Quarter to 5PM. He was sitting on the bonnet of her car. Earlier he was wondering if he should take his mothers ride but she wouldn't let him thinking they were going out drinking. He also though about borrowing a car from a friend but in the end decided to walk there as they would probably take her car anyway or just walk. Boring waiting. 'Please, just don't let him be here again…' He though thinking about Temari's brother. This douche was getting on his nerves even though they met only once. It suddenly crossed his mind. They were pretending boyfriend girlfriend but what if they met someone who they knew? What would they think? Of course they would think the two were going out for real. It would be half as bad if they met someone like Ino but what about Choji or her brothers? He felt uneasy about it but It was already too late to turn around as she left the building in company of two men. One he knew. Tall, brunette, irritating. The other one looked strange. He was smaller than the siblings and that glowing red hair. Never had he seen such a ginger in his life. He stood up immediately but too late and Kankuro looked displeased.
'You again.' He hissed.
'Shikamaru…' Temari looked puzzled. 'What are you doing here?'
'I thought we could grab a bite to eat…' He mumbled.
Kankuro blew a raspberry.
'Jeez…' She looked irritated and pulled him by the arm aside. 'What did you take my phone number for when you end up showing here up like this?' She hissed while the two men stood still where she left them.
'I thought I'll surprise you. Thought you wanted people to see that you're going out with someone.' He shrug his shoulders.
'You've been thinking, You've been thinking! You thought wrong. People not my brothers….' She shook her head. 'Idiot. Go home. I'll call you when I got time.'
'That's not really nice.'
'I don't care. Those are my conditions and I set up the rules. We'll go out when I tell you to.'
'That's unfair….' He spouted.
'God damn, how old are you? 12?' She pulled him back to the men. 'Listen boys I may have forgotten that I promised to get some dinner with his fellow here. Sorry, you'll need to go eat without me today.' She smiled awkwardly.
'You promised him dinner?' Kankuro crossed his arms. 'Why is that?'
The ginger kept quiet and observed everything carefully.
'Just…' She shrug her arms and pulled Shikamaru a few steps away from them. He felt like a dog on a leash.
'Are you two dating?' The smaller young man spoke quietly.
'WHAT?!' She truly looked shocked. 'NO.'
'How about I don't believe you sis?' The taller looked at the brunette. 'Why would he let you pull him like an idiot otherwise?'
'He's just not very smart and pretty submissive.' She laughed nervously.
'Submissive and not very smart?' Shikamaru didn't manage to keep quiet.
'Oh shut up Shikamaru.' She looked at him furious.
'So, how is it officer?' Kankuro looked at him expectantly.
'Yeah, we're dating.' He shrug his arms.
'SHIKAMARU!' She nearly shouted making other office workers look at her weirdly while leaving.
'Ha!' Kankuro smirked. 'I always knew you'd end up with some idiot.'
'I have never seen you before. How come you two are dating out of the blue?' The ginger looked at him closely.
'Just happened. Love at first sight I guess.' He put his hands in his pockets and looked indifferently.
'Shikamaru…' She now whispered being all red in her face and breathing heavily. It looked as if she was having some kind of bout.
'Anything you want to add bunny?' He grabbed her waist still looking rather bored with this situation and Kankuro burst into laughter.
'BUNNY!? I can't…' He kept laughing. 'You're so dead my friend.' He whipped away his tears. 'I don't know what wicked relationship this is but I am differently looking forward to more of this.'
'You're pretty dead, he's right.' The ginger nodded. 'Kankuro, let's go. I don't want to be a victim of this massacre.'
'Temari, the keys. We'll take the car.' Kankuro said while still smiling like crazy. 'Bunny…'He burst into laughter again.
She threw the car keys at him and waited till the two were far enough till she looked at the brunet next to her. This expression was beyond scary. Suddenly he believed that the threat of being killed was real.
'You'll need a fucking lot to make this up to me you moron.' She grabber his palm firmly. 'Where is your car?'
'I didn't bring it…' He unwillingly whispered.
'You didn't bring it. All right.' She smiled creepily. 'So we'll just get a taxi and I'll choose where we're eating. You better have cash on your account officer.' She hissed through her teeth.
'Listen I didn't know…I thought…'
'Stop thinking you idiot! Doesn't look like its working out for you!' She was truly furious and got pale as some male knuckled in the background.
'So that is your boyfriend?' A tall blonde smiled at them devilish. ' Such a pussy whip.'
'It's not like…' She looked shy all of the sudden.
'Who do you call a pussy whip?' He wasn't up for a fight but that surly wasn't a nickname he would ignore.
'Oh sorry.' The man laughed. 'Better keep that girl on the short leash. She doesn't know where she belongs.' That devilish smile wouldn't leave his mouth.
