Day 9

Asami slid out from under the sheets, careful not to wake Misha. Comfortable in his nakedness, he stood and gathered his clothes and headed to the bathroom. After he was ready, he left the room and stopped at the front desk to order Misha room service for breakfast. Then he waited while the valet pulled his BMW up.

The older man arrived at the Takaba residence just before nine in the morning. Takaba was sitting at the breakfast bar eating some salted rice while Margie worked in the kitchen.

Takaba glared at Asami and went back to eating. The older man came up and took Takaba's chin between his fingers, forcing the young man to look at him.

"The bruising is fading. Does your side hurt?"

Takaba jerked his chin free and hissed, "No, it's fine."

"Feisty this morning, are we?" Asami said with an amused tone.

Takaba said nothing and did not even look at Asami again as he took his bowl and chopsticks in hand, moving to the couch and turning on the TV.

"Hey," Asami said and sat down on the couch, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Just leave me alone. Don't you have anything better to do than bug me?" Takaba hissed.

"Takaba," Asami said sternly, "Something is bothering you. What is it?"

"Just had trouble with a target I was watching, that's all."

But Takaba would not meet Asami's eyes when he spoke. He seemed angry but there was a slight nervousness to his demeanor.

"Takaba, look at me."

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because I've seen enough of you." Takaba said standing up and heading into the kitchen with Asami on his heels.

"Takaba, tell me what has gotten you all riled up."

Takaba spun around, gripped the counter behind him and hissed, "Maybe next time you go fucking your woman in some hotel room you should hang your suit up so it doesn't get so wrinkled."

Asami noted the sparkle in Takaba's defiant eyes. The young man was definitely proud of himself for his jab. The wildcat bared his teeth and was poised, ready to defend himself against an attack.

"How did you…." Asami started to say but was cut off.

"I saw you!" Takaba shouted.

Asami took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward, fully aware that Takaba had nowhere to go since he blocked the doorway.

When Asami stopped, he was hovering over the young man with his hands on either side of the counter between Takaba's arms and sides, their bodies just touching.

"You're jealous?" Asami's eyes sparkled with amusement.

Takaba glared right back, "N….N….No!"

But the young man could not keep his voice from shaking, nor his body with Asami so close to him. When Asami pressed against him, Takaba felt the electric current that seemed to pull him in.

Suddenly, Asami's phone vibrated and the trance was broken. Seeing that it was Kirishima, he took the call, allowing the young man time to escape.

"What is it?"

"Boss, I have the evidence you wanted on Haruto."

"Good, then set up the meeting like we discussed." Asami ordered and hung up.

An hour later, Takaba came out of his room with his camera bag, "Suoh, I need to go to the office to work today." Since the November chill set in, Takaba's motorcycle was pretty much worthless. Besides, Suoh would have driven there anyway tailing Takaba.

"Takaba, before you leave we need to talk." Asami said coming into the foyer.

"What!" Takaba snapped.

Asami had changed his suit and his demeanor was cold, indifferent, "I have to leave town for a couple of days and I expect you to behave."

It was not as if Asami was asking, he was telling Takaba to stay out of trouble while he was gone.

"Where do you have to go? Aren't you suppose to be my bodyguard?"

"I have business in Japan that cannot wait but I will only be gone a short time. You will stay out of trouble until I get back."

"Whatever," Takaba shrugged as though he was barely listening.

Asami strode up to him and grasped his chin, "I already promised to punish you for last week, don't dig your hole even deeper."

Takaba sucked in a breath, his eyes wide, fearful. Asami smirked and released him.

"Bastard!" Takaba growled as he left the house with Suoh following.

Asami landed in Japan in the evening and went directly to his apartment. He had been travelling over twenty-four hours and was exhausted. He had not been to his apartment in over a year but he knew that the caregiver had been notified of his pending arrival and had gotten the place in order for him.

He went to bed when he arrived, wanting to be well rested and ready to do business the following day.

"Commissioner," Asami said as he entered the man's office.

"Asami Ryuichi, what can I do for you," he said, his hands folded on his desk.

Asami took the chair across from the commissioner's desk, lit a cigarette taking a deliberately slow drag, and smirked.

"It's what I can do for you." Asami's voice low and even, poker face intact. "Isamu Kiyono."

"That is a huge name to throw around. Do you have any idea who he is?"

"Of course. I have evidence that can bring him down." Asami stated.

"I would have to see this evidence in order to make that judgement call." The commissioner said but he could not contain his obvious excitement at the prospect.

Asami chuckled and took another long drag of his cigarette, "It's not that easy."

"Oh yes, the information comes with a price." The commissioner said leaning back in his chair and folding his hands together.

"I don't want money." Asami stated.

"Then….what is it you do want? A deal of some sort?"

Asami finished his cigarette and crushed it out taking his time to give the commissioner the impression that he was confident and held all the cards in this little game, which he did. He would remain patient and take his time to get the deal the way he wanted it.

"That is exactly what I want." Asami replied.

Days 8-4

Takaba was bored. He hated to admit that having Asami around was kind of interesting. The older man had a way of pissing Takaba off and getting a rise out of him. What's worse is that Takaba fell for it every time. Why the hell would I miss that?

He tried to busy himself with work but the political party and the convention of the nation's top leading dentists were not that exciting. He did accidentally take some shots of a drug dealer in central park and the guy was arrested but Takaba's intent had been to take photos of the landscape and the people meandering around the park.

