse me..."

Naoya turned and saw a young handsome man smiling at him. The man walked to his direction slowly, his eyes never left Naoya's confused face.

"I don't mean to startle you but would you like to earn some pocket money?" The man spoke in such casual confidence that Naoya thought he must have rehearsed it a million times.

When Naoya said nothing, the man continued, "It's really easy. All you have to do is just to sit and listen to people talking about their day. The pay is seriously good."

"I... I'm not interested, thank you."

Naoya turned to walk away quickly. He had forgotten that he was standing in the middle of Kabuki-Cho, the street famous for male hosts. Often recruiters would walk around, scouting for new recruits to work in their clubs. Naoya cursed himself silently for stubbornly insisting to go to the supermarket to get some groceries instead of the usual mart which Aoe-san favoured. A firm believer of spending unnecessarily, Naoya thought he'd stopped by the new supermarket since he had to pass by the area.

"Hey... the pay's good! It pays ten times more than your average part-time job at the convenience store," the man jogged up to Naoya.

"N—No, thank you."

"You'll never know until you try! Our place is the best; we have nothing but the richest clients," the man held Naoya's arm.

Shocked, Naoya tried to fling his arm away but the man was persistent.

"Come on, just check the place out. If you don't like it you can always walk away." The man literally dragged Naoya along.

"Please let go of my arm. I'm not interested," Naoya tried to pull away. God, if Aoe san knew about this, he'll be mad. Aoe san reminded him countless times to call his driver to pick him after college and not to take public transportation home. Ever since the kidnapping incident, he had been careful with his Naoya's whereabouts. He even got him a mobile phone and made him report to him if he decided to go anywhere.

"Don't worry. You'll love it!" the man said eagerly.

Naoya was left with no choice. His efforts to shake the man loose were in vain as the man's grip was firm. He was literally dragged along. Aoe-san is definitely going to be pissed. He checked his wrist watch, a present from Kichi and noticed that his lover will probably be back from work in less than two hours. He prayed that he had time to reach home before Aoe san.

"We're here!"

Naoya snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the man next to him. He was smiling proudly as he looked at the lofty building in front of him. If Naoya hadn't known any better, he would have thought the building belonged to the man.

He followed the man's proud gaze and froze.

'B&B Exclusive Club'

Oh shit. Not in a lifetime would Naoya have thought that the club he referred to was Aoe san's exclusive club. Naoya gulped nervously.

"I- I don't like it. Pl—please let go of my arm. I want to go home," he stammered.

The man, oblivious to Naoya's nervousness took no heed and pulled him in the building.

"Come on, have a look inside!"

Once they were inside, Naoya tried his best not to look around. Some B&B hosts recognised him as the Owner's kitten and might inform Aoe-san about it. If Kichi sensei happens to be there, it'd be disastrous.

"This is a cool place huh? I tried to get in but they said I'm not fit to be a host here. I was asked to be a recruiter instead and they might reconsider if I can find suitable hosts."

So, that's why he was so persistent.

As the man chattered on how he hoped to join the esteemed host club, Naoya kept his head down and prayed no one would recognise him. He didn't know how long he walked for the next thing he realised he was already in a meeting room.

He ushered Naoya to the nearest seat. "Wait here. I'll get the Jin-san."

He left Naoya and ran out of the room. Naoya knew this was his chance to escape. The small meeting room he's in is not anywhere near Aoe-san's office. To get to the floors above, one has to be a member of B&B. All guests are given special pass codes to enter the upper floors. The lobby is merely a lounge for potential customers and hosts to linger around.

He stood up nervously and walked to the door. By luck, he could still escape and get home before Aoe-san. The minute he opened the door, he was greeted by a tall man, presumably Jin-san. The man who 'recruited' him pranced behind, chattering happily.

"Just wait till you see him, Jin san. He is perfect for B&B!"

Oh shit. Naoya recognised the man. He was the same host who was in the elevator during his last visit to Aoe-san's office. Aoe-san was too busy to celebrate his own birthday a few months ago and decided to spend the night in the office. Kichi-sensei, sensing Naoya's unhappiness had cheerfully asked him to pay his brother a surprise visit. The visit ended up with Aoe-san making hot passionate love to him on the sofa. Thinking about it made Naoya's face red.

Jin seemed to recognise him because Naoya swore he saw his eyes nearly popped out from the surprise.

Oh shit. He gulped nervously.

"You're owner's—" Jin halted, too shocked to continue.

"I—"

"Fuck you Tatsuya. Where did you find him?" Jin grabbed the man by his collar.

"Woah, Jin san. Cool it. He was walking along Kabuki-Cho when I..."

"Double fuck. You recruited him?" Jin barked.