'Oh really?'
'Yeah, she think she can go big just because her brothers are up high. '
'And why wouldn't she?' Now he was squeezing her hand.
'Women don't belong in such places. I am surprised she found a guy who keeps up with her bossiness. If I were her man I would show here where she belongs. At the stove cooking my dinner. That's not natural for women to attempt to achieve leading positions. Look at her. She's acting like a man, pushing people around, unable to be tender. Does she show you this side in the bedroom too or is she too afraid of sex?' He laughed. 'You really should stop pretending Temari. You're too weak for this business world.'
'Are you done now?' He let go of Temari's hand.
'Yes. What is it? You want to hit me my friend?' He laughed again.
'I would love to but I won't. At least not now. I just wanted you to know that this kind of talk is workspace harassment and it's punishable. I might speak to who is needed.'
'I'm not afraid of your small punishments and fines.' He turned around. 'Enjoy your afternoon with your butch.'
'Fucking bastard.' He hissed under his breath but felt Temari's hand on his back.
'Let's go Shika…Please.' She wasn't even looking at him but he knew she was close to crying. Another time he saw her soft side that was terrifyingly delicate.
They walked some distance in silence before he started a conversation.
'Who was that?'
'My co-worker. Deidara...'
'Did you report him?'
'No. What's the point? You heard him.'
'Damn Temari this is ridiculous. You can't feed up with a guy like this! Did you at least tell your bothers?'
'NO! And I'll kill you if you tell them. That's my business. If I defeat him I want it to be with my own strength. I don't want him to think I managed to do so only with my brothers help.'
'Talking about strength….WTF? Where did your temper go when it's needed the most?! You could totally beat his ass. Why didn't you?'
'I just didn't. Let it go ok? We're even today. I won't be angry because of the situation earlier and you won't mention this meeting ever again, ok?'
'Temari…'
'Listen. We're supposed to go on a 15 dates, have fun, have sex and then never meet again isn't that right?' She looked him in the eyes. It sounded brutal the way she put it but it was the whole truth.
'Yes.'
'So don't mess with my life. Just enjoy ok?'
'Fine…' He sighed although he wasn't fine with it at all. Why did she accept that kind of behavior?
'So where did you want to take me?'
'I know a good Italian restaurant close by if you like pizza?'
'Pizza's fine…' She force a smile on her face and he stared a moment at it. He really felt the strange need to hug her but only squeezed her hand. He squeezed her hand. Out of shock he immediately let go of it. Why were they walking holding hands? 'Sorry...' He looked terrified.
'Not a big deal.' She blushed and held her bag firmly.
'Are you ok now? You still don't look like yourself…'
'You don't know me…' She flipped her hair and turned around. 'Come on loser, I'm hungry.'
'Oh yeah, that's better.' He smiled and followed her.
'Stop it or I'll really assume you like me to bully you.'
'Don't be silly..Troublesome woman.' He laughed and caught up with her. 'It just really turns me on in a weird way.' He thought to himself.
'Goss how can you eat pineapple on your pizza?' Shikamaru looked with disgust at Temari's food.
'It's awesome.' She smiled honestly at him. 'Reminds me of home somehow…'
'Pineapple pizza reminds you of home…Explains why you're so weird woman.' He laughed.
'Ha ha…' She rolled her eyes. 'We used to order it pretty often when we still lived outside the city.'
'You lived in the suburbs?' He stared eating.
'More countryside. When we all grew up we moved here to rule the company.'
'Who raised you?' He smacked. 'Sorry if that's too personal.'
'Who raised me?' She looked surprised. 'Nannies most of the time and myself.'
'Nannies? Didn't you all get adopted?'
'Adopted?' She looked at him surprised for a moment. 'Oh… No. It was a family deal…' She waved with her hand nervously. 'Let's change the topic, ok?'
Shikamaru wasn't such an FBI agent like his mother but even he felt this wasn't honest at all. She was hiding things from him. The more time they spend the more secrets he saw coming up.
'Sure…Hm…So you don't want me to just show up in front of your office, right?'
'No…really. I'll somehow explain this to my family but I don't feel like those kind of unexpected meetings anymore. Can we settle that I'll let you know when I want to go out? In the end that's your part of the deal, right? '
'If you really insist…' He didn't look pleased. 'You're pretty busy, hmm?'
'Yeah...But I'm sure I'll make time for one date a week. Don't worry.'
'One date a week?' He looked her in the eyes. Out of the sudden he felt like in the desert without any water, just about to die of thirst.
'Yes…' She whispered and blushed.
'Could we make it at least two?'
'I'm busy..'
'Ok…' His appetite was gone. He put his hands together in a typical for him way, it was time to recalculate if this time and money investment was still worth it.