One morning when he was in the bathroom waiting for the water to get warm, his thoughts strayed to the annoying, yet well chiseled older man. Takaba leaned against the wall in the steamy room and his hand skimmed over his sensitive nipple. Before he knew it, he was panting heavily and while one hand lightly brushed the hardened nub, the other slid down past the waistband of his pajama pants.

He rubbed his hard cock, ran his finger over the tip, and massaged his balls. If he kept his eyes closed, he could imagine that the older man was there, touching him. Try as he might, Takaba could not mimic the way Asami's hand curled around his hard shaft to bring him to orgasm.

"Oh God….Asami…."

It didn't take long for him to release, whimpering to himself, "Why am I like this? What did he do to me?" His face scrunched up in a painfully pleasurable experience. He was torn, mixed up in the head. Takaba blamed Asami for his sick twisted thoughts of the older man. The tears trickled down Takaba's cheeks. He did not want to need what Asami gave him. He was not the G-word!

Takaba had seen enough movies to know that men who topped, took other men the way Asami took him to prove they were superior to the bottom man. That had to be what Asami had been doing to him. There was nothing else between them. With his back against the wall, Takaba slid to the floor angry with Asami and himself all over again.

He did have Suoh around but the man did not speak much so Takaba kept his conversations short, not that Suoh wasn't a nice guy they just didn't have anything in common to discuss. Even when he and Kirishima removed Takaba's stiches neither man offered much by way of conversation. Occasionally, Takaba would ask if Asami was ok and Suoh would chuckle for which he would receive the Takaba eye roll. Suoh's response was always the same, "Asami-sama is doing fine."

Takaba did spend most of his evenings with Kou and Takato for a distraction. It did help to indulge in several beers to forget the bastard that he repeatedly told himself he didn't like anyway. One night they just went to the bar but the other two were spent at a dance club that they liked to go to. Takaba lived it up and danced with several women. Grinding against them and holding them close felt good….safe. Women were soft and smelled really good. They did not smell like sandalwood cologne, cigarettes, and coconut shampoo. A couple of the women that Takaba danced with had kissed him but contrary to his friends' wishes, Takaba did not go home with any of them.

On the last evening before Asami was due to be home, Takaba decided to come home early and had taken a cab instead of calling Suoh. He thought to play a trick on the gorilla to try to surprise the stoic man who didn't appear to smile much, so he dodged the surveillance cameras and snuck in to the house. When he didn't find Suoh in any of his usual places, he became worried so he started looking in places that Suoh would normally not be, like his father's office.

As he neared the door, he noticed that it was cracked and a light was on inside. Takaba silently stood just outside the door and peered inside carefully.

"Lock the safe back up Suoh, I got the documents that Asami-sama needed on Haruto."

Takaba's eyes widened and he held his breath. The guy with the glasses was standing at his father's desk looking over the papers while Suoh was crouched down shutting the safe and turning the dial.

Takaba was mortified. He could feel the beat of his heart thudding in his chest and his ears were ringing. He was floored by what he had heard. His mind started running through all the possibilities of why they would be snooping through his father's office but only one thing became clear, they were up to something that might harm his father.

Takaba quickly made his way back to the other side of the house and had a soda out just in time for the two men to emerge from the hall.

Kirishima cleared his throat and Suoh gave Takaba a curious look.

"Hi guys." Takaba said. "I was wondering where you were."

"I'll see you out and finish my rounds," Suoh said to Kirishima who pushed his glasses back up his nose, oblivious to the fact that Takaba knew they were up to something.

Takaba went to his room and with shaky fingers called his father, speaking just above a whisper.

"Aki, is everything alright?"

"No dad, it's not. I need you to come home….now."

"Aki…."

"Dad, just come home, please." Takaba's tone was full of the fear he was now feeling.

The young man did not know what was going on but something was and his own personal security was involved. That was not a good sign. Why would they spy on his father?

Takaba and his father had obviously been too trusting from the beginning. His dad was usually so careful that anything considered suspicious about the men would have been caught before they were even hired.

Suddenly, Takaba was afraid to with Suoh though the man had never been threatening. The flashbacks started then and the night he had been kidnapped was all to clear in his mind. Try as he might, Takaba's body would not quit shaking.

XXX

Asami relaxed against the reclined first class seat. His mental calendar reminded him that he would be returning on day four, giving him three days to contact Haruto and set everything up according to his plan. His goal had been to save Takaba from being given away and clean up Haruto's mess at the same time.

Asami had been infatuated with the young man since the day they met. The fondness only grew from that moment on. Asami had only been in love once, many years ago. That was the very reason his mother had been pushing Misha on him. She had walked in on him at the age of seventeen with his best friend topping him. After that, the two were never allowed to be within 100 meters of one another. His mother never told his father or anyone else but told a young Ryuichi that what she had seen never happened and he was forbidden to even look in Nishu's direction.

Asami was not about to admit that he was in love with Takaba, only fond ofthe boy. Hell, he wasn't sure what love even was anymore at thirty five years old.

It was evening, and dark, when the plane landed in JFK. The first thing Asami did when the wheels hit the pavement was to turn on his phone. Immediately, there was a text message waiting for him from Kirishima.

WE HAVE A SITUATION. CALL ASAP.

Asami hit the button and put the phone to his ear.

"Boss?"

"What situation?" Asami asked.

"Boss, we were….fired."

"WHAT?" Asami growled.

"Haruto came home early, paid us, and kicked us out." Kirishima stated.

Asami felt the plane come to a stop, "Takaba?"

"We lost contact."

As Asami stood and gathered his carryon he said, "I'll be right there and I want a full report!"

Asami's chest suddenly hurt. Until he knew what was going on all he could wonder was if Takaba was okay.