Kissed by the Baddest Bidder Recreated - Book 1 - Olivia and Eisuke

by Cassakane

I use kbtbb as the *springboard* for this story. Events and some characters (especially Baba and Ota) will vary greatly from the original work. I intend to write a story for each of the bidders. Olivia and Eisuke: chapters 1-9: You know, right? Sakiko and Soryu: chapters 10-?: Sakiko is happy to join Eisuke's underground organization. Will she be able to seduce Soryu?

3. Control

The next morning I stood in the bathroom, resolutely torturing myself by combing out my hair. I didn't have the patience or the technique that Mika had for gently working out the tangles. Instead, I was punishing myself with the pain in an attempt to build up the courage that I would need to speak to Eisuke.

Overall, my pain level had been better when I woke up this morning. I was grateful for this, knowing that I was going to have another long day of pretending to be Eisuke's girlfriend. I was also beginning to worry about the pain pills. I'd been too happy to wash one down last night, too grateful for the drug to push me into sleep and away from the turmoil of worries and memories that swirled through my mind on an endless loop. I did not want to get into the habit of escaping from my negative thoughts and feelings by taking a pill. The doctor had only given me six pills. I would not be asking for more than that. I was even going to try to not finish the six.

With a sigh of relief, I finished combing my hair and stared at myself in the mirror. I was going to speak to Eisuke. It was going to be humiliating, but it had to be done for my own sanity. It was also going to be hard to be taken seriously wearing pajamas, but I wouldn't have clothes until I'd met with my fashion team and I wasn't going to put off this conversation. I'd woken up this morning to find a bag from one of the hotel's shops sitting next to my futon. Inside of it was a robe. A fluffy pink robe that didn't exactly add to my credibility, but at least felt like another layer of protection.

I marched out to the living room. Eisuke was sitting at his desk working on his computer just as I'd expected him to be. He looked up at me as I approached his desk.

"I just want you to know that moan last night was meaningless."

He stared up at me, his expression unreadable. I forced myself to continue.

"I'm very noisy when it comes to sexual things. I'm a screamer. Someone could get that sort of moan out of me with a handshake. It didn't mean anything."

He continued to stare up into my eyes, as if searching my soul. I stared right back with angry defiance as if I could push his gaze right out of my brain. After several moments of this, I abruptly turned on my heel and left, tossing my hair over my shoulder and striding across the room towards the stairs. Leaving him behind as if he didn't even matter.

And I have to admit that tossing my hair hurt my head, but the move felt right and necessary. I needed to prove that I was in control of myself. Not him.

Downstairs, Soryu was waiting for me as usual. He led me into the dining room where my breakfast was waiting. This time there was rice, soup and salad and Soryu sat down at the table rather than standing to the side and watching me eat.

"Do you like the zoo?" he asked as he handed me my antibiotic and some ibuprofen.

"I've only been there once on a school field trip as a child," I answered. "But I like animals. I'd be really excited to go today if it wasn't for Carolina."

"She is certainly difficult," Soryu said with a little smile. "We'll have to work together to defuse her. Otherwise I might be tempted to throw her in the pit with the lions."

I laughed, happy that he was talking to me. "Well, she does have that mane of curls. She would probably just take over the pit."

"Those poor male lions," Soryu commiserated. "I'll have to rethink my strategy."

"What strategy are we talking about?"

I looked up to see Baba coming into the room. He dropped into a chair next to me with a smile. "Good morning, Kitten."

"We're making plans for dealing with Carolina Bucci," Soryu explained.

"Ah, I'm staying well away from that one," Baba said. "That woman is a maneater if I've ever seen one."

A woman came in and set an omelet and toast in front of Baba. He turned and looked at me. "Are you having fun being Eisuke's love shield?" he asked.

"Ah, I wouldn't say fun," I said. "Is Carolina staying for the entire week of IVC events?"

"Yes," Soryu answered. "From what I understand her departure date is undetermined. I think she'd hoped to move in with Eisuke and stay forever."

"It's funny to think of how much that arrangement would have tortured Eisuke," I said with a smile.

"The claws come out!" Baba cried with a laugh. "We'll have to tell Eisuke to be nicer to you. He wouldn't want you to sabotage his plans."

