Chapter 4: Slight Misstep


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"Sakura!"

Said girl peered into the hotel room where Ino had been sitting atop her bed, laptop fit snugly in her lap.

"Hey Ino," Sakura greeted cheerily as she shut the front door behind her. "What've you been up to?"

Ino waits for Sakura to sit on the other bed before indulging her. "I've been stalking Sasori's social media…" Ino titled the screen towards her. "It's all on private."

Sakura pursed her lips as she scanned the open Instagram and Twitter tabs. "Do celebrities usually put their social media accounts on private?" Sakura wondered aloud, reaching out for the laptop.

"Nuh uh!" Ino tsked, shutting the laptop screen quite greedily before placing it out of reach.

Sakura frowned. "What? I just wanted to see–"

"Are you forgetting where you just came from?" Ino interrupted, smirking as she glanced over Sakura's hair in an analytical manner, similar to how the blonde man in Sasori's apartment had looked at her. "Spill."

"What is there is say?" Sakura grumbled, moving her sore feet up onto the bed. "He was rude… it was like he wanted to blame me for his own actions. He pulled the blanket off me when I was literally naked and it was so embar–Ino! Stop laughing!"

Ino's cackling didn't cease to stop, and a few giggles escaped her mouth even as she began to speak. "I don't know what you were expecting forehead. I told you he looked like an asshole, didn't I?"

Sakura's mind replayed the discussion the two friends had on the plane over here as they squabbled over the possible personality type of her client. Sakura was convinced that Sasori's lack of scandals as well as hefty donations to multiple charities and environmental groups was evidence enough that he was a standup guy–but Ino argued that it was all a facade and just a way to gain points with the public. The fact that Ino had been right clearly highlights Sakura's lack of expertise and knowledge on the entertainment world.

"It's alright girl," Ino quipped with a smile, though the satisfaction of winning never left her eyes. "It's hard to read someone until you've actually met them."

"He really did seem to regret it though," Sakura said, voice suddenly low and soft. "I sort of feel bad."

"Well look at it this way; he got was was coming to him," Ino said indicerningly.

Sakura laid her head on the pillow as a grimace fell upon her face. "I suppose," she muttered quietly, letting her eyes get lost in the ceiling fan above her.

There was no sympathy in the way Ino spoke about their assignments, and although Sakura was quite used to it by now, it still took her by surprise every time Ino relayed her feelings on the matter. Despite their line of work, Sakura often pondered the ethicality of what she did. She tried not to think about it too hard… but it was difficult not to, especially when she came across surprisingly nice clients.

And although this certain client had been rude and unforgiving in the way he had responded to his infidelity, there was still a feeling of remorse that sat at the pit of her stomach due to his impending misfortune.

"His girlfriend will be back soon." Ino's sudden statement brought Sakura out of her guilt-ridden daze. "We have to move fast."

Recollecting her posure, Sakura sat upright and poured the contents of her bag onto the bed. Ino's eyes gleamed in delight as she quickly took possession of one of the items.

Ino whistled as she began examining the gold watch. "For an asshole, he's sure got good taste. A gold Rolex goes for at least 30k."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders helplessly at the astronomical price. "His clothes, his condo… everything he owns looks really expensive. He's fucking loaded."

A feline grin stretched across Ino's lips as she held the watch up in the air. "Is he loaded in other places?"

Sakura held back a sharp blush. "Ino!"

"What? It's part of the job," Ino said as she clipped the accessory onto her small wrist. "Not many people can say that they've slept with Sasori Akasuna..." she drawled out his name in a teasing manner, wagging her eyebrows in Sakura's direction and laughing once she got the reaction she'd hoped for. "What a fucking power trip that must be," she added.

Sakura rolled her eyes despite her heated face. "It's not a big deal. Considering how easy it was to seduce him... I'm sure many other women have been in that bed."

Ino hummed, shaking the watch on her wrist in content. "Or maybe you're just special."

Sakura scoffed before shooting her friend a knowing smile. "Or maybe I'm just getting better at the job."

Ino's eyes escaped from the watch for a moment to give her friend one more look over. "I think my taste in fashion also helped," She pointed out, gesturing towards Sakura's dress. "Did the French accent work? He fall for it?"

