So far, dinner had been a quiet affair. Tenten had been more like her usual self since he got back from the laundry, her replies short and clipped with a large helping of attitude, and it made him wonder what had happened in that overactive mind of hers in the few minutes he had been out of the room.
Neji had been surprised to see a glimpse of her Little so soon. It hadn't been much, but as they'd talked about her stuffy, he could see her peeking through. And he relished those short moments. Her guard had been lowered, and even if it was because she was too exhausted to put up her defences, he was glad she felt safe enough around him to show him her Little.
Now though, her shields were back up. He didn't like it, but he wouldn't pressure her either. Hopefully, during their week together, he could coax her out more and more. Tenten needed a keeper. Not because she couldn't do things herself, but because she did too much. She overworked herself, and by the looks of things, she didn't have support from anyone.
Neji wanted to be that support. She could be independent at work, but he wanted her to feel safe with with him so she could let down that ever-present wall closing her off from others. He wanted her to let go around him and allow her Little free without fear of criticism. Neji wanted her to give up control and submit to him, trusting that he would look after her the way she needed—with rules, and the consequence of discipline when those rules were broken. He knew she would thrive under his care as his sub and Little girl, but he didn't want to push her too fast. She may not even realize she was a Little, and he wouldn't want to frighten her when he was finally given an opportunity to get to know her better.
"You're a lawyer, aren't you, Neji?" Tenten asked, the first question she had directed towards him all evening.
He wondered why she was suddenly so curious about his occupation, but he was glad she was talking to him. "Yes."
"Are you any good?"
Neji quirked his brow at her. "The best."
Tenten's lips tipped up in amusement. "And so modest too. I probably won't be able to afford your fees, but if you know anyone who works pro bono, I might be needing their assistance soon."
"Why may you be needing a lawyer?" he asked, brows furrowed in confusion.
Biting her lip, she broke eye contact with him. "You remember how I said I hit someone earlier? Well, he might be trying to sue me."
"What?" Neji's eyes widened at her confession, surprise and anger building inside him.
With a shrug, she replied, "I think he took offence that I gave him a black eye or something. I didn't really listen to him because he was going on and on as he yelled at me."
"But he sexually harassed you." Neji was seething. Not only had she endured unwanted attention, but she was also being threatened with a lawsuit. No wonder she had been so emotional all afternoon. If she were his, he still would have punished her for her misbehaviour, but he would have been a little more lenient with her, knowing how much stress she must be facing right now. Lines and corner time, perhaps, instead of a spanking.
Tenten scrunched up her face. "He's denying it. And since there are no cameras where it happened, it's my word against his."
"That is bullshit. His case is flimsy, at best. He will never win."
"Language, Neji," she teased with a wag of her finger in his direction. Neji narrowed his eyes at her in a mock glare. The little brat. "If he has a good lawyer, he might. I don't have the money to afford one at all."
"You will not need to. I will look after you."
"Really? Are you sure? What are your fees?" She bit her lip, and he longed to reach over and pull the abused appendage away from her teeth. "Maybe we could work out a payment plan? I don't really have a lot of spare cash right now."
With a glare, Neji growled, "I am not doing this for money, Tenten."
She returned his glare with one of her own, that fire he so enjoyed coming to the fore. "I can't ask you to work for free."
"You are not asking."
"But—"
"I do not want to hear another word on the matter, little girl." He used his Dom voice, and she immediately quieted, but the glare remained. "If he decides to go ahead with the lawsuit, I will represent you. I do not want or expect anything from you as compensation. Got it?"
"But—"
"Got. It?"
"Fine," she conceded with a grumble. "I got it."
"Good girl. Now, finish your dinner and I will run you a bath. You look exhausted."
"Thanks, you sure know how to flatter a girl," she muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"I did not say you do not look beautiful. You are always beautiful, Tenten. But you have had a long day, and I can see that you are tired. You can relax in the bath while Dodgers finishes drying, and then you can go to bed."
"I need to wash my clothes. I, uhm, didn't pack any spare and I need them for work tomorrow."
"Just put them outside the bathroom door and I will wash them for you."
A pretty flush covered her cheeks, and he thought he knew the reason why. "Actually, I would rather wash them myself, if you don't mind."
"Tenten, there is no reason to be embarrassed around me. It does not bother me to handle your bras and panties."
"N-Neji!" she sputtered, her flush deepening at his crass words. "You can't say that! And it bothers me."
"Why?"
"Because they're private."
"They are clothes, baby girl. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Leave them by the door of the bathroom and I will wash them."
She looked as though she were going to argue more, but she finally conceded with a nod of her burning red face. Another win for him, it seemed. Neji hid his smirk by taking a sip of water. She was conceding far more quickly than he had expected, and he was pleased. He enjoyed her submission greatly, and he could not wait until he had it in a fuller capacity. Both in and out of the bedroom.