"No need to worry about that," I assured them. "The only thing I'm worried about is Carolina, herself. She doesn't seem at all ready to give up."

"No, she doesn't," Soryu agreed.

"I feel like I'm missing out on all the fun," Baba complained. "But there is no way I am putting myself in that woman's path."

"Baba, did you sell the pacemaker prototype at the Auction last night?" I asked, worried about what had become of the important technology.

"Yes, Olivia," he answered. "No worries. The best man won the bid. He owns multiple factories. So he has the experience, the people and the resources necessary to get this project up and running quickly."

I nodded and hesitantly asked another question. "And do you steal a lot of things for the Auction?"

"It's my job," he said bluntly. "Professional thief. At your service should you ever need anything stolen, Kitten."

"It seems odd that Eisuke would allow a thief into the hotel," I pointed out.

"Eisuke and I are associates. I don't steal things from the hotel or people staying in the hotel," he explained. "Or his business associates for the most part. I do sometimes try to steal a girl from Ota."

"So you steal things for the Auction. And Soryu, you're Eisuke's business associate?" I asked. "Sometimes it seems like you are his assistant, but sometimes it doesn't."

"I'm not his assistant," Soryu said. "He and I are partners in the Auction. I manage the Auction, Baba and Ota also help with that. Eisuke and I are also partners in other matters."

Baba gave a short laugh. "It seems like Soryu is an assistant because he's the hands and Eisuke is the giant brain. Eisuke needs people to take care of tasks for him, and Soryu is his right hand man. Soryu can't stop working. He's always on. So he's the perfect person to do everything that Eisuke needs – from something as small as fetching a pen to managing business deals. Soryu can handle any task. And neither of them can trust an employee to take care of some of the things they need accomplished, so they are left with each other. And Ota, Mamoru and me, of course, but none of us work as much as Eisuke and Soryu."

"But Ota is an artist and Mamoru is a detective," I said thoughtfully. "Why would they work for Eisuke?"

"For money and fun?" Baba suggested. "Ota authenticates the art pieces for the auction and Mamoru deals with the shady legal stuff."

"I guess it makes a sort of sense," I said, still trying to understand. I knew there was a lot Baba wasn't telling me. There was a lot of crime and underground things going on and all of these men were involved in illegal dealings.

"If you're finished, Olivia, we should get started on our day," Soryu said quietly. He was watching me more intently than usual. I knew that he was trying to judge my feelings about the Auction and the group of men surrounding Eisuke, but I was unsure of those feelings myself.

After breakfast, Soryu led me down one of the hallways that branched off the living room and opened a door. "We've set up this room for your fashion team," he explained.

Mika, Rin and Daichi were hanging out inside waiting for me. I looked around curiously. The room must have been remodeled to turn it into what looked like a salon. The smell of paint was fresh in the air and the flooring was new. A hair and makeup station had been set up, complete with a large mirror surrounded by light bulbs, a salon sink for washing my hair and what seemed like an endless amount of supplies. Racks and shelves for storing clothes and shoes lined the walls and a screen for changing stood in the corner. There was even a sitting area for the team to relax in while the members of the team were waiting for their turns to work on me.

Today, Rin started with my makeup, explaining that she was going for a natural look since I would be outside all day. When Mika styled my hair – using a wand to add some loose curls – the team began to ask me about last night's IVC party. They were just as disillusioned as I was to hear that it was boring.

"I'm sure that some of the guests must have been having fun," I said with a sigh. "But from what I could see it was mostly just people networking."

"Maybe that's what passes for fun for the rich," Daichi said with a laugh. "Can I see your arm, Olivia? I don't want to put a jacket on you today, it's pretty hot out there and you'll be outside in the sun."

I pushed up my sleeve to show him the bruise on my upper arm that had been created by the pin. It was huge and dark, really quite gruesome.

"Goodness," Rin said, turning her eyes away from the sight. "That looks awful!"

"When I fell, the first thing that hit was my arm. It came down on the edge of a stair," I explained with a lie.

"Well, I don't think we'll be able to cover this up with makeup," Daichi said thoughtfully. "I've got a pale blue dress in a really light material with three-quarter sleeves. I think that will work fine for today."

