Chapter 3

It was several days since the job interview and Ayane had yet to receive a call or email back about her job it was a hit to her pride at first, she had moved on, afterall, she had already expected it to happen after she walked out on Minato again.

With the way he looked at her during his final question, she figured it was only right that they left things the way they were. She didn't want to give him the wrong message that working for him meant that they could be anything more than strangers who had once fucked. It seemed that he understood, since he never bothered to contact her after she left.

It was a Friday, and Ayane had decided to clean up the house and reorganize Yoshino's old room into a guest room. Pulling up her hair into a high ponytail, she blasted her music through her built in speaker system in the house.

She spent hours that day cleaning, vacuuming, and reorganizing her possessions into some of the now empty cabinets and drawers. Yoshino had left behind her bed so she went ahead and grabbed some old bedsheets to dress it.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that she finally stopped to make herself some lunch and check her phone. She froze when she saw two new emails in her inbox. The first, an invitation to an interview at an accounting firm - something she had applied to on a whim and would have truly been bored to death working in.

The second, was from the Human Resources Department of Uzumaki Tech. Her eyes scanned the writing quickly, and she felt her breath leave her when she realized she had been offered the position. Attached, was a contract, and confidentiality agreement.

Ayane set her phone down and sat back in her chair. The shock was very slowly leaving her as she tried to process how on Earth the job was hers. Sure, she had experience, but she had slept with the boss and left him after their one night stand. In addition, she was unexplainably rude to him at the end of their last meeting. She thought she had ruined her last chance for good.

Now that the job was hers to take, she was hesitant to take it. She felt an overwhelming sense of self-confidence because it only proved that she was good at what she did and even Minato Namikaze acknowledged that in her, but alas, she wondered if she was being hired for the right reasons. Did he see potential in her? Or was he just looking for an office fuck?

She remembered the way Minato had approached her at the wedding with clear intentions to flirt and get together with her. She had accepted it then, because she too was in need of some company, and she knew she could break it off the next day.

It didn't end there though, she remembered the way that Minato met her gaze knowingly and smirked at her when they met in his office, along with the disappointment on his face when she didn't provide more personal information and interests about herself.

It was clear that the CEO had some kind of attraction to Ayane and an interest in her that was beyond a co-worker status. She didn't want it though. In fact, she swore to herself she would never do an office romance again after having her world turned upside down by her last one. Minato Namikaze was one hell of a good looking man, which was all the more reason that she had to call it quits now before she truly fell for him.

Grabbing her phone again, she hit reply and drafted an email thanking them for their time, and kindly declining the offer. It broke her heart to do it, as the job was perfect for her, but alas, she couldn't bring herself to work so close with the man.

Once the email was confirmed sent, she got up and dumped her plate in the sink, prepared to get back to work cleaning. The chores didn't serve much of a distraction from her thoughts though, as she began to regret ever having slept with the man that night.

At the end of the night, Ayane fell on her bed with a satisfied grin on her face even though exhaustion overcame her. It had been a long day, but finally, after many hours, her house finally felt like her dream home. Although she had a few more things to buy, the fulfillment of having her place done, made it feel like at least part of her life was returning back to normal.

That was, until she checked her phone and her world came to a halt all over again. There were two missed calls from Uzumaki Tech., followed by another three missed calls from a number which her phone identified as Minato Namikaze's.

"Fuck," she cursed.

The most recent of the calls was merely an hour earlier at 9:00pm which made Ayane wonder why the CEO was trying to reach her even after work hours. Her email answered some of her questions.

Though she was sure she had replied to the Human Resources email, Minato was the one who had replied to her directly.

Good afternoon Ms. Higashi,

I have been notified that you have declined your offer to work at Uzumaki Technology Corporation. I understand that you have listed another job offer as your reason, however, I would kindly like to ask that you reconsider. As we discussed in your interview, you have many experiences that we would find highly informative and useful at our company, and we would love to have you on board our team.

I have made some adjustments myself on the contract as I think there are better ways that we can show our sincerity about the importance of having you at our company. As the CEO, I am open to any negotiations you may have to make this possible. In addition, I would like to reaffirm to you that I too, agree with your stance on professionalism. Please continue to consider this offer.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Minato Namikaze

CEO of Uzumaki Technology Corporation

With a heavy sigh, Ayane turned off the screen to her phone and tossed it to the other side of her large bed. It was late, and she was tired. No, not tired from all the physical labour that she was doing throughout the day, but tired of being constantly bombarded with thoughts about him.

She had considered replying, but she didn't know what else to say. She had hoped that her original email would have ended things between them and she could continue on with her life after they had gone separate ways, but now she was wondering why the man was so desperate to get her to work for him.

