Hot
By: Sonnie
Tenten had never felt so insulted. She'd been told to her face that she wasn't capable of performing a mission. It wasn't an assassination or a dangerous escort. It was a seduction. At least enough of one to steal the target's I.D. card, weapon, and key before he went back to his nearly impenetrable hotel room. The items would provide easy access so they could retrieve the documents they required.
The worst part was that Neji was the one who said she was incapable. It wasn't enough that he dismissed her abilities as a ninja, but to disregard her appeal as a woman…it was just too much. Tenten didn't care if he put her on suspension, but she was going to be damned if she just let him get away with implying all he did.
And even though she'd never set out to seduce anyone before or even anything remotely like it, how hard could it be?
-O-
Neji stood at the bar, eyeing Shikamaru curiously. Outwardly appearing to be his composed, cool self, Neji could see his friend had a slightly elevated heart rate. He knew something and Neji wanted to know what it was. Neji was pretty sure it wasn't good…and had a fairly good idea what it was about.
"Shikamaru…" Neji began innocuously, "You know how I hate surprises—"
"Yes I do," Shikamaru muttered sorrowfully, downing another drink.
"So why is it that I feel like I'm going to get one?" Neji asked innocently, his soft tone belied by the deadly glare he fixed on Shikamaru.
"Fine," Nara snapped. "Tenten's going to be here, alright. Apparently, you have an affect on her—you make her troublesome! She's going to show up and try to prove you wrong. There, it's not a surprise anymore."
"Sakura's doing this mission," Neji said tightly. He looked over to where the pink-haired kunoichi was giggling, batting her eyelashes at their target, Shou Jiri.
"Yes, and she has all the sex appeal of an innocent teenaged girl," Shikamaru countered. "Is that why you picked her?"
"She's prettier than Tenten," Neji reasoned.
Shikamaru laughed. "Frankly, that's an opinion right there. And even though Sakura's my age, she doesn't exactly exude maturity. She's still a girl. Tenten's a woman."
"You sound like you've given this a lot of thought," Neji growled.
"And you haven't given this nearly enough," Shikamaru said with a lazy smile. A little tipsy, he gestured to where Sakura was running towards Neji.
"Sakura?" Neji was confused. "What's wrong?"
"I've been trying to flirt with him for half an hour," Sakura said quickly. "He's outside making a call and could be back any second. I'm not having any luck, though! He said he doesn't want some skinny girl throwing herself at him like a drunken prom date. Neji…he's not some guy our age. He's not much older but he's definitely been around. This isn't going to work! We're just going to have to break in."
"Ino's here," Neji reminded her. "Maybe she can do something."
"Ino's here?" Shikamaru asked. "I let you put together this mission and you drag Ino in on it?"
Neji shrugged. "I picked the two most attractive kunoichis."
"But beauty is subjective," Shikamaru reminded him. "And you should know that beauty doesn't necessarily mean the best, even when the target is a womanizer." He turned to Sakura. "How did Ino do?"
"Shou told her flat out she's too skinny," Sakura said, unable to hide a small smile.
"Well she is," Shikamaru muttered darkly. "And you both had the same strategy of throwing yourselves at Sasuke, so why would one of you have more luck than the other when it came to this unless he just happened to prefer blondes?"
Sakura, about to snap back, was cut off by Neji.
"Sakura, get lost, he's back," Neji murmured as Shou came inside. Sakura nodded and headed back to the dance floor to keep an eye on him. Shou's entourage of women welcomed him back with smiles and outstretched arms.
"Neji, take a good look at those women," Shikamaru said simply. "Those are women he finds attractive…how many of them have the shapeless bodies of Sakura and Ino?"
"You're being awfully hard on them," Neji noted.
"I'm being completely objective," Shikamaru corrected. "Sakura and Ino are intelligent, beautiful girls, but in my mind, they're still girls, at least in many respects." Shikamaru's glance swept over the glass door and he smiled. "And to be quite frank, a man doesn't want one of them if he can have one of those. I bet you my next annoying A-Rank mission that Tenten will steal all three items when she gets here."