"I think I was quite convincing… I just used the story you came up with. He didn't press for any details so I assume he didn't care that much."

For the next 10 minutes the two co-workers discussed Sakura's escapade, thoroughly going over every single detail which spanned from the moment she sat beside him at the bar, to the exact time and place he'd taken her, and to how effective she had been in fleeing his home without being papped or spotted.

Ino's solemn and business-like demeanor laxed, and she peered up at Sakura with a satisfied smile. "Good job, Haruno."

Sakura couldn't help the way her heart swelled up at her friend's pleased expression.

Despite its simplicity, Sakura had been slightly nervous to begin this assignment. The extent of her powers to beguile a man weren't as advanced as Ino's, and she was afraid of messing it all up and disappointing not only Ino but the entire organization. Seeing the positive look on her blonde friends face was all the assurance she needed to know that she was headed in the right direction.

And as much as Sakura wanted to continue boasting about how well she was doing so far, both girls knew that their mission was long from being complete just yet.

:::

"Sasori, are you going to answer your phone?"

A long-suffering sigh followed suit. The redhead pulled his device out of his pocket, shut it off, and shoved it back in its place.

"No."

Kakuzu gave him a quizzical look, but chose not to press him on the matter. Sasori had walked into his home that evening in his usual casual attire, but it was the bedridden hair and dark under eyes that felt out of place.

Kakuzu was an executive under Akatsuki Financial Holdings, a subsidiary that provides financial services within Japan and internationally. He was the one Sasori usually turned to for legal and financial advice.

"Are you sure?" Itachi interjected, raising a curious brow over the edge of his midday glass of wine. "It's been buzzing for a while now."

And then there was Itachi, a well seasoned actor and humanitarian who was signed under Akatsuki entertainment along with Sasori and Deidara.

"It's just Willow. I'll call her later," he waved off, bringing the topic of discussion to a close.

But alas, the blonde to the left of him had other plans. "I wish I had a girlfriend who checked up on me that often," he said with a blissful sigh just short of sounding exaggerated.

Sasori could hear the smirk in Deidara's voice, and it took all viable restraint within him to not punch him right there.

Luckily the entrance of Kakuzu's assistant drew the attention of the four men elsewhere. "The tailor has arrived," she announced, opening the large mahogany doors of Kakuzu's living room further to allow the guest in. Following suit were his own assistants, trailing in racks on racks of professionally sewn suits, all name brand and probably overpriced pieces of cloth.

Sasori inwardly groaned, already anticipating the hours it would take to have his own suit tailored and altered. No matter how many times he had to do this before a big event, the process still got on his nerves.

Deidara, catching notice of Sasori's stale and sullen reaction, smiled deviously before leaning in and whispering, "that's what you get for drinking so late, yeah," and suddenly, a hard slap on his back had Sasori thrusting forward and nearly spilling his Fiji water. He shot the blonde a death glare that went largely unnoticed. "Now wake up my man, we've got a long day ahead of us," Deidara said gleefully, quickly hopping off the coach in order avoid the kick that Sasori shot at him.

:::

/ 1 Week Later /

The hustle and bustle of New York City had the girls carefully gliding between bodies as they made an attempt to arrive to their location on time and in one piece. It's currently April, and yet the cold almost made it feel like it was still Winter. The image of America that they had procured in their minds was a lot different than reality, and each passing day managed to squash all hopes of their fantasy becoming somewhat real.

As the girls walked past a group of men who didn't bother hiding their attraction to the duo, Sakura had to hold back her friend from doing something she'd soon regret.

"Fuck those creeps," Ino bit out once they were a couple blocks away and out of earshot.

Sakura silently agreed in the form of a nod. She wrapped her coat closer to her body, eyeing each passing building hoping to soon find their destination in order to escape the frigid weather.

Even though the city was far from her initial expectations, there were still aspects to it that she found enjoyable. The food, the culture, the lifestyle... While all very different from her hometown in Japan, she was still able to admire the individuality in what it offered. For Sakura, one of its redeeming facets was the street art. Murals covered buildings on every street, adding character and story to those neighborhoods.

