Chapter 7
Minato woke up to sunlight flooding his vision and a pounding headache. He groaned and rolled over, his nose catching the whiff of an unfamiliar yet pleasant scent. That's when his senses came to him as he shot up and checked his surroundings.
He was on a double bed in a decent sized room. There was a window to his right and a small closet in the corner. Another door led to a connecting bathroom while the closed one, he guessed, led to the hallway.
It dawned on him that he hadn't remembered what had happened the night prior which led him to where he was now. He hurriedly checked his body and let out a breath of relief when he realized he had at least dodged another one night stand as he was fully clothed with the exception of his suit jacket and shoes. His tie had been lowered and the top button of his shirt loosened, but he most definitely still reeked of alcohol rather than sex.
He patted his pocket and panic set in for a second when he realized he didn't have his phone or his wallet, but with one look at the bedside table, he realized he hadn't been robbed either. Everything was surprisingly there along with a glass of water and a bottle of Advil.
With a heavy sigh, he reached over and took the medicine, trusting that whoever was offering it to him meant no harm. Once that was done, he made his way to the bathroom, his head spinning with each step he took. He turned the faucet on and splashed some cool water on his face, enough to clear the rest of the daze from his mind.
After fixing himself up, he tucked his phone and wallet into his pants pocket and made his way out of the room into a now familiar house. He had only been there only once, but still felt a sense of safety there.
Ayane had brought him back to her place, he realized, after he had gotten drunk at the bar. That's when flashbacks of last night hit him like a storm.
Minato reminded himself to keep his drinks paced throughout the night as he conversed with his co-workers about some work and non-work related things. Those who didn't know, asked him throughout the night where Kushina was as she was always at corporate events, and he had simply brushed it off with a change of topic or with another drink.
As the night was drawn on though, he felt more and more like an outsider at his own company. No one really knew him, at least, not in a way that exceeded that of a boss and employee relationship. Even his own assistant, who was new to the company, found a companion in her best friend for the night while his own best friend was out conversing with his own finance team.
Eventually, he approached the bar and began to order more and more drinks. Time seemed to pass dreadfully slow as his vision began to blur. He remembered vaguely considering how he was going to get home that night. If he returned to his old house, drunk and in a cab, he would receive shit again from his ex-fiance.
He chuckled in self-pity. He couldn't even go to his own house. He would have to return to the damned empty downtown apartment he had rented all alone again.
That was when a familiar presence sat next to him. He looked over, openly checking out the fine body that he longed to hold. He remembered being infuriated with the fact that she had let Jiraiya hit on her, and that she had even dressed so scantily to begin with. He felt oddly possessive over her as he reached out to play with the hem of her short bodycon dress.
She had forced him to drink water, reprimanding him for his behaviour, to which he succumbed like a little baby. He had to admit, he liked the controlling side of her, and it only turned him on more.
As she dragged his body to the car, he followed along like a lost puppy. He had nowhere to go, and he didn't want to go back to his deserted apartment, so he practically begged her not to bring him back. He hated being alone. He just wanted to be with her.
He remembered falling asleep briefly during the car ride home. The cold leather seats of the brand new Tesla cooled his sweating, alcohol-filled body. And when they finally reached her house, he couldn't hold himself back anymore.
He turned around, pinning the girl against the closed front door. His hands automatically finding themselves on the sides of her waist. Their lips met with intensity, in a way that was much too familiar to both of them, and she let out a lust-filled moan when he picked her up and pressed her back against the door, her legs locking around his own torso.
They stayed like this for a while, with heavy, desperate panting, and wet kisses plaguing his drunken mind. That was, until she removed her hands from his hair and brought them between their bodies. He almost dropped her when she pushed him away, looking him firmly in the eyes.
"Not tonight Minato, you're drunk."
He wanted to protest. He wasn't drunk, and even if he was, it hadn't stopped them last time. He was absolutely clear with his intentions of wanting to have her tonight. Before he could have his own word though, she took his hand and led him upstairs. A smirk played on his face, of course, he would enjoy it much more in the bedroom.
As he walked though, his world began to spin. The alcohol was finally taking its effect and he could barely tell who it was anymore. When she finally brought him to the bed, he pulled her down with him so that her entire body weight was resting on top.
