72

Pretense

Oga peeked outside of his office blinds. The silver head of hair tilted to the left, cradling the black telephone receiver in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Oga watched on when his new personal secretary juggled efficiently between taking a call, making notes and signing for the package that the mailman brought up to Furuichi's desk. Oga watched for a dangerous second longer before rushing back to his desk before the tentative rap sounded against the thick oak door. "Come in."

"This just came for you, sir."

Oga placed his head in his palm when Furuichi walked briskly to the desk. "Oh? What's in it?"

"Ah," Furuichi's eyes flitted suspiciously toward Oga, but blushed when they made contact. Oga didn't stop the lazy smirk that stretched on his lips. "I didn't look in the box. Should I…?"

Oga made a gesture to give Furuichi initiative to open the medium brown box. Furuichi looked around the room before resting doe eyes on the ornate letter opened in Oga's wide open palm. Oga focused on keeping his features relaxed when cool, slender fingertips brushed against his palm. Furuichi fumbled with the box and the letter opened, but furrowed silver brows when the box was finally open. "What are these things?"

"They're for my new partner."

"But...oh!" Furuichi threw the letter opener into the box before shoving the package onto Oga's desk. "W-will that be all, sir?"

Oga savored the blush creeping toward Furuichi's neck. "Yes, thank you, Furuichi."

SolMan's CEO closed his eyes after the tantalizing ass scurried out of view. "Soon. Very, very soon." Oga whispered to the box of brand new sex toys.

"Furuichi? Have you seen the email I sent you?"

"Er… it seems like I've just received it sir."

"Oh good. I know it's late, but could you review it before you leave? I'll need it for tomorrow morning's 10:30 am meeting."

"...Yessir. I'll have it ready."

Oga smiled, said something corny about great workers earning greater rewards then hopped on the elevator. Furuichi's hollow smile dissolved as soon as the elevator doors closed. Furuichi huffed when he dared to peek at the digital clock sitting underneath the email previewing twenty- two pages of contractual jargon.

6:43 p.m.

Furuichi slumped, pushed his hair back with both hands before settling them behind his neck. The silvernette closed his eyes when the gnawing hunger caused his belly to growl. Furuichi fought the urge to growl along with it. Taking one last deep breath, Furuichi straightened his posture, "Well, I'd better get to work."

Furuichi barely made the last train home. The silvernette slumped into one of the empty seats across from another haggard looking salaryman. Furuichi and the other man, a beta, locked eyes, shared a shy smile then curled into their respective minds. The CEO of SolMan enterprises, Oga Tatsumi, poached Furuichi Takayuki from the Frious Hotel a little under eight months ago. Working for such a prestigious company, and as the CEO'S personal secretary, with barely any training was unheard of, especially for a half-breed omega. The pay was good, overall the hours weren't bad, co-workers were nice, the only negative thing Furuichi had to say about it was that his boss was a very big tease. Except that wasn't all that negative either if Furuichi stopped to think about it.

Furuichi got off at his stop, noticing the exhausted salaryman was getting off at the same stop. Seeing the beta up close, Furuichi could see the purplish bruises hanging from emerald eyes. The beta stumbled toward the curb, raised a limp hand to hail a taxi, then dissolved into the night. Furuichi prayed that the beta had the day off tomorrow.

"Thank you all for coming. Please direct any and all questions to my secretary, Furuichi. I will get to you as soon as I am able."

Furuichi had barely stood when a group of balding, fat, overly friendly businessmen bombarded the secretary with business cards paired with passive- aggressive pleas of getting an appointment to see Oga one on one.

"Mr. Oga has a full schedule at the moment, but you will all be the first to know when there is an unexpected opening. Thank you for your understanding."

Furuichi slouched in his office chair when the phone rang. Furuichi stared at the incessant ringing telephone. The omega's hand raised the receiver, fixing his voice to speak in an upbeat, yet soft tone, "Oga Tatsumi's office, Furuichi speaking. Mhm. Yes, I see. One moment please. Nagasumi is on line 2 should I put him through? Very good sir. Yes, hello, Mr. Nagasumi? Yes, Mr. Oga will speak to you now. Please remain on the line."

Furuichi sighed as he put down the receiver in its cradle. He missed his days as a bellhop.

During the end of the year office ball, the silvernette had gone off to sit alone in his desk drinking several cans of beer judging by the amount of litter beside his shoes. Oga had gone up to grab his back up dress shirt because food ended up on the current one. "Furuichi? Why are you here by yourself?"

"What's it to you, chief?"

The bitterness that oozed from the depths of Furuichi's unbarred consciousness caused Oga to really look at his secretary. "Furuichi, is there something wrong?"

"I'll say," Furuichi pointed a finger into his boss's broad chest, "you brought me with the impression that I'd be happy here."

"And...you aren't?"

"No…" Furuichi's bravado depleted almost instantly. The silvernette's lower back began to ache from slumping over all the time. "It's not even the workplace. Or the pay. In fact everything is great. I just…I just didn't think I'd feel so lonely. Sir," Furuichi's glossy brown eyes locked onto Oga's, "I want to go back home."

Oga stared at the sniffling omega. The trembling of supple pink lips, the delicious flush coming from the silvernette's cheeks and the way Furuichi sounded so utterly defenseless nearly made Oga stray from his carefully crafted plan. Although Oga didn't scoop his secretary and fuck him silly on his desk, Oga would rather cut off his arm than not use a harmless shortcut when he saw one. "I'm sorry to hear you feel that way, Furuichi. Let's take you somewhere more comfortable to nurse that headache you're going to have in the morning. Furuichi whimpered and clung to Oga's strong frame as they went down to the garage. Oga grit his teeth when Furuichi's body kept brushing against his in a way that could only mean the silvernette wanted sex. Now. When Furuichi finally passed out in the car, Oga let out a breath.

"Soon. Very, very soon."