I tried the dress on. It fit perfectly and I was able to appreciate my transformation a little more than the day before. I decided that I was going to have to start paying attention to what the team was doing with my hair and makeup. When I returned to my normal life, I should be able to make a bit more of myself than I'd been doing in the past. It seemed like it would be a waste to always wear my hair up in a ponytail or a bun, when I was learning just how pretty I could look if only I would put in a little more effort and creativity.

I thanked my team for a job well done and walked them out to the elevator, Soryu joining us along the way.

"Carolina has been calling Eisuke," Soryu said as soon as the elevator doors closed. "She's anxious to get things started."

When we stepped back into the penthouse, Eisuke was already coming down the stairs. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white v-neck shirt.

"Frappuccino Zoolander!" I screamed inside my head in an attempt to drown out thoughts my mind was generating about how sexy he looked. "Frappuccino enters the runway sporting a casual look and his trademark smirk! Sell those jeans, Zoolander!"

Eisuke gave me a long look as he crossed the room towards us. Whether it had to do with last night, my awkward declaration this morning or because I'd had a strange look on my face when I was imagining him walking the runway, I couldn't guess. More than likely it was all three. I followed him into the elevator hoping that he couldn't read my mind as well as he could the businessmen from last night's dinner.

When Eisuke took my hand in his just before the elevator doors slid open, I felt my stomach give a strange lurching twist and a gasp escaped my lips. He strode forward into the lobby, pulling me along as I struggled with an internal storm. I needed him to let me go. I needed him to stop touching me. His hand holding onto mine was causing giant tidal waves of thoughts and emotions to collide within me. I couldn't contain them. I began to tremble and my eyes darting around in panic, searching for a means of escape.

"Olivia, is something wrong?" Soryu asked, staring down at me with concern in his eyes.

"I...I need the restroom," I answered. Even my voice was trembling. Eisuke had stopped walking when Soryu had spoken and I could feel his eyes on the back of my head, but I couldn't turn around and look at him.

Soryu nodded and said, "Here, let me take you."

He placed his hand on my elbow. Eisuke's hand dropped from mine and I was suddenly able to breath. I had to force myself not to drop my face into my hands, to walk steadily across the lobby towards the women's restroom.

"Wait," I said, reaching up and grasping at Soryu's hand where it held my arm. "Not the restroom. I need somewhere private. Please, Soryu."

His dark eyes looked down into mine, searching almost as intently as Eisuke. Finally, he nodded and we veered off course. He led me to a private check-in office and used his black keycard to let me in.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, obviously not wanting to close the door and leave me by myself.

"I'll be okay, Soryu," I answered, hoping that I was telling the truth. "I just a need a few minutes to think and calm myself down."

With a nod, he stepped out of the room and closed the door. The office was small, with only a table and a few chairs. I sank into one of the chairs and put my head down on the table. My mind was spinning, my thoughts a tangled mess. What had he done to me? I raised my head and stared down at the hand that he had touched.

I wanted him. And not in an objective, 'isn't that guy handsome' sort of way. My body had responded to his touch like a flower turning to open to the sun. I'd wanted to give myself over to him, to cling to him. The powerful attraction felt like an ambush and it was more than physical. I was intrigued by the clues I'd found to his personality. Little threads that hinted at his intelligence, his self-control, the mystery of his secret underground dealings and his own inner workings. Even the things that would normally have repelled me were drawing me in. His cold authority, his disinterest, the streak of cruelty and the arrogance that seemed to underlie everything that he did. I wanted to discover his secrets and know all of him. I wanted to wrap myself in him and lose sight of the light.

But that was only one part of me. Another part was desperate to fight off these feelings. My body may want him, but my sense of self was appalled by the idea that I could have such strong feelings for a man that I had only just met, a criminal who had purchased me in an auction, a devil who had command of me. These feelings of desire and romantic interest were baseless, false, flighty, immature, and most of all dangerous. I had always prided myself on being practical and level-headed. I could not and would not allow a pretty face and a mysterious mien to turn me into someone that I had never been and never wanted to be.