Neji hesitated. Shikamaru rarely made bets, and only did when he was absolutely certain of something. But Neji was the same, and felt confident that Tenten wouldn't be able to succeed where two brighter and prettier kunoichis had failed.
"You're on," Neji said simply, nodding his slightly.
Shikamaru glanced at the door, smiling. "Good, because if Shou can stand up to that, we might have better luck sending you or Sasuke after him next time."
Shikamaru smiled as Neji's eyes widened just the slightest bit when he saw the latest arrival.
-O-
Tenten pushed open the door to the bar, a wave of excitement washing over her as the sound of loud, jarring techno hit her ears and bright, colored lights assaulted her vision. A confident twinkle in her eye, she brushed a lock of dark hair over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist, the light glinting off a gold bracelet.
Tenten's dark eyes flickered over Sakura and the dance floor chatting with Ino, no doubt planning another pass at Shou. The target was currently in the booth at the back corner, his dark gaze met hers. A cool smile touched her lips briefly before she looked away, heading to the bar to order a drink.
"What are you doing here?" Neji hissed, his back to her.
"Proving that I have what it takes to do any mission," she answered calmly. "I don't care if you suspend me."
"Then consider yourself suspended," Neji bit out.
"At least let me have a go," she asked. "I can get all three things; the I.D. card for the hotel elevator, the key to his room itself, and the knife with the attachment that he uses to open the briefcase where he keeps the documents."
"You don't belong here," Neji told her.
"It's not like Sakura or Ino have been successful," she reminded him sharply, indicating towards the two younger girls. "So having me here won't hurt anything." She turned from him abruptly and went further down the bar.
Neji heard rustling behind him and figured she was placing an order. He saw Shikamaru's eyes widen before he turned his head away abruptly.
"Can I buy you a drink?" a low voice asked Tenten quietly.
Neji stiffened. It was Shou. He'd actually come over to the bar to talk to her? Moving further down the bar, he picked a spot where he could observe unnoticed.
"I've already paid for this one," Tenten said coolly to Shou, her shoulders slightly hunched defensively.
"Then I'll get your next one," Shou replied smoothly.
"That depends on if you're still here by then," Tenten said blithely, although she wore a small smile. Neji noted dourly that she wasn't wearing much else. The abbreviated black corset top she wore showed a great deal of her stomach. A delicate chain of gold wrapped around her neck, the end dangling down her middle almost six inches past her waist. A second chain wrapped around her middle, connecting to the first with a wink of twenty four karats at her navel.
Where did she get those clothes? Neji wondered, his eyes lingering at the low waistline of her black leather pants. Shou and Tenten continued to talk, their conversation was audible, even though he wasn't too close.
"What kind of drink is that?" Shou asked her offhandedly.
"Come in my panties," Tenten said, unable to stop a grin. "No lie."
Shou pulled out some money to pay for her next drink. "I've got the rest covered," he said in a low voice. "A drink like that sounds quite pleasurable."
"And that sounds like quite an offer, since you seem so willing to make sure they keep coming."
Neji frowned. He'd never really thought about Tenten in the sexual capacity. As a woman, yes, but as a woman that might possibly be having sex with men…no. He knew over the past two years they hadn't been too close, but this was quite a revelation. This wasn't simple flirtation…it was like a sparring match…with double entendres. It didn't take much for him to accept that she was physically capable as a ninja, but similarly skilled at seducing men?
"But such a drink doesn't really apply to me tonight," Tenten's voice shoved him off his current train of thought before pushing him onto a completely new one. "Because I'm not wearing any panties."
"Oh really?" Shou challenged, his fingertips brushing her hipbone.
"Who said you could touch?" Tenten asked slyly, slinking back. Even though her chest and shoulders were tilted back, Neji could have sworn she looked almost…receptive.
"Who said I couldn't?" Shou countered, leaning back, elbow on the counter.
"I think control is important," Tenten purred, approaching him boldly. "Not every man can resist the urge to touch," Tenten ran her fingers up Shou's abs at an agonizing pace, slowing even further when she reached his chest, "especially when the woman's touching him."