With broken, drunken eyes, he looked at the girl on top of him. His sorrow suddenly making its way to the top again as he remembered how shitty his life was and how much he had missed the feeling of having her in his arms.
"Minato." She protested as she prompted herself up. She stared down at the tears that were now flowing from his eyes, blinding him even further.
He brought a hand up to caress her face and her long locks of hair.
"Kushina."
He shook his head in disappointment at himself. He knew his drinking habit had suddenly gotten worse after everything in his life started piling up, and it was no excuse, but now, he was even more disheartened with the fact that his assistant had seen him wrecked, not once, but twice in just over two weeks, and he had most likely screwed everything up between them again.
The smell of fried eggs and bacon wafted into the hallway, distracting him from his thoughts and inviting him toward the kitchen. He hesitantly descended the stairs and made his way through the living room until he could see Ayane diligently cooking breakfast as she hummed along to the radio.
Minato felt his heart rate quicken as he took a glimpse of the large white cotton t-shirt that hung down to mid-thigh. Her hair was still wavy from the night before, and was pulled up into a high ponytail. He caught a glimpse of her neck and shoulder and remembered having bit the side of her neck, causing her to moan and quiver under him the first night that they spent together.
Noticing his thoughts wandering, he shook them away quickly, choosing instead to simply be grateful for the woman housing him for the night and taking care of him even outside of work hours. Still, he couldn't help but wish that this is what he had woken up to the morning after their one night stand.
"You're up! Good morning~" She sing-songed as she went to place two plates of breakfast on the dining table. "I made you your usual coffee, but I wasn't sure, did you want something else to drink? Orange juice? Water?"
"Coffee is good." Minato's voice was raspy and cracked from dehydration, causing the assistant to giggle at the sound. A blushed formed on his cheeks as he walked to the table. "And maybe a glass of water."
How was she doing this? Minato wondered. Had his memories been a dream or reality, because bless his assistant, she didn't mention a single word to him and instead pretended like it didn't happen. He tried to read her thoughts but she kept her expression hidden well. Maybe it was a dream, he figured because he would have hated being the one to hurt someone as beautiful and good as her.
For the most part, the two ate their meal in silence. Ayane had explained to him what had happened the night before, never once mentioning any physical or intimate encounters between them, and told him that she could drive him back to the restobar later to pick up his car. Minato simply "hmm"ed in response, distracted by the images of last night that still plagued his mind.
Though he understood the need to maintain a business relationship, and already, they had broken the rules more than once, but part of him was selfishly enjoying every moment spent with her. He liked having company on a Saturday morning and not thinking about work. He liked having someone to eat breakfast with, even if it meant that conversations were limited. He had missed all of it.
"So, Mr. Namikaze," Minato's mood soured ever so slightly at the sound of his last name. Ayane placed her elbows on the table now that she was done with her food. "Tell me, why are you so adamant that you can't go home, and why is your address on file not updated?"
"I'm sorry?" Minato couldn't help but be taken aback by the sudden interrogation.
"Last night," she explained. "Shikaku told me the address on file is old, and you kept insisting that you didn't want to go home."
With a heavy sigh, Minato took a sip of his coffee and wiped his lips before speaking. "The address on file is technically my primary address. My ex-fiance is currently living there. She hasn't found a place to move to since we separated."
"Oh…" Ayane was caught off guard by the sudden gravity of his words. She hadn't expected the man to be as open as he was to her. In fact, she wasn't even sure what she had done to even warrant hearing something so personal.
"Sorry, I didn't know…" That was a lie. She did know. She had read in the headlines before that Minato had called off his wedding with his fiance for reasons unknown. It wasn't confirmed though, so she hadn't expected to hear it from the CEO himself. She remembered the picture on his desk and how happy he had looked in it, but now, she felt guilty for bringing up a painful past.
"It's okay," Minato sighed, "I should have told you anyways."
"So where are you staying now?"
"In an apartment I rented downtown." Minato replied. "It's not the best place, but she didn't work before so she doesn't have much money to move out. I left her the house until she could support herself."