Seemingly without participation from my conscious mind, my body and subconscious were fighting a war, internally struggling for the right to control me, to determine what sort of woman I was. When he had touched me, a battle had been pitched as feelings of pleasure and desire were met with anger, self-reproach and a swift attempt to quash any and all warm responses to him. If the simple act of him taking my hand had left me overcome by my own inner conflict, how would I manage a day's trip to the zoo?

I pushed myself to my feet and stared down at my hands as they gripped the edge of the table. I did not want to want him. I had to believe that I had control over myself even if my body was betraying me. It was not necessary to give in. It was not necessary to respond. I could push my desire for him far away from myself and focus on my job. The important thing was to successfully complete the task at hand, to get myself one step closer to freedom.

When I stepped out of the office, Soryu was leaning against the wall outside waiting for me. He raised his eyebrows at me and I responded with a nod. We crossed the lobby and joined Eisuke and Carolina.

Eisuke stepped to me and put his hand on my waist as I greeted Carolina. "Have you regained control of yourself?" he whispered against my ear, his voice laced with anger rather than concern.

"Yes, of course," I replied quietly, striving to be just as cold as he was. "It was just a thing."

At Carolina's insistence, we hurried out to the limo. Carolina attempted to finagle her way into sitting next to Eisuke, just as she had done the day before, but he and Soryu were ready for her this time. They executed a move that looked as if it had been choreographed by a professional and Carolina ended up sitting next to Soryu.

Eisuke was touching me during the entire ride. He held my hand, rested his hand on my thigh or put his arm around me, pulling me close. It provided me plenty of opportunity to practice keeping my wayward feelings in check. And I played my own part well, playing with his fingers, smiling at him adoringly and stroking his hair. His soft, silky hair…

Sometimes it was all that I could do to restrain myself. I had to keep up a running diatribe in my head. "Frappuccino Zoolander has been chosen to be the next spokesmodel for Bubbles shampoo! Critics are already raving about the way he brushes his hair out of his eyes and stares directly into the camera!" I did my best to minimize him and make him ridiculous. The strategy seemed to lose a little of its power with each use. There was no way that I could truly diminish this man in my mind. He'd purchased me with a word, he had the respect of wealthy businessmen from all over the world, he gave commands with a nod of his head.

If anything, I was the one that was laughable. A poor maid, dressed up in expensive clothes and pretending to be his girlfriend. Of course I was immediately fighting feelings of attraction for him. He was Prince Charming, but I was just the Ugly Stepsister. Not even the Ugly Stepsister. Carolina got that honor. I was a maid carrying a tray of champagne at the ball. Not even worth mentioning.

"Olivia?"

Eisuke's voice was laced with loving concern, but his eyes glinted with anger.

"Oh! Sorry!" I said with a little laugh at myself. "I sorta dozed off."

He took my hand and helped me out of the limo, saying with a smile, "I'll have to try to let you sleep a little more tonight."

"Ah, Eisuke! A man with passion!" Carolina declared and made a move as if she were going to step over and take his arm.

Soryu intervened smoothly, cutting Carolina off and suggesting that she help him get the tickets. With a shrug, she turned to join him, leaving Eisuke and I alone.

"What in the hell are you doing?" he demanded as I blinked up at him. "Did you take a pain pill?"

"No," I said with a shake of my head. "No. I just...I have a lot on my mind."

"You need to gain control of yourself," he snapped. "This is not going to work if you walk around like a zombie all day. You must maintain your role."

"Yes. I know you're right. I will," I said distractedly, working to pull myself together. I needed to keep Eisuke happy. I needed to get this right.

Soryu and Carolina walked over to us, Soryu holding a set of tickets in his hands as well as a few zoo pamphlets. He handed a pamphlet to both Carolina and I. "Here ladies, why don't you take a look at the map and decide what you're most interested in seeing."

I studied the map as we waited in line and went through the ticket turnstile. Eisuke's hand rested on the small of my back the entire time, but I held firm control of my reactions. Once we were inside the zoo, Soryu asked where we'd like to go to first.

"I want to see lions and tigers," Carolina declared, bouncing happily. She was wearing a very low-cut shirt and a pushup bra that made her enormous breasts look like they were on the verge of an avalanche.

Soryu turned his eyes to me, raising his eyebrows to indicate that he expected me to share my opinion.