Shou's eyes were locked on hers. "But that's giving up an awful lot of power…" he commented, his hand running up her arm. "I happen to like an even playing field." He eyed the dance floor.
Tenten smiled. "Me too."
-O-
Shikamaru smiled knowingly as Tenten slipped the I.D. card she'd taken from his front pocket into the back pocket of her pants before sliding off her barstool.
-O-
Upon seeing Tenten and Shou, Sakura and Ino fled the dance floor. They went to Neji, who reconvened with Shikamaru.
"You don't have to look so smug," Neji snapped.
"You're the whole reason why she's here," Shikamaru reminded him. "Telling a woman she isn't beautiful enough for a mission—"
"You told Tenten she wasn't beautiful?" Sakura asked in disbelief.
"I didn't say that," Neji corrected delicately.
"Fine, just as bad, you told her she wasn't capable of charming a male target," Shikamaru said.
"Oh, that's ridiculous," Ino huffed. "I mean, she's obviously making more progress than us."
Neji's eyes drifted over to the dance floor where Tenten was currently dancing by herself. Shou was watching, apparently entranced. Neji admitted grudgingly that he couldn't blame him. He'd never seen anyone dance so…appealingly.
Neji knew one of the girls was going to nail him for staring (they were currently grilling Shikamaru for the same thing) but he couldn't help himself. The lights were bright and hot and he could see them catch on rivulets of sweat that were running between her breasts, down her stomach. Hair loose for the first time since he'd known her, the dark locks made her tan skin look paler in comparison.
Ugh, another Green Dragon song, Neji thought with disgust. Can't they play any good music?
Neji hated the song…one, because he couldn't stand the group that sang it, two, because the lead singer was especially irritating, and three, because it was causing his current frustration. This was his former teammate…currently grinding with their target for the evening. Neji would have liked to blame it on the drinks she had, but could tell from the way she moved that she was no beginner to those kinds of dance moves.
Tenten loved to dance like this…it was liberating. Yes, it wasn't outwardly respectable to some, but she always found it fun. Just allowing her body to find the beat in the music, her hips to find the rhythm…it was just so natural. Even when she was practicing "respectable" dancing with Kankurou, it had always gone better when they'd done it to music. Tenten knew she had a job to do, however. Shou was a really good dancer, and she figured she might enjoy herself for awhile as she figured out how she was going to get that knife.
-O-
"Go Tenten," Sakura gaped. "I think she's the only girl that can dance like that and not look like a slut."
"Tenten sure can dirty dance," Ino murmured, blushing a bit despite having seen other couples on the dance floor practically grope each other. Shou and Tenten kept their hands strictly at the waist or shoulders, but there was a definite sexual charge…
Probably from where their hips are grinding, Neji thought darkly. His colorless eyes narrowed as Shou's hands closed around her hips. The man was whispering into Tenten's ear as they danced. To his surprise and displeasure, she laughed, her eyes twinkling playfully.
"This is disgusting," Neji snapped, tearing his eyes away.
"But strangely compelling," Ino said absently.
"I think I need a cigarette," Shikamaru muttered, smirking at the dark look on Neji's face.
"Holy shit," Sakura muttered, gasping as she realized what she'd just let slip.
"What?" Neji asked irritably.
"She so just put her hand in his back pocket," Ino answered.
"And she's got the knife!" Sakura squealed, cowering slightly at Neji's glare.
"And yet her hands just keep going back," Shikamaru drawled, eliciting the desired angry look from Neji. He chuckled.
"Well, he does have a nice ass," Ino conceded, right before saddling up next to Shikamaru. "But so do you, Shika-kun."
"T.M.I.! T.M.I.!" Sakura wailed, covering her ears and eyes.
Neji sighed. Weren't they all supposed to be adults?
"I wonder where his key is," Shikamaru wondered out loud.
"It's in his front pocket," Sakura said airly, her eyebrow raised. "If Tenten does that on the dance floor, I think she should get a medal."
"Well, if they keep at it, she's going to get something tonight," Ino commented dryly.