Ayane furrowed her eyebrows in agitation. Even though she had never met the woman, it frustrated her beyond belief that Minato had to bend himself backwards to keep her satisfied even after they had already broken it off. Ayane had known from the first ten seconds of meeting the man that he was a push over so a sense of protectiveness overcame her as she wondered whether or not his ex was using him.
"You deserve better." The words slipped from under her breath before she even realized it. Once she registered what she had said, she looked up in alarm. Despite all her thoughts, she wasn't in a position to criticize the woman because she didn't know anything about her.
To her surprise, she was met with a light chuckle and a warm grin from Minato. His eyes formed slight crescents as he looked fondly at the girl in front of him.
"Thank you."
The weekend flew by much quicker than Ayane had wanted. She hated to admit it, but she actually enjoyed her time spent with Minato for the first part of Saturday. They spent the entire morning getting to know each other, though still on a surface level before she dropped him off to pick up his car.
The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing before finally, Monday hit and everything was back to normal. Ayane went to work, her heels echoing down the hallway as she clutched her work back under one arm. She passed by Rin who greeted her enthusiastically, before she made her way to her own desk.
After settling in and dropping off her stuff, she made her way to Minato's office to discuss the day's schedule. That's when she noticed that the glass wall behind her desk revealed a man in anguish as he paced back and forth in his office, speaking to someone on his work phone.
Out of concern, she quickly entered the room without knocking. It only took a few moments to catch onto who he was talking to.
"I'm telling you, all those rumours are fake!" Minato all but shouted into the phone. There was a brief moment of silence before he yelled again. "What do you mean you have evidence? From who? I would like to speak to your manager about this."
The CEO paused amongst his pacing when he caught a glimpse of the petite assistant standing there with a raised eyebrow. Reporter, he mouthed.
"I'm telling you, there is nothing to comment about. Kushina and I...No that is an unrelated matter." When Minato began running his hand through his blonde locks in frustration, Ayane held out her hand for the phone. Without a doubtful look, he gave in and handed it to the petite girl who took it swiftly.
"Hello there, this is Mr. Namikaze's public relations manager speaking. May I ask what the issue is here?" She spoke in a professional yet stern voice.
"What-I...I was just speaking to Mr. Namikaze himself-"
"I'm sorry. He's busy at the moment."
There was a frustrated sigh on the other end before the man spoke up. "Rumours are going around that Mr. Namikaze had ended his relationship with Kushina Uzumaki after conning her and her uncle of his shares of the company. Do you have any comments about this?"
Ayane turned to Minato in anger, wondering why on Earth he hadn't brought up the issue when they spoke about Kushina two days prior.
"Listen here sir. Do you have proof of any of this? No right? Neither I nor Mr. Namikaze have any comments about this matter other than it is fake. Let me warn you though, should you publish this article, you will have a strong word with our legal department regarding the defamation and harassment of our CEO. Do you understand?"
"But we have sources-"
"I don't care what type of sources you have. Now if you'll excuse me, we are quite busy. Next time you have questions, please contact our public relations office instead. I will kindly direct your questions there. Have a good day."
"Wait-" With that, Ayane hung up the phone without a further comment. She handed the phone back to Minato who took it hesitantly. A bewildered look was plastered on his face.
"What?" The petite girl asked. Minato only looked her up and down, and though she was only about 5 feet tall, the stilettos and the sudden demeanor caused him to be intimidated beyond belief.
"You….how…" He was speechless with the swiftness of her actions and the way that she handled the situation. Though he knew that she was good at what she did, he was impressed by the ease in which she handled the reporter.
Ayane shrugged, "It's what I do. And you mister…"
She marched closer to the man, pointing a finger into his chest. Although Minato easily towered over her, she looked up at him with a sense of unwavering confidence. "For one, I don't want you to waste your time answering those phone calls anymore. Direct them to me. And another thing..."
She paused, a sense of worry now returning to her. "When were you planning to tell me about this whole shares issue with your ex-fiance?"
Minato stepped forward, his actions gentle as he reached a hand out to touch Ayane's upper arm. "Ayane, there's nothing that happened. I acquired the sales legally."