"I'd like to see the otters and the owls, they're on the way to the lions and tigers. And we'll also pass the pandas too. I'd love to see the pandas," I said, suddenly realizing how excited I was to see the animals.

"That sounds like a great plan," Eisuke said, giving me a little hug that felt like a gesture of approval for getting myself together. "I'm looking forward to seeing the pandas myself."

As we walked through the zoo, Carolina began playing a complicated game, flirting with one man and then the other while interrupting, ignoring and talking over me as much as possible. She was on one hundred percent of the time, always looking for a way to get attention from Eisuke and Soryu or show her disrespect for me.

At the otter enclosure, I'd stepped a few feet away from Eisuke in order to get a better look at a baby otter. Carolina used this opportunity to sidle up to him and press herself against him. The day was hot, just as Daichi had said it would be, and a thick layer of perspiration shimmered on Carolina's chest and breasts. Seeing her squash her sweaty bosom against Eisuke's arm was enough to turn my stomach.

"Look at otter stand tall like hard-on cock," she said with a laugh.

I thought my eyes were going to bug out of my head when I heard her say something so graphic to Eisuke. Had she no shame? And she must have specifically learned words related to sex when she was studying Japanese. The thought of it made me shudder.

"Darling," I called, trying to rescue Eisuke from her grasp. "Please come and take a picture of me. I think if I stand here you can get the mother and baby otter in the shot."

"You make selfie!" Carolina commanded before he had a chance to answer me. She turned and tugged on his arm and indicating the information sign about otters that was posted on the side of their habitat. "I like Eisuke read sign to me."

Not knowing what to do, I watched Eisuke for a clue. With his usual smirk, he moved to read the sign to Carolina, attempting to twist his way out of her grasp as he did so. But she held tight like a barnacle.

I quickly took a selfie and scurried over to insinuate myself between the two of them, displaying my picture to Eisuke as soon as he finished reciting the contents of the sign.

Taking my phone in his hand, he held it up and turned to get the best view of the screen, considering the angle of the sun. This move forced Carolina to give up her hold on him and he quickly pulled me back to his side, using me as a barrier between himself and Carolina. I sighed in relief when his move was successful and Carolina gave up and walked away. After that I did my best to stay glued to Eisuke, but Carolina continued to take advantage of every opening to come between us and press herself to him.

When she wasn't flirting with Eisuke, she was working on Soryu. Without a shield, Soryu was mostly defenseless and Carolina was all over him, clinging to him and making references to sex whenever the vaguest opportunity presented itself.

By the time we decided to leave the zoo, I was exhausted. I'd been one step behind Carolina all day, desperately trying to thwart her every move towards Eisuke and stretching my imagination to find ways to interrupt her relentless attack on Soryu. At the same time I was trying to hold back the feelings that Eisuke's touch sparked in me and he was touching me all the time as we worked together to fend off Carolina.

As we passed by the zoo's gift shop, Carolina exclaimed, "Here! Look! Gold!"

We followed her into the gift shop to find that an area had been sectioned off to sell special jewelry as a way to raise funds for the zoo. Carolina breezed into the jewelry section like a woman on a mission, while the rest of us followed behind quietly.

"Come, Soryu! Look now! Lion be like you!" Carolina's voice was overly loud for the shop. I saw several patrons looking over at her with displeasure. Soryu also noticed and went to stand next to her at a display of necklaces, speaking to her in a muted voice in an attempt to get her to lower her own.

"Come here," Eisuke breathed into my ear, and turned me around to face the counter that was behind us. There were many rings lined up on the counter, most of them with animal motifs, but Eisuke reached for a gold ring that had a small flower on it. "Try this on."

I moved to take the ring from him, but he took my hand in his and slid the ring onto my finger. The fit was perfect. The small golden circle had a tiny white lily on it and the petals of the lily were edged in gold. The night before I'd worn diamond jewelry to the IVC party, but I hadn't liked what must have been an outrageously expensive diamond ring anywhere near as much as I did the delicate ring that Eisuke had just picked out.

I looked up from admiring the ring to see Eisuke passing some bills over to the cashier. "Thank you," I said and couldn't help but add, "I love it."

