As expected, the morning after I found Mei and rescued Soryu I didn't make breakfast for the guys living at headquarters. Soryu and I didn't make it out of the bedroom until after ten o'clock. But I made lunch and it was fucking awkward.
The younger guys had started calling me "Mrs. Boss" as soon as Soryu and I had started fucking each other. Telling them to stop had only made things worse, so I'd quickly decided to just back off and hope that they grew tired of the joke. After a night filled with multiple shrieking sessions, the guys were snickering and sending sidelong glances at each other the entire time that we ate. Soryu was staring at them angrily, his expression daring them to make an inappropriate joke. In the end Soryu won and everyone got up from the table without a single off color remark being made.
I stopped Inui in the hallway. "Come and talk to me," I said and led him to the porch at the back of the house.
He looked as if he were going to fall apart. He'd been depending on Soryu and the Ice Dragons since Soryu had taken him off the streets. He really didn't seem capable of managing his life on his own. Not only that, the Dragons had become his family. He was probably scared to death that he'd fucked up badly enough to lose his home, his job, and his family all in one go.
I didn't bother beating around the bush. It was time to ease his mind. "Soryu said that I can deal with you," I said. "You really fucked up when you ran away with Mei."
"Yeah, I had no idea that she was the princess-" he began.
"I know that, but you did know that she was someone that you were guarding. Someone that Soryu and Eisuke had decided needed protection," I said.
"You're right. I just...I just let her play me," he admitted, rubbing his hand over his eyes.
"Mei's really good at manipulating people," I said, "but there are a lot of manipulative people out there. You have to learn to always put the Ice Dragons first. And yourself first, really. The most important thing to you is the Dragons, not Mei."
"You're right. I never thought about it that way," he said, hanging his head.
"Let me tell you a secret," I said. "Soryu bought your grandmother's inn a long time ago."
"What?" he raised his head in shock and looked at me, hope flaring in his eyes.
"He wants you to have it, but he can't give it to you until you're ready for it," I explained. "The thing is, you've been put in a really bad situation. You aren't cut out to be a regular member of the Ice Dragons, that's why you keep fucking up. So you can't succeed. If you can't succeed, you can't prove that you're ready to take over the inn."
I watched the light fade from his eyes as he realized his predicament. "But, I have a solution," I said. "Someone really needs to learn to cook around here. I'm supposed to be working at the Tres Spades, not cooking for the Dragons. And someone needs to manage this house. I think that if we start working together, I can teach you to cook and we can come up with a better way to run headquarters. If you can succeed at this task, and I have no doubt that you can, you'll definitely prove that you can take over the inn."
"Yeah," he said, his eyes lighting up again. "Yeah, I can do that. That's perfect. I'll just think about this house like it's an inn. I know all kinds of stuff from growing up in my grandma's inn. I can totally do this. And I'll do my best to learn to cook, I promise. I won't care at all if the guys make fun of me for doing something girly. I'm gonna get Grandma's inn back!"
"Okay, so for now, you're my assistant and we'll cook and take care of the house. You can stay away from the other business," I directed.
"Thanks Prin- I mean Mrs. Boss! Thanks so much!" He was practically glowing.
"And one more thing. I'll make sure you get a bonus if you can get everyone to stop calling me Mrs. Boss," I said with a laugh.