After a few minutes of headache and contemplation, she decided she would reply the next day once she had a clearer mind. Getting up, she changed into her usual set of pyjamas, a large oversized t-shirt with only panties and no bra underneath. She turned off her light and slipped into bed, hoping that with a new day, there would come more clarity.

It was easier said than done. Sleep didn't come well to Ayane that night as she tossed and turned in her bed, trying to think of how to respond to the CEO in the morning. She couldn't truly fall asleep until about 3am after having distracted herself by watching YouTube videos throughout the night.

When the sun was higher in the horizon and shone brightly into the room, Ayane was suddenly awoken by the sound of her doorbell. In a daze, she reached for her phone to check the time, but her phone was out of batteries. When the bell rang for a second time, she stumbled out of her bed to her front door and tossed it open without thinking, as her mind was still groggy from sleep.

Silence filled the room, making Ayane suddenly aware that there was a very familiar presence standing right in front of her. Slowly, her eyes trailed up to find a familiar head of blonde hair and set of blue eyes.

"Mr. Namikaze…" She blinked once, twice, thinking maybe this was just an extension of her dreams (and a bad one at that).

Suddenly, it occurred to her that she wasn't dreaming and the CEO was in fact standing right there in her doorway.

"M-Mr. Namikaze! Good morning!" The lack of sleep was beyond her now as she jumped at the realization that she had greeted him in her pyjamas and a large case of bedhead.

"Good morning!" His smile was neither sarcastic nor mocking as he greeted her. In fact, he was staring down at her with a sense of amusement and softness that made her feel guilty that she ever walked away from him, was rude to him, or declined him.

With a flushed face, she turned around and walked in. She reminded herself to stay professional, but the sight of Minato in casual weekend clothes, standing right there in front of her with a non-judgemental smile, made her heart flutter in a way that she hated herself for. She blamed it on the fact that he had caught her off guard with the surprise visit.

"Please, come in," she offered. As she walked toward the kitchen, she gestured for him to take a seat on the couch before she went to grab two glasses of water.

"Thank you," he said once she offered him the cup. He took a sip and set it on the coffee table.

Ayane chugged her own glass, desperate to get the dryness out of her throat, and she hoped she would be more alert as well. As she did, droplets of water spilled over the corner of her lips and drizzled down her chin. Minato watched as the it hung precariously for a second before it dripped onto her white oversized t-shirt.

Once Ayane was done drinking, she felt his eyes on her. She suddenly became painfully aware that she was wearing a white cotton t-shirt that now had water on it, and nothing underneath. The t-shirt hung so long that it made it seem like she was bare on her bottom too, though it was almost accurate because she only had her underwear on.

Ayane's eyes shot from her own attire to the man across from her. Minato looked away with flushed cheeks even though it was quite obvious to both of them, that he had been looking. Neither of them knew why it made them both reel in embarrassment though, as it was clear he had seen her in all her naked glory before.

"I'll just...be right back." Ayane didn't wait for his acknowledgement before she dashed off to her bedroom to put on a bra, a fresh t-shirt, and a pair of leggings. She ran quickly to brush her teeth and straighten out her hair in the bathroom before finally joining the man in the living room again.

Minato was looking intently at his phone when she came out, his eyebrows furrowed as he read the screen. It was only when Ayane had sat down along the other end of the L-shaped couch, that he finally looked up to meet her gaze.

"You seem busy for a Saturday morning." Ayane commented. She crossed her legs and leaned back on the couch, trying to seem in control of the situation. "May I ask why you are here today, Mr. Namikaze?"

Minato scowled at the formalities. "I asked you to call me Minato."

"And I requested that you keep things professional between the two of us. How did you even get my address?" Ayane felt bad for a second when she heard the tone of her own voice. It came out harsher than she had expected. Minato had never done anything wrong, but in the end, she still wanted to keep a distance.

"I found it through your application and resume." Minato sighed, and leaned forward toward her, enough so that she could see the sleeplessness in his eyes as well. "Ayane, I'm not going to beat around the bush. We need you at the company. I need you at the company."

"Mr. Namikaze...Minato, I am honoured that you think so highly of me and that you came all the way here to talk to me...but I can't, I'm sorry." She became more sympathetic for the man in front of her after hearing his plea. She vaguely remembered the different headlines detailing different scandals and accusations about him. She wanted to help him, she really did, but she had to protect herself first.

"Isn't there any way I can convince you?" He asked again.

"Minato...I do want to help you. Believe me, in any other circumstance your offer would be a dream come true. If it weren't for that one night...maybe, but now…" How was she supposed to tell him that she wanted to stay away? How was she supposed to let him know that she saw a possibility of falling for him, and she was only doing what she knew best to protect her heart?