After they had finished eating, he told her to get her clothes while he readied the bath and got a clean towel for her. He wanted desperately to bathe her himself, but he knew it was far too soon to suggest such a thing; she would probably try and slap him for such an offer. Which he would no doubt greatly enjoy spanking her for, but that would also be too soon.
He washed her clothes while she bathed, putting the now-dry Dodgers on her bed ready for her, all the while trying not to think of her naked body in the bathroom, so close to him. He had wanted her for a long time, and he could practically taste her surrender.
By the end of this week, Neji was hoping to be able to call Tenten his Little girl.
.
Since her vehicle was still at the gym, Neji insisted on taking her to work in the morning, much to Tenten's annoyance. She had slept well, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, the stress of the day having exhausted her. When she had awoke, her clothes were sitting folded neatly just outside her bedroom door.
When she entered the kitchen, Neji was already making breakfast. She could smell the eggs scrambling in the pan, and toast hot and buttered already sat on two separate plates. They had eaten in companionable silence until she informed him that her shift started at ten and that she would be catching the bus in to work. At that, he insisted on taking her instead, which she argued against.
And yet, she found herself being driven in to work a couple of hours later. She would drive back home in the afternoon, and Neji had said she could keep her car in the spare spot of his garage for the duration of her stay with him.
As he pulled up outside her gym, he left the car idling and turned to her. "Have a good day at work, Poppet. If anything happens, call me and I will take care of it."
"What do you think is going to happen?" she asked, both irritated and touched that he would be so willing to help her. Her life was a mess and yet he was taking it all in stride, like helping her was something he wanted to do.
"In case that man bothers you again, perhaps. Or if your boss does something."
"What would my boss possibly do?"
"Tenten, you hit one of your clients and he is now threatening to sue. Your boss may feel he has no choice but to take action against you."
She felt sick at the thought, but she shook her head. "He would have done that yesterday if that were the case. I'll be fine."
Neji gave her a strict look and she fought not to squirm in her seat. "Promise that you will call if something happens."
"Fine," Tenten replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'll call."
"Do not sass me, young lady."
Before she could stop herself, Tenten stuck her tongue out at him and fled the car, not giving him the chance to retort.
It took less than an hour for Tenten's boss to find her on the floor and ask her to see him in his office. Tenten trailed after him, nerves making her feel sick. What could he want now? He had already yelled at her yesterday, so what more did he want from her? Tenten just wanted to be left alone to do her job in peace.
"Take a seat," her boss told her as they walked into the office. After they had both sat down, he said, "I'm sure you know why you're here."
"Actually, no, I don't." Tenten replied. She didn't want to be rude, but she wasn't going to suck up to him either.
"Your client, Mr. Sahito, has decided to press charges against you for assaulting him. While the investigation is ongoing, you will be suspended without pay."
"What? I can't be suspended! I need this job!" Her heart drummed furiously in her chest. This couldn't be happening.
"You should have thought of that before you hit a client, Tenten. You are lucky I didn't fire you on the spot."
"But he touched me! I was only acting in self-defence."
"He is claiming that he did no such thing."
"And I'm telling you that he did!"
Her boss spread his hands in a 'what can I do?' gesture. "I'm sorry, Tenten, but my decision is final. Please empty your locker. Mr. Sahito's lawyer will be in touch with you in the next few days."
"This is bullshit, boss!"
He lowered his eyes at her. "Don't make me call security on you, Tenten. I can still fire you."
It took all her self-control not to lash out. She really couldn't afford losing this job, even for a short time. Instead, she took a deep breath to try and calm herself and asked, "Do you know how long this will take? I need to pay rent still, and I can't do that if I'm not getting paid."
To his credit, his face softened a little. "It depends if you fight the lawsuit or not."
"I can't afford it! Any of it—a lawyer, whatever ridiculous amount he wants to sue me for. The bastard is just doing this because I hurt his pride by fighting back against his unwanted attentions."
"Leave now, Tenten, before you say something you regret. I know you're angry, which is why I won't respond to you calling a client a bastard, but you don't want to test me."
She desperately wanted to yell something at him, maybe 'screw you' or 'I quit' but she knew she would regret it after she had time to cool down. Fighting down her anger and frustration, she turned and left the office to clear her things from her locker.
Neji's words filtered through her head, reminding her that he had asked—well, more like demanded—her to call him if something happened. There was no way she was going to call him for help, though; she could handle this on her own. It's what she did—what she had done her whole childhood at the orphanage. Now, if only she could ignore the guilt stirring in her gut.
After gathering all her things, Tenten drove her car to her apartment, still too angry to even cry. She felt like finding the damn bastard and hitting him again, but that would only make things worse. She should have made a better choice in the first place. She easily could have stopped him without violence, but she had just been so sick of his attentions.
Now, she had to deal with the consequences.