Her client had an affinity for art. She'd spent some time researching his job and hobby, and so she wasn't surprised that he lived in a place like this. New York, in a sense, is an open playground for those who breathe and live for the fine arts.

"Here!" Ino proclaimed, grabbing onto Sakura's coat sleeve and tugging her into a small cafe. Suddenly, the warmth of the building as well as the smell of freshly brewed coffee enveloped her, soothing her shaking limbs. The main lights were dimmed, and the noise was kept at a minimum due to the fact that there was only three other people seated inside.

It was lowkey, as expected.

The girls ordered two vanilla lattes and made their way to a booth at the back corner. They sat and sipped their hot drinks in silence, allowing the hot liquid to defrost their bodies as they waited.

Exactly five minutes later they heard the jingle of the front door, and they watched as a man slid into the booth next to Ino.

"Yo," he greeted, untying the scarf around his neck and presenting to them his entire face.

A warm smile made its way onto Ino's face as she took in his appearance. "Shikamaru, it's been a while."

He returned her smile with a lopsided grin of his own before moving his arm around her in a side hug. "Yeah, how've you two been?"

"Good," she replied before sinking back into the seat with a dramatic sigh. "But we've run into a bit of trouble, and we're going to need your help."

Shikamaru nodded at Sakura in greeting before looking back at Ino. "Back to work, huh?" He said quietly, raising his elbows up on the table and gazing down at the blonde in peaked interest. "What do you need?"

"We need you to help us get a hold of someone's schedule," Sakura answered for Ino. She met eyes with Shikamaru's, and conceded to the curious look he shot at her. "His name is Sasori Akasuna."

"Hm... yeah, I've heard of him."

"He's a bit hard to track, honestly… It also doesn't help that he's barely seen in public besides clubs–and the only reason we know about those outings is because the paparazzi always capture him entering them," Sakura said as she recalled the few photos she saw online of the celebrity visiting multiple clubs that week. For some reason, he hadn't bothered to conceal himself the days following their rendezvous.

"He probably tries to lay low when he's working," Shikamaru offered, before shrugging his shoulders. "Why not just seek him out at the club then?"

Ino groaned. "We did, but we don't want to get redundant. We need to know where else he goes. So, how about it?"

Before he could answer, Ino quickly placed her laptop onto the table in front of him. He stared at the screen for a moment before exhaling in defeat. "How troublesome…"

Without a word, his hands met the keyboard and Sakura watched and listened as he tapped each key meticulously, the tech-savvy part of his personality making shape before her.

Before long, a spreadsheet appeared on the screen. It covered Sasori's hectic schedule from each month, to each week, and to every hour. It was exactly what the two girls had been seeking.

"How'd you get that?" Sakura asked, mouth agape in amazement as she leaned over the table to get a good look.

"Hacked into his assistants email," he replied nonchalantly, as if he were explaining one of the easiest tasks that one could complete.

"We also have another favour to ask of you..." Ino looked over at Sakura but the implication was clear enough in her voice.

Sakura pulled out the digital camcorder from her bag, and one peek at it had Shikamaru shaking his head.

"Nope, not again."

The delicate smile slipped from Ino's lips and her eyes widened in betrayal. "Shika!" she whined.

A hard look of disapproval settled on Shikamaru's face. "Ino, there are limits to what I can help you with. I'm not doing this."

Not again. What did he mean by that? Sakura couldn't help but begin to interpret Ino's overly exaggerated response as something more genuine. Did she honestly expect him to assist them that easily?

When Ino first brought up bringing Shikamaru into the fold, Sakura had promptly shut it down, citing it as a dumb and dangerous move to make when dealing with such a high profile celebrity. One mistake–one measly misstep, could cost them the whole gig. And while Sakura had no qualms with the Nara, it still made her nervous to allow someone she barely knew to hold possession of something this valuable to her.

But as always, Ino managed to convince her otherwise by declaring him to be one of the most trustworthy people she knew, and Sakura was only now beginning to realize what she had meant by that. Shikamaru knew much more about their occupation than she had originally thought, and it appears that Ino has gone to him for help on several past occasions with similar requests.