Ayane took a step backward, forcing Minato to drop his arm to his side once again. It was a brief reminder of the barrier that they had drawn before. "Minato, did you use Kushina Uzumaki in order to gain a majority share of the company?"
Hurt flashed through Minato's eyes as Ayane repeated her question, showing clear apprehension in his words. He tried to step forward again but he could tell in the assistant's eyes that her guard was up again after being lowered during their weekend together. "Ayane, I swear to you, I would never do something like that."
"How long have these rumours been going on?" Ayane asked. She still wasn't sure if she believed him, but she figured that her boss should probably get the benefit of the doubt.
"About two months." Minato sighed, his head dropping at the painful reminder and the anxiety that had been plaguing his mind. "Ever since they discovered that Kushina and I separated."
"Do you know who started it?"
The blonde shook his head. "No, and it got so bad that my personal assistant quit because he couldn't keep up with it. He foresaw it, the company going downhill because of me."
"So then you hired me." Her eyes softened as the man nodded. She understood why the CEO was so adamant on having her join the company now. Afterall, being bombarded with media, reporters, and fending off rumours was taxing on the system, nevermind being the center of it all.
Ayane stepped up to him and brought one hand up to barely brush his cheeks. It was the most intimate they had been since their night together, but Ayane couldn't help it as her body moved on its own.
"We'll figure it out," she said softly. From up close, she could see the bags under his eyes caused by the stress and lack of sleep he must have been having. "Remember though, you promised me you would tell me everything."
His ocean blue eyes met hers as he leaned into the warmth of her touch. It was something that he had missed, and he now realized he had been craving it starting from the months leading up to his break up. Finally, he felt right.
"I will."
A sudden knock on the door had Minato and Ayane jumping apart, their moment of intensity and affection dissipating between them. Ayane turned to face the entrance as Minato cleared his throat.
"Come in!" He called.
Shikaku entered the room with a file in his hand. He eyed the two of them briefly but did not acknowledge the tension he felt in the room. Reaching forward, he gave the report to Minato. "The summary of the quarterly sales, and the projected sales of the coming quarter that you asked for."
"Great." Shikaku raised an eyebrow when Minato replied but didn't make a move to accept the folder. Instead, the CEO turned to Ayane. "Ayane, do you mind giving it a readthrough and adding it into today's meeting's slideshow. I forwarded you the powerpoint already. I want you to present on it today if possible."
Taken aback, the assistant's eyes scanned from Shikaku's shocked expression to Minato's soft grin and back again. She sure as hell didn't see that coming, not that she hadn't done something similar in the past, but she was still somewhat new to the company.
"Minato I-"
"I forgot to tell you I actually have a meeting with the company lawyer today." The CEO said, "He called this morning, and this sales meeting is urgent. We've already delayed it a week. Don't worry, Shikaku will be there if you need him to bail you out."
"Oh...I suppose I can do it." With no other choice, Ayane gave in and accepted the folder from the scarred man. "I guess I'll go work on this then. Let me know if you need anything."
With a quick smile and a nod, Minato watched as the girl left his office. It was only then that he turned back to his financial advisor who had a smirk on his face and a playful glint in his eyes.
"So...what was that?"
"Nothing," Minato replied. He crossed his ankles and leaned back against his desk as he faced his best friend. A part of him already knew though, that he couldn't hide anything from the man as he was an absolute analytical genius.
Shikaku rolled his eyes. "Minato, I don't have a problem with you and her. In fact, if it makes you happy, go for it, but I think I should remind you that your office has glass walls. I could see it all from outside."
"Duly noted." His avoidance of the topic caused the dark haired man to frown.
"I'm serious. You might want to keep things on a down low for her sake and yours." Shikaku crossed his arms, his forehead creasing in worry. "I just don't think it's the best time right now with everything going on."
Minato sighed as he stood up straight again, his expression finally serious. "I know Shikaku, I know. Nothing's going to happen, I promise."
When Shikaku finally left while sporting an apologetic smile, Minato turned his gaze to Ayane whose back was to his office. He understood why his best friend was so protective of him, and he knew that both him and Ayane had made a deal to keep their relationship professional. So then why, he thought to himself, did he feel as if he had lost something dear to him?