Tatsuya, hurt from Jin's unusual rudeness retorted. "Well, he hasn't agreed to it. I told him to take a look first. Look, I mean... if you don't like him, all you gotta do is tell me. There's no need to be so rough."

Jin pushed Tatsuya away angrily. "You mean to tell me that you forced this boy to come? Are you a complete idiot?"

"What's wrong---"

"Shut up!" Jin said with such a force that Tatsuya zipped his mouth immediately.

Jin turned to Naoya. He was shocked speechless to find the young man that Tatsuya claimed to have the perfect face for B&B was none other than owner's lover.

"Jin san?" Naoya stared timidly at the man. "If it's not too much trouble, can you please not tell Aoe-san about this?"

Jin sighed. He thought of the probabilities. B&B is equipped with cameras and the secret would be out even before he finished his shift. If the owner finds out that he did not report to him about Naoya---; he shuddered to think what would happen to him. Aoe Reiji is a man he could not afford to play with.

"Look, I'm sorry. I have to tell owner about this."

Naoya nodded glumly. "I understand."

"Jin-san. What's wrong with him? Who's this Aoe dude?"

"Tatsuya, you're in deep shit. Pray that you'll walk out of here in one piece." Jin jabbed his finger at Tatsuya before walking to the phone. He pressed a few buttons which Naoya assumed it would transfer to Aoe-san's office.

"Kashima-san? Is the owner there? Ah... yes.. could I speak to him please?"

There was an intense moment as Jin waited.

"Owner? This is Jin. Your lov......." Jin stopped at looked at Naoya. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"Shirakawa Naoya."

Jin looked away. "Shirakawa-kun is in B&B."

Naoya noticed Jin had to pause while Reiji blasted his questions at him.

"There're some complications. Can I bring him up to your office?------------- very good. I'll bring him now."

Jin replaced the phone and stared at both men in the room. "All of us are going to be in trouble and that includes you, Shirakawa-kun."

Naoya looked down nervously. He knew Aoe-san would be mad. Why wouldn't he? Not only he had defied him by walking home alone; he was brought to B&B by a recruiter who wanted to recruit him as a host in his turf!

"Jin-san, can you explain to me what's going on here?" Tatsuya grabbed the lapel of Jin's coat.

Jin turned to grab the other man before slamming him against the wall. "Aoe-san is the owner of B&B and the boy YOU brought back is the owner's lover! Now do you get what sort of trouble you're in?"

Tasuya's eyes widened. He angled his head to look at Naoya's worried face. "It... it cannot be. I mean—"

Jin released Tatsuya roughly. He pulled Tatsuya by his collar and turned to Naoya. "Shirakawa-kun, let's go and meet owner."

Naoya nodded and followed Jin. Jin led them to an elevator at the side and swiped his card on the scanner. After pushing a few buttons to release the locks, the door slid opened. As they travelled up in the small yet elegant elevator, none of them spoke.

Tatsuya looked almost traumatised with his blunder while Jin's worried face gave Naoya more reasons to worry. The Aoe-san he knew is usually kind and affectionate but the look the two men had on their faces proved that Aoe-san is not a man they could mess with.

The ride to the top floor was fast as the private elevator they were in had no stops. By the time Naoya heard the faint 'ting' sound which announced they had reached, Naoya's felt his heart hammering against his ribs.

The large door and quiet hallway to Aoe-san's room provided no comfort either. Jin hesitated before knocking softly on the perfectly varnished oak door.

Kashima opened the door. His usual smiling face greeted them although it lacked the warmth he used to have.

Naoya entered the huge room last. He dared himself to look up and saw Aoe-san's piercing gaze at him. Naoya quickly reverted his gaze to his sports shoes.

Aoe-san was leaning against his table, arms folded. The long sleeve shirt which Naoya chose for him that morning was rolled up half. Neck tie loosen under his black vest, Aoe-san looked ridiculously handsome and extremely pissed.

"Jin, I'm waiting for your explanation." Reiji spoke, ending the tormenting silence in the room.

Jin cleared his throat. "Owner, there was a misunderstanding. Tatsuya saw him passing by and he wanted to recruit him to be a host here."

"What?" Reiji's thunderous shout caused a jolt at Naoya's spine.

Aoe walked to the shivering Tatsuya. His towering height was so intimidating that the younger man took two steps behind.

"I—I'm sorry. I didn't know that he—"

"It's not Tatsuya-san's fault!" Naoya burst out. He stood between his lover and the recruiter, both palms on Reiji's chest.

Eyebrow raised, Aoe looked at his panicked lover. Naoya met his gaze timidly, tears threatening to spill.

"Tatsuya-san—he didn't know who I was."

"So, you don't know him yet you follow him here."