'You can always resign…' She finished her pizza.
'Sounds like you want me to.' He murmured.
'I didn't say so.' She looked at him. 'What are you doing weirdo?'
'Thinking.' He looked serious. 'No wonder you need a deal to find a guy to go out with you if you're always this nice.'
'Screw you.' She looked angrily . 'And how about you gigolo? Can't get any other girl laid so you have to go out with me?'
'It's not that I can't… 'He looked calmly. 'I just don't want to.'
She blushed heavily.
'How about I don't believe you?'
'That's your problem.'
'Why me?'
'I have my reasons.'
'What reasons?' She now was looking at him with hesitation.
'I can't tell.'
'Is it because of that night?'
'Partly…'
'It wasn't such a big deal…' She mumbled.
'Let's leave it there…' He scratched his back. 'Want to get some beers?'
'It's Wenesday…'
'Talking like my mother. And? Just one or two. I'm not asking you to get drunk, I have to work tomorrow too.'
'One…' She sighed. 'I'm not good with alcohol.'
She was laughing joyfully for a moment now. It was adorable to look at if he only didn't know she was already drunk. Her second beer was empty, she really wasn't good with alcohol.
'Yeah that was quite funny…' He tried to end her laugher as people started looking at them.
'Yeah it was.' She giggled.
'So Temari…why do you actually need me to go out with you for work? Like how is this connected?'
'Connected?'
'Yeah like what does our relationship has to do with that?' He was rather uncomfortable saying that out loud and took a deep sip of his beer.
'Oh I just wanted people from my company to see a different side … Like I can be that lovely…like you know… I'm cute enough to get a boyfriend. Not heartless and soulless like they suspect me to be.' She laughed shortly.
'Yeah…you might come across like this.'
'You could really stop telling me how terrifying I am, ok? I really am wondering why do you keep up with me when I'm so awful.'
'You're not awful.' He declined rapidly. 'You're scary at first…but I think…' He realized she's been looking rather surprised. 'I think you're cute.'
'Cute?' She gasped.
'Yeah.' He nodded and in his mind he was cursing the moment he spoke it out. He promised himself he wouldn't tell her such obvious things.
A high voice squeak left her throat and he couldn't believe how wide her smile was.
'No way!'
'What?' He was tense.
'You really said I'm cute.' She grabbed his hand. 'That's like the first time ever someone said this to me and it was meant as a compliment.' She was overenthusiastic.
'Really?' He looked her straight in the eyes. Who would have thought a simple word could make a girl this happy. Maybe they aren't that complicated as he thought. 'I'm glad.' He smiled sweetly too. 'I'm glad I could be your first…' He mumbled and blushed.
'Shika…' She leaned back. 'Why did you say that?' A feeling of fear and insecurity was mixing on her face.
'Ah just…don't…' He was nervous. 'I think I drank too much…'
'Yhm…' She obviously gathered her thoughts and locked those feelings up as her face became serious again. A few moments of silence and finally a smirk covered her lips. She again leaned towards him. 'You know back in the club… I thought that even though you were this drunk I thought you were pretty sweet.' She whispered. His face got darker and his gaze found its way towards her cleavage. A seductive view that combined with her husky voice made his mind travel to its nasty side.
'I can be very sweet…' He also whispered and looked at her palm leaning on his knee. Her small fingers were delving into his leg. He gasped and his heart skipped a beat and then a dirty plan came across his mind. What if he didn't wait 15 dates but seduced her earlier? Like that night. He leaned closer to her and was inches away from her shining soft lips which were in a fish gape.
'Shika…' She mumbled.
Somehow he like when she called him Shika. It was a form of a sweet-talk that he was way more sensitive for than he thought.
' Shika….kiss me.' She looked him in the eyes and didn't have to repeat. His lips pressed roughly on hers. He felt like an hungry animal that threw itself over its prey.
After a moment of their tongue dancing she gently pushed him away. 'Hey…wait…' She whipped her lips. 'We're in public. Not that wild…' She smiled.
'So let's go somewhere. Your place.' He looked at her with desire.
'No no Shika… no.' She shook her head and held on his hand.
'Why not?'
'15 dates, don't you remember?'
'Why wait?'
'Because that was the deal… 'She frowned her forehead. 'I think I should go now.'
'Temari…' He started to get himself together again.
'I really should.' She stood up a bit shaky. 'This was really nice. Really.' She smiled.
'Yeah…When…When will we see each other again?'
'I'll call you.' She smiled and grabbed her purse. 'See you soon handsome.' She winked at him and left the bar they were sitting in.
Another plan that went wrong. Why did she have to be that complicated? Shikamaru needed another beer.