All of a sudden, the pinkette could feel the desperation in Ino's voice. Sakura wanted to mimic it, having now fully grasped the value of having someone like him on their side... but her tongue stayed still and she couldn't find the words or courage to articulate her thoughts, because despite now understanding why they were doing this, the idea of giving him the camcorder still made her feel incredibly uneasy.

Sakura's nervous eyes gravitated towards the device in her hands while her ears naturally drowned out Ino's hushed shrieks in the background.

In this memory key, there contained a video that showcased Sakura in her most vulnerable state.

In order not to arise suspicion on assignments such as this, she partook in sexual activities in a very believable manner. Disengaging herself from the performance was something she learned to be able to do once nailing it in her head that sex is a trivial act that doesn't require feelings in order participate in.

And although Sasori was the one who was drunk and couldn't fully discern the sin he was about to commit, somehow everything she'd learned up until that point–every precedent she preached about before having sex with clients–slipped from her mind the second he drunkenly kissed her.

Sakura couldn't entirely comprehend what it was in that moment that made her mind go blank... but as the memories of that particular night began playing at the back of her eyelids for what seemed like the hundredth time, she suddenly drew to a conclusion that she denied herself from admitting all week. A realization that cut deep into her integrity.

She didn't have full control of the situation that night.

In this memory key, there contained a video that showcased Sakura not only in her most vulnerable state, but in a state where the lines between what was purely an act and what was real had somewhat blurred together.

Sasori Akasuna was much more attractive in person than in the photos she'd seen of him. Sitting beside him at that bar, she almost broke out of character once granted a full show of his face. Red, almost auburn pieces of hair outlined his features, and his eyes–though somewhat bloodshot–still managed to captivate her. And when they kissed and parted for air, those same perilous eyes had transformed into something darker, drawing her into him once more without the use of words.

Eyes that enraptured her so deeply that she couldn't escape them... not at the bar, not in the limo, and not when she submissively laid under him as he slid himself into her, demanding in an assertive tone that she keep her own eyes visible to him so that he could savour the irrefutable pleasure and desire that reflected off of them.

She allowed it, and in turn he pulled her waist closer and thrusted harder. And It felt good. It felt so, so good. But...

She let her guard down at one of the most crucial points of the mission. It was incomprehensible, and the embarrassment of it all had her up for hours after they completed the deed, gnawing at her insides for what seemed like forever. Not even the warmth of his presence next to her could alleviate the regretful cold shudder that ran through her body.

She was lucky that she hadn't lost complete perception of the situation, because she surely would have forgotten to set-up the camera in the midst of it all. But even then there was no escaping the fact that pure lust had overtaken her entire being that night, and she didn't need to watch the tape to know that its contents clearly exhibited this.

I just have to be careful to not let it happen again, she tried to reason.

But everytime she looked back at the camera, her inability to adhere to the rules she set for herself would invade her senses anew, and leave her even angrier and flustered than before. She had backed herself into a precarious situation, and just like those sensual brown eyes, there was no clear escape. Her failure to remain professional would continue to eat at her the more she thought about it.

Her gaze lifted up to Shikamaru once more.

She wanted to stop thinking about it.

"Shikamaru."

He reopened his firmly shut eyelids, causing Ino to scowl at him.

"Please..." Sakura whispered, finding it within her to not sound as hopeless as she felt at that moment. "We really need this."

While trying to navigate a maelstrom of conflicting emotions, she slid the camcorder on the table towards him. Shikamaru studied her apprehensive gesture before sighing yet again in defeat.

"Fine..." he groaned, causing Ino's eyes to widen in mute surprise, "–but I'm doing this for Sakura. Only this once. After this, I'm not helping either of you again."

"You say that now, but you always end up coming to my rescue anyway," Ino retorted smugly, watching in glee as he took hold of the precious device. "Thank you Shika!"

A flood of emotion intensively ran through her, but the only one she felt assured in portraying in that moment was her gratitude towards the man. "Thank you, Shikamaru."

And thankful she was, for more reasons than one.

:::


A/N: ohhh… Just a reminder that this story is rated M. Also, I'm starting to think that I'm going to need more than 10 chapters to finish this lol...

let me know what you think so far!