"What would you have done with Inui if it had been left to you?" I asked. I'd gone directly to Soryu's office after talking to Inui. On the way my skin had begun to itch and my pulse to jump. I'd just dug myself even deeper into this group of people. My instinct was to head for the front door, but I went to Soryu first.
"I don't know. I would have talked it over with Kyoichiro first and gotten his take on things. But I've given him too many chances. I probably would have ended up sending him to Yokohama or something," he answered. He was sitting behind his desk, his gaze was open, curious, worried about Inui, worried about me, full of love.
"What would have been the logic behind that?" I asked, fidgeting with the zipper on my coat.
"It would have gotten him out of Tokyo, away from the guys who are getting sick of his mistakes. It would put him in a place where things are quieter. He might be okay there," he said.
I explained my plan for Inui, watching him as he listened. "That's a much better plan. I should have thought of that myself," he said. "I'm glad that you're here to help."
My eyes slid past him and I looked out the window as I answered. "This isn't what I'm used to. I don't like being attached to people and now there's not just you, there's the guys here and Olivia and it's like it's getting worse every day."
"What do you want to do?" he asked. I could hear in his voice that his worry was turning into fear.
"I want to run away and not look back. I want to stay and be the one to help Inui figure his shit out. I want to be around to watch over Olivia because I don't trust Eisuke. I want to hold onto you like my life depends on it and I want to scare you off so that I won't have to worry about you leaving me later," I answered, still not able to look at him.
"I don't think your going to be able to scare me off. I might need to take a break sometimes just like you do, but I'll be back every time," he said. "I promise you that."
"I want to be open and honest with you. I want to keep things as above board as possible. That's why I came to talk to you instead of running right out the door. I want to try to have a more normal life. I'm not sure I can do it, but I want to try." I forced myself to meet his eyes. He was relieved.
"I want to do everything that I can to help you. I've already called a real estate agent. I'm going to buy us an apartment. You shouldn't have to deal with the guys being around all the time," he said.
I was shaking my head even before he finished talked. "What are you talking about? I never said that I was going to live with you."
"I don't understand. We already live in the same house. You just have to move your stuff over into my room," he said.
"Living together is a lot more than moving my stuff," I said. "It's a big step and I am not ready for it. This is way too soon."
I watched him as my words sank in. He'd made some assumptions and now he was having to rewrite his thinking. "Okay, but I'm still going to get an apartment. I want you to be able to be as loud as you want when I'm making love to you. I want some privacy. I want you to make me some omelets wearing only an apron," he said with a grin.
"I think an apartment's a good idea and," I took a deep breath as my mind turned over the idea. "I think maybe I'll get one for myself. That'll give me a better place to go to when I need a break. I don't have a lot of privacy in the dorm."
"That's a good idea. I like the thought of you having a good place to go to, somewhere closer than the Tres Spades. But-" He looked away, his voice pained. "I really do want to give you an open relationship, I want to give you everything that you need, but how is this going to work? If you take someone back to your apartment, if you sleep with someone else, are you going to tell me? I've got to admit that I don't like the idea of knowing about it, but I don't want to not know, either."
I watched emotions playing over his face. I needed to remember that this was hard for him, too. He might act strong and confident, it might seem like he always had the right answer, but in the end we were going to have to figure out how to build this crazy relationship together.
"Right now that isn't something that you need to worry about. Right now the only person that I want is you. I honestly don't know how long that will last. When the times comes that I want to fuck someone else, I'll try to tell you first. We can talk about it then and decide how things should work. And we can make improvements to our plan as we go along, until we find the best thing for us," I said.
He nodded. "That makes me feel a lot better."
I walked around the desk and gave him a kiss, warm and soft. "I'm going to go now. I'll text you and let you know where I end up. And I'm going to buy a ball gag while I'm out. No more loud sex at headquarters."
"I don't like the sound of that at all. I'm going to call the agent back and tell her I want an apartment immediately," he said.
"Let me remind you that even if we both get apartments, we'll still be spending a lot of time here. You're gonna want that gag." I laughed as I walked out of his office.

I felt different when I went out the front door of Ice Dragons headquarters and walked down the steps to the sidewalk. I wasn't in a blind panic to leave this time, though the need to go was certainly very strong. Talking to Soryu had eased my mind, at least for a little while. Building relationships, accepting attachments, letting people into my life, it was something that I could try. I could take things one day at time and just see how things went. I could open the door and leave any time that I wanted to, for a little while or for a long time or forever. I always had the choice.
It also felt different to have headquarters behind me. Not a dorm room that was one step up from a hotel room, but something more like a real home. A place where there were people that cared about me and people that I cared about. The place where the person that I loved waited for me. While I couldn't deny the reasons that made me anxious, it also made me feel stronger. I had a place to rely on that was more than a room filled with things. I had a place that held a tenuous hope for the future.