"Good," Eisuke said. "You've tried hard today."

A bit of fuzzy warmth blossomed in my chest. It felt good to have my hard work acknowledged. I had tried my best, even though Carolina had won nearly every play. I was glad that Eisuke was rewarding me rather than being angry at me. He could have reacted harshly because my pathetic game of keep-up had left him exposed to Carolina far too many times, instead he was showing that he appreciated my efforts.

"Eisuke!" Carolina barreled across the shop towards us. "I did buy so many gold with tiger and lion. Eisuke is my tiger and Soryu is my lion!"

I sighed and moved closer to press myself into Eisuke's warmth before Carolina could. His arms went around me as he complimented Carolina's choices and we left the shop. I realized, belatedly, that he had bought me the ring when Carolina wasn't looking. He hadn't scored any points in the game by buying me the ring. He had bought it just to be nice.

"Olivia," a voice whispered nearby, fingers stroking gently from my temple down past the curve of my cheek. A soft moan fell from my lips and I turned my face into the warm fingers that were caressing me.

"Olivia." This time the soft voice was accompanied by a thumb tracing over my lower lip.

As another moan escaped my mouth I came awake with a start. Eisuke's face was inches from mine, his eyes gazing into my own. His thumb left my lips and stroked over my cheek as he said, "You fell asleep," and moved to give me a gentle kiss.

My brain was too sleep-addled to handle this. He was too close, too beautiful, his kiss too warm. My lips wanted to chase after his and entice them back to dally with mine. My hand went to his shoulder and sat there as my mind couldn't decide whether to pull him closer or push him away.

He smirked down at me, his eyes flashing. "I really must let you get more sleep."

"Certainly, yes!" Carolina's voice cried.

I glanced up to see her glaring at me over Eisuke's shoulder. Had she been there, staring at me, the entire time? And all that I could see had been his face?

"Olivia can be so tired," Carolina continued. "She must be given to bed now. We will go to dinner, Eisuke, Soryu and Carolina only."

What? Anger flared inside of me. This bitch was not going to send me up to bed so that she could get her claws on "my" man.

"Oh no!" I said flirtatiously, purposefully moving my hand from Eisuke's shoulder and tangling my fingers into his hair. "I'm so very hungry and we're going to the Purple Horizon tonight. I've been looking forward to it so much. Don't say that I have to stay home and sleep."

I pouted up at him cutely, my fingers caressing the back of his head. Carolina looked like she wanted to reach over his shoulder and scratch my eyes out.

"Of course you're coming to dinner with us. I couldn't be happy unless you were there," Eisuke said in a seductive voice.

"Oh, Eisuke, you always say the sweetest things," I said breathlessly, slipping my free hand around his neck and moving up to press my lips against his. "This is what you get if you wake me up," I thought. "A little bit crazy and a little bit reckless." I was having too much fun playing my part and I really wanted to stick it to Carolina after the way she had treated me all day at the zoo.

I'd forgotten about Eisuke and his kisses. When my lips touched his, he immediately took over, invading my mouth with his tongue while his fingers stroked circles in the small of my back. He broke off the kiss for a moment to murmur, "Olivia, my love" before dipping back down to take my mouth with even more passion than before, pulling me close and burying a hand in my hair.

The 'Olivia, my love' was my saving grace. It was so obviously an act that it allowed me to keep my wits about me. I won't say that I didn't enjoy the kiss, but I didn't give in to the dark pit of desire that swirled at my feet, inviting me to jump in and forget everything else.

He continued kissing me until the limo pulled up in front of the hotel. Which wasn't terribly long, but still far too long to be considered polite. When we climbed out of the car, Carolina pushed past me roughly and stormed ahead into the lobby. Soryu raised his eyebrows at us and then hurried after her. The poor man was being stuck with far too much of the dirty work.

Eisuke took my hand and I turned to smile up at him triumphantly. "That was perfect!" I declared. "You're a genius. Stopping in the middle and saying my name. You, Sir, deserve an Oscar for that performance."

"You did quite well yourself," he said as we walked into the hotel. His voice was as bored and emotionless as usual, but I didn't let it get me down.

"All of her games at the zoo were for nothing," I said with a laugh. "She completely wasted her time."