Naoya had never seen Reiji-san looking so angry. True, Aoe-san sometimes scolded him for being careless but never like this. The look on Aoe-san's face now is murderous.

"I didn't. I asked him to let me go but he was pulling my arm----" Naoya halted when he realised he was making things worse.

"Tatsuya-kun, you forced Naoya to be here when he didn't want to," Aoe's gaze pierced at Tatsuya.

"I'm terribly sorry! I didn't know. I was so happy that I forgot everything else! I mean, he has such a perfect face for B&B." Tatsuya bowed so low that his spine hurt.

"Why?"

Still bowing, Tatsuya replied, "I wanted to be a B&B host but I was rejected. Jin-san told me if I could recruit more hosts for B&B, he would reconsider me."

"Please Aoe-san, won't you forgive him? He only wanted to join B&B," Naoya pleaded.

Reiji closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose slightly. When he opened his eyes again, the anger had subsided.

"To sum it up, this is all Jin's fault," Reiji stared at Jin.

Jin smiled nervously, "Owner, you can't blame everything on me. Sure I told him to recruit more hosts but I didn't know Shirakawa-kun was the first person he recruited."

"Owner, I believe it's just a misunderstanding," Kashima spoke softly behind Aoe.

Reiji sighed. He looked at the boy still bowing in fear. "Tatsuya, stand up straight."

The boy complied. He didn't dare to look anywhere except for his own worn out shoes.

"Look at me."

Reiji studied the boy closely. "You're not fit to become a host."

Tatsuya nearly cried. "I understand. I'm terribly sorry for all the trouble."

"Let me finish. You're not fit to become a host ... yet. You'll start with page boy. After a year or two, you'll probably have what it takes to become a host in B&B."

Tatsuya stared at Reiji unbelievably. "I..... Thank you very much, Aoe-sama!"

"Don't be so happy. You have to be punished for your mistake. Start by cleaning all the windows in the building." Reiji folded his arms.

"Thank you, Aoe-sama! I'll start right away!"

"And that includes you, Jin."

"WHAT? But--" Jin protested

"It's either that or pay cut," Reiji lighted a cigarette.

As Kashima ushered Jin and Tatsuya out of the room, Jin grumbled about his luck and knocked Tatsuya's head repeatedly.

When the door closed behind them, Naoya took a timid step towards Reiji. "Aoe-san, I'm sorry."

"You idiot! I told you many times not to walk home! You're lucky that the shrimp recruited you for my club. Have you ever thought what would happened if you walk into other clubs?"

Reiji turned to window when Naoya made no attempt to answer. He slid both hands into his slacks and stared outside with no particular focus.

Naoya knew he would be furious. He shouldn't have given in to Tatsuya. He should have just walked away quickly. No, he should have called Aoe-san's driver to fetch him after college. Thinking about it seems useless now as the damage has been done.

With determination to set things right, Naoya walked to Reiji slowly and slid his lean arms around Reiji's torso. He rested his head on Reiji's shoulder blades and whispered, "I'm sorry, Aoe-san."

Surprised with Naoya's forwardness, Reiji smirked. Anger gone, Reiji savoured the boy's warmth around his body a little longer before untangling his arms. He turned to meet Naoya's worried face. Really, he couldn't stay mad at Naoya for long. How could he, when the boy in front of him looked so delectable?

Using his forefinger to tilt Naoya's chin, Reiji lowered his head and kissed him. Naoya returned the kiss, a fact which surprised Reiji as Naoya is usually very reserved outside. He broke the kiss, only to drag Naoya to the long couch nearby. He sat on it before pulling Naoya on his lips. Reiji sank into Naoya, hands tugged on his shirt.

"Aoe-san!" Naoya gasped, pulling himself away.

"What?" Reiji asked absentmindedly as he nuzzled his neck. He found his favourite spot, the curve of his throat and licked it.

"We.... we shouldn't." Naoya protested even though he felt the heat growing.

"Why not?" Reiji paid no heed to Naoya's squirming. He expertly undid the boy's shirt before moving to the button of his jeans.

"This.. this is the place where you work," Naoya panted.

"So?"

"We should.... we should ..... stop. Someone might......." Naoya trailed off when Reiji's hands stroke his length.

"They wouldn't dare. I'll fire anyone who dares to open the door," Reiji grinned and continued devouring his young lover.

Reiji felt his lover trembled and knew he was reaching his limit. A few more strokes and......

BANG...

"REIJI!!!!! I heard Naoya's here!" Aoe Kichi burst into the room.

"KICHI!!

Kichi smiled mischievously. Truth is, he has been standing outside the office for a while, waiting for the golden opportunity to walk into them making out. The look that Reiji had on his face............ priceless!

"KICHI!!! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO KNOCK?"