Tenten knew her apartment was closed, but she was hoping she could sneak in one more time to collect a few more things. She really hadn't been paying attention the day before when packing clothes, and she desperately needed more panties and bras, at the very least.
Again, it occurred to her to call Neji and tell him what had happened—he had told her to call him after all—but she decided against it. She didn't want him getting involved in her business, lawyer or not. It was bad enough that she was staying at his place; she didn't want to owe him for this as well.
Riding the elevator to her floor, her heart sank when she saw workers milling about just outside her door. So much for sneaking in.
Her property manager turned to face the elevator when the doors opened, frowning at her. "Your apartment is off-limits at the moment, Tenten."
"I know, but I just really need to grab something quickly. I won't be long."
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you in."
She was tempted to ask if he could go in then for her, but she didn't want him rummaging around her underthings. She would have to buy some on the way back to Neji's. Which would eat up money she would rather spend on more important things, but it needed to be done.
.
It had been a slow morning for Neji, his mind being preoccupied by his guest. He kept wondering how her day was going, and if her boss was treating her kindly. Most of all, he wanted to know if that jerk of a client had come back to harass her again. More than once, Neji found himself with his phone in his hand, fingers poised to call and check on her. But each time, he shook himself out of his worry and placed it face down on his desk. She would not appreciate his inquiries and he had told her to call him if something happened. He had to trust that she would follow through with that.
His mind turned to her actions in the car earlier. The way she had poked her tongue at him then ran before he could reprimand her had amused him greatly. He liked that she was showing her Little to him—even the bratty side of her— and he doubted she had even meant to. It meant she was feeling comfortable with him, and each time he saw a glimpse of her Little—of that most vulnerable part of her—he felt himself puff up with pleasure.
Tenten had told him that her shift would end late afternoon, so he was surprised—and a little worried, if he were being honest—when he heard her use the key he had given her to open the front door. His office door was open, and he stood and walked to the entrance of the room to check on her.
"I did not expect you home for another three hours," he commented, watching her carefully. Her shoulders were slumped, face downcast, and he immediately became concerned. Something must have happened. But why had she not called him? The knowledge that she had not trusted him to help her burned a hole inside him. He wanted her to rely on him, but she needed to take that first step.
Maybe it was time he became firmer with her. She needed boundaries, to know that when she disobeyed him there would be consequences—consequences that he would without fail follow through on.
Tenten startled to see him standing in the doorway of his office, and she pressed her hand to her chest. "Neji, you scared me."
He fought the desire to walk up to her and bundle her in his arms. "Did something happen at work?"
"What? No, I just wasn't feeling well so I left early." The little liar couldn't look him in the eye as she spoke, and Neji's hand twitched in anticipation.
"Yet you felt well enough to go shopping?" he asked, indicating the bag she held by her side that showed she had been at the local shopping mall.
Tenten flushed, hiding her package behind her back. "I needed some more, uhm, you know." When Neji only raised an eyebrow in response, she mumbled, "underwear and stuff."
"And you are sure nothing happened at work?" he asked, giving her one more chance to come clean.
"Of course, I'm sure."
"I hope not," he replied with a pointed look in her direction. "Because Little girls who lie get hot bottoms." He waved her towards him and said, "Come here, Tenten."
"I don't think so! Did you just threaten to… to spank me?"
"Only if you lied to me, which you assured me you have not, so you have no need to worry." He used his Dom voice as he said, "Here, now."
"You can't spank me!" she said with a glare. "And I'm not a dog."
Neji's lips twitched in amusement. "No, you are not. Dogs are much more obedient."
Oh, if looks could kill. "Neji!"
"In front of me now, please, baby girl." He pointed at the floor directly in front of him and waited, knowing she would eventually obey him. It was in her nature as a submissive.
And she did, a defiant look on her face the whole time she made the slow walk to him. She had to tip her head back to look up at him. He placed a hand on her forehead, holding the other one at the back of her neck to keep her still when she tried to move.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice sounding a little breathless.
He kept his hand at her forehead a moment longer, even though he already knew she had lied about feeling unwell. "You do not have a fever, baby girl. Is it your period? Do you have cramps?"
Her face flushed a deep red, darker than he had ever seen, and Neji had to fight to keep from smiling. She was adorable when she was flustered.
"Y-You can't ask me that!"
"Why not?" he responded, brow raised. "There is no need to be embarrassed, Poppet. Do you need painkillers? A heat pack?"
"No! I don't have my period."
"Oh? If you are not unwell, and do not have your period, what is it?" he asked, raising a speculative eyebrow at her.
"It's nothing. Can we just drop it?"
"I am afraid not, Poppet. Tell me what is wrong."
Finally, she whispered, voice so soft Neji could barely hear her, "I lied."
"Sorry?"
"I said I lied, okay! I... I'm not sick."
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)