"Forget that one night," Minato said almost unconvincingly. "I promise you, I'll never bring it up if you don't. We'll just start fresh. Just a work relationship."

"Minato…"

"Please," he begged. His eyes were desperate as he shifted closer. "I need you to help me save my company. I need you to help me save my job."

Silence overcame them as Ayane took in the words that he said. The youngest, most praised CEO in the country was begging her for help to rescue his career, and her heart ached in response to his need.

"Minato, what happened?" She finally asked. Never had she seen a business man so desperate for help, nonetheless her help. She figured he could have found a personal assistant anywhere.

His eyes closed as he entwined his fingers in concentration. His jaw clenched so tightly that he could barely speak. "I am having a lot of legal battles right now...companies, media, and even my own employees are suspecting me of things that I didn't do. I can't fight the press on my own while running the company, nor do I have the energy to. I know you've helped Akatsuki Inc. through a lot of their toughest public scandals in the past. None of the people I interviewed have the same experience as you do. You have to help me Ayane. Please…"

Ayane knew she shouldn't have cared. She shouldn't have let him into her house this morning. She shouldn't have even slept with him to begin with, but slowly, she felt herself slipping up.

"I-I can't…" she tried again. Her voice carried less conviction than before and she cursed herself for it.

"Please...I promise you. Everything we had will be in the past. We'll keep our relationship strictly professional. I just need your help."

Ayane's eyes scanned his hesitantly as she held her tongue. Eventually she gave in with a sigh. Minato clearly needed her, and it meant that she would have a job. In fact, it would mean that she would have a job that she enjoyed, was paid well, and was guaranteed to challenge her.

"Okay, but remember, just colleagues. I don't do office romances." It was like a weight lifted off her chest when she finally caved and the blonde man let out a bright and innocent grin.

"Thank you! How can I ever repay you? Is there anything you need? An apartment closer to work? You do live quite a distance away."

"Mr. Namikaze, I'm not your booty call. I do not need you to gift me an apartment. Besides, I like where I live." She declined him almost coldly. There was a distinct scowl on his face at the sound of his last name again but he let it go.

"Then a car? I noticed you didn't have a vehicle in your driveway," he said, and before she could reply, he added on. "It'll be a loan, not a gift. Think of it as a company car. Besides, you might need it as I do need you to run some errands in the future and you might need to work late hours or on weekends when bussing isn't convenient."

With a defeated sigh, Ayane let it go. "Fine. I'll borrow a company car, but on the other hand, you need to promise me something."

"What is it?"

Ayane looked at him square in the eye, her expression firm. "You need to tell me the whole truth, Mr. Namikaze. Or else I can't do my job. If I find out you are hiding secrets from me, I am gone."

Minato's shoulders deflated as he crossed his arms defeatedly. "It's a long story, there's a lot of complicated things going on that even I don't know."

"I'm not saying you have to tell me everything now, but eventually…."

"Okay," he agreed. "If it means that it will make it easier for you to help me with the scrutiny, then of course. I never intended to hide anything from you to begin with."

"Great!" Finally, Ayane allowed herself to smile. She convinced herself that they at least needed to start with a fresh, positive mood now that they would be working closely together. "You have yourself a deal, Mr. Namikaze."

Minato rolled his eyes once again at the name, but returned a grin afterwards. They shook hands quickly before he reached for a folder he had brought with him. Placing it on the coffee table, he turned to the girl.

"That is your contract. It also contains a non-disclosure agreement. Take your time going over it, and let me know if there are any changes you would like. You can sign it and bring it with you on Monday and I'll have you start then!"

It was Ayane's turn to roll her eyes at his words. "A non-disclosure agreement? Here I was thinking we just agreed to trust in one another."

"Sorry," Minato replied with a sheepish grin. "It's the company's rules, not mine. The CFO would not be very happy with me if I didn't have it completed."

"It's okay, I'm just kidding. I understand." The end of her sentence trailed off as MInato's cell phone rang. She noticed the jaw clenching and eyebrow furrowing starting as he stared at the name on the screen.

"Speaking of the devil," he groaned. He began heading for the door. "Sorry, I have to take this. I guess I'll take my leave now then. I'll see you on Monday?"

"See you Monday." She agreed and got up to follow the man to the door. With a hushed goodbye, she closed the door behind her and sank to the floor. She let out a breath that she didn't even know she had been holding, one that had accumulated ever since she saw his face at her door. His blonde hair, blue eyes, and gentle smile flashed in her mind but she shook it away.

It was then that she knew, she had messed up, big time.