Two Months Later
Mei and Sanjou's Engagement Party
Tres Spades Hotel, Second Floor Ballroom

"Your girlfriend just warned me off my fiance say," Sanjou said, walking up to Soryu with a laugh.
Soryu smiled, "What did she say?"
"She told me that Mei is a spoiled bitch," Sanjou said, still laughing. "I let her know that I'm already well aware of that fact."
"She must like you if she's trying to protect you," Soryu replied, his voice revealing a hint of pride.
Before Sanjou could answer, Eisuke joined them, stepping between the two of them to make himself the center of attention.
"Ah, Ichinomiya, it looks like I've won this time," Sanjou said, tipping his glass towards where the women were grouped. "Admit defeat."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Eisuke said, bored and condescending.
"I'm marrying a princess, you've got a chambermaid. If that isn't a win, I don't know what is," Sanjou said with a laugh.
"You've got a fuck hunter who's nothing but trouble. Olivia's an angel compared to Mei," Eisuke said with a bored shrug. "I win."
"Mei wouldn't care if I grabbed anyone in this room right now and fucked them in front of her. She'd probably ask to join in. She also has no interest in politics or business. She's never going to get in my way and I'm getting her father's power and connections. She's perfect," Sanjou explained. "You can look at Olivia and see that she isn't the angel that you're claiming she is. She's trouble. That's why you keep her locked in the hotel."
Before Eisuke could answer, Soryu spoke, his voice lazily confident. "I think I've got this one, actually. Sakiko's a badass who rescued me from the threat of death."
"You're both wrong," Eisuke declared. "If this was an office, Mei would be the inept temp who's always fucking up. Sakiko would be the diligent and dependable worker and Olivia would be the manager because she comes up with excellent plans and has other people carry them out."
"You're forgetting that Sakiko's been managing my headquarters and knocking my boys into shape," Soryu said with a laugh. "If Olivia's a manager, then Sakiko is the department head."
While Eisuke frowned, Sanjou laughed and added, "And Mei isn't the temp. She's the CEO's daughter who drops by the office sometimes and everyone admires how beautiful and fashionable she is. Then she fucks an employee or two in an empty meeting room."
"You're far too happy that the woman who is going to be your wife is a nymphomaniac," Eisuke complained.
While the other two men continued bickering Soryu feel silent, his eyes drawn to where Sakiko stood across the room listening to something that Chisato was saying. He knew that at some point she would start cheating on him, although he probably shouldn't call it cheating since he'd said that he'd be fine with it. He'd promised her an open relationship, promised to love her for who she was and he did, he just knew that it would be hard for him when the time came to actually do it. He'd told himself again and again that the only thing that mattered was that she came back to him.
He understood now what she'd meant when she'd talked about being afraid of being trapped in a relationship no matter the consequences. There was no leaving her, no letting her go, no matter what she did, no matter who she would sleep with. He would be waiting to welcome her back with open arms, to fuck her until he'd erased everything but him from inside of her.
He'd watched her grow stronger and calmer almost by the day. Relaxing into their relationship, learning to trust in it and in him. She still took her time away, still spent nights in her own apartment, but the quality of her departures was different every time. The panic, the fear and the blind fleeing were disappearing. When she left she was cool and confident, acknowledging the need within her and managing it rather than allowing it to rule her.
It was beautiful to see, watching her become stronger, maturing past her childhood fears and traumas, but it made him uneasy, too. The confidence that she was finding was binding her tighter to him and to their relationship, but it was also helping her to spread her wings. She was obsessed with him now, he kept her as busy in bed as he possibly could, but at some point she was going to turn around and see someone that she wanted to fuck and she wasn't going to hesitate to act on her feelings.
He'd told her that it would be okay. He'd promised her freedom and he would not go back on his word. Their relationship would only work if one of them took damage. If he tried to force her to be monogamous, over time she'd crumble and fall apart. He knew it, he could see it in the way she moved, feel it in the way she breathed. She needed to be free, and so he would take the hit. He would absorb the pain and keep them together. He would keep her safe by giving her a home and a touchpoint, and keep himself safe by providing her with what she needed to stay in the relationship. She was as necessary to him as air and he would do whatever he had to do to keep her happy and by his side.

*** Author's Note *** There will be short stories for Sakiko and Soryu as I continue writing the other books. We definitely need to see how their relationship is progressing!