"Of course," Eisuke replied. "There is no chance that she will win. The game was over before it even began."

"You're right," I said as we stepped into the elevator and the doors slid closed. I dropped his hand and moved to lean carelessly against the wall. "I know that she can't actually make you date her, but I hate the fact that she is even trying. It's so disrespectful and spoiled. It infuriates me to see a woman acting like that."

He turned his head to look at me, his usual smirk on his face. "You're putting too much emotion into it."

"Probably," I said with a shrug. "But at least it isn't boring."

I don't know where my cavalier attitude had come from. More than likely it was the double triumph of showing up Carolina and maintaining self-control while Eisuke was kissing me. With lots of tongue. I felt like a soldier ready to go into battle. Completely unstoppable.

When we arrived back at the penthouse, I took a shower and presented myself to my fashion team wearing my new pink robe. They commented on my happiness and rosy cheeks and asked a lot of questions about our trip to the zoo.

"What's this?" Daichi asked, picking up my hand. "You got a new ring?"

"Eisuke picked it out for me," I explained, smiling down at it.

"He has a good eye. That ring is perfect for you," Daichi proclaimed. "And I have the perfect dress to wear with it!"

He hurried over to the racks of clothes and pulled out a short white dress with an off the shoulder cowl neckline. He paired it with a beautiful white shawl, a simple gold necklace and earrings and gold heels.

"Please, Mika," he begged. "We have to put her hair up in some way to go with this dress. Work your magic!"

Mike turned to me with a frown of concentration on her face. "Show me where your head hurts," she instructed.

"In the back and on the right side," I said, indicating the areas that had been injured.

"Okay," she said with a determined nod and began working big curls into my hair with a wand. Once the curls were finished, she carefully pulled back the left side of my hair and used an elegant white clip to hold it in place.

Now that my dress for the evening had been changed, Rin touched up my makeup, adding a bit of gold to my eye shadow.

This time when I stood in front of the mirror to see the final product that the team had created, I really felt like I looked beautiful. Mika, Rin and Daichi were also very happy with the job they had done. They chattered excitedly, complimenting me and each other as we walked out to the living room and I joined Eisuke and Soryu to go to the restaurant.

That night we dined at the Purple Horizon, the restaurant that was at the top of the Tres Spades. We arrived at the restaurant before Carolina, but she stalked up to the table several minutes later with a strangely vicious confidence. Eisuke put his hand on my thigh and squeezed, telegraphing a warning, but it wasn't necessary. I could clearly see that danger was afoot.

Carolina was accompanied by the young woman who had been with her when she got off of her private jet. The woman introduced herself as Gia Conti, Carolina's interpreter. I found it very strange that she had brought an interpreter along to the meal. She normally spoke in Japanese, and if she didn't feel like making the effort, Eisuke spoke Italian. Did she think she was missing something in our conversation and Gia would fill her in on the details later? Whatever the reason, the presence of the interpreter was another reason to be careful.

The meal started off well. Carolina was filled with a strange energy, but there was really nothing remarkable about our conversation as we ordered our food and waited for its arrival. She continued to speak in Japanese as she had been doing all day and Gia sat quietly to her side doing nothing but observing.

I'd ordered steak, and I had to hold myself back from devouring it in a few bites. I hadn't been able to stomach food for too many of my meals during the last two days. I'd eaten well that morning at breakfast, but Carolina's aggressive pursuit of the men, her disgusting sexual comments, and my own stress had made it difficult to eat lunch at the zoo. Carolina told stories about her travels as we ate. She appeared to be trying a different tactic, wooing Eisuke and Soryu with calm, interesting anecdotes rather than desperate attempts at attention.

After I'd finished my food, I waited for a break in the discussion and excused myself to go to the restroom.

"I'll join you," Carolina said with a smile. She stood up and tapped her interpreter to accompany her.

The little alarm that had been buzzing inside of me since Carolina had arrived grew louder. Why bring the interpreter along? I glanced over at Eisuke, his eyes were confirming my own thoughts, telling me to be on my guard.

When I came out of the stall in the restroom, Carolina stood in front of the sinks waiting for me. Her eyes were filled with so much hate and anger that they reminded me of Hiro's after I'd