"She's not going to make a move for the key in front of everyone," Shikamaru said confidently. "She'll wait until they're alone. I mean, if he invites her back to his place, she doesn't need anything else."
Sakura could feel the waves of anger rolling off Neji liberally. She knew he wasn't very pleased about Tenten being there, but she was doing a better job than the rest of them. Having her steal the objects off made it easier to retrieve the documents, the main objective of their mission. Was he just mad that she went against his orders or that she was dancing with a strange guy?
-O-
"Want to get a drink?" Tenten asked Shou after the next song ended. They'd been dancing a long time and she was thirsty.
"Sure," Shou said, nodding. Slinging an arm around her waist, Tenten winced when she realized how sweaty she must be. Even though the target wasn't an angel, he wasn't the usual scumbags she had to deal with in her typical missions. He just happened to have possession of documents a client wanted.
Ordering a simple (and cheaper) strawberry daiquiri this time, Tenten could tell by Neji's dark look that she had to try for the keys as soon as possible. Glancing at her watch, she was actually surprised at the time. No wonder Neji had looked so pissed.
"It's really late," Tenten murmured softly to Shou.
"Want to come back to my place?" Shou asked her softly.
"If I leave with you your green-eyed entourage is going to tear me apart," Tenten told him. "I couldn't count all the dirty looks they gave me just when you bought me a drink."
"Here," Shou said, dangling the room key in front of her. "I can ask for another at the front desk. Besides, it'll look nice with my keycard and pocket knife, don't you think?"
Tenten couldn't help it—her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You knew?"
"Yeah, but you were a lot better than those two other girls," he told her. "You're after the Takagusa documents, right? Why don't you just return my knife? It used to be my dad's.'
Woodenly, Tenten returned it. He motioned for the keycard and she pressed it into his palm.
"I had a good time tonight," Shou said, leaning in to kiss her neck. "See you 'round."
Tenten sat down at the bar, watching absently as Shou and his group left. He gave her a wink as he approached.
I've just been played, Tenten sighed, angry and upset at the same time.
Leaning over, he whispered something into her ear. Dropping something heavy onto the table next to her, he left without another word.
-O-
Tenten felt Neji sit down next to her.
"Want another drink?" he asked icily. "What was it you had earlier?"
"Stop it, Neji," Tenten sighed. "You were right. I couldn't do it. Shou knew I was after him for the documents. I had to give everything back before he caused a scene. Are you happy?"
"No, because it means that this whole evening was wasted," Neji said irritably.
"No," Tenten shook her head. She looked detached from everything, much different than she'd been earlier that night. If he weren't so mad, Neji might have been concerned.
"How do you figure that?" Neji asked harshly.
Tenten blinked. Holding up the documents they'd been hired to retrieve, she dropped them on her lap.
"You got them?" he asked, surprised.
Tenten nodded, her face devoid of any expression.
"What's wrong?" Neji asked finally, not liking the blank look in her eyes.
"You were right," she murmured. "I wasn't able to overwhelm him with my charm. He knew exactly what I was doing from the moment I walked in. He was humoring me the whole time."
"Then why did he give you the documents?" Neji asked.
Tenten felt a small smile stretch her lips. "I'm a good dancer."
"A good dancer?" Neji asked, puzzled.
"Actually, he said I was a great one," Tenten said softly. Without another word, she slid off her barstool. "I've had a bad night. I'm going to dance it off with the girls. Goodnight, Neji."
Throwing on a huge grin, Tenten went over to Ino and Sakura and showed them the documents. Squealing, they both congratulated her and they all went to the dance floor. Neji felt something heavy land in his stomach at the pain he saw behind her smile. He absently realized that not so long ago, he'd promised he'd dance with her the next time the situation presented itself. He frowned, realizing that he'd somehow managed to mess up again.
Neji looked up in time to see Shikamaru shaking his head.
"You have to take my next A-Rank mission," Neji said after a moment, partially to rid himself of the disheartening image of Shikamaru's disappointment.
"She got the document," Shikamaru pointed out. "So it shouldn't matter if she didn't technically steal all three things. Besides, she's still the reason we have them. I hope that's enough for you…I don't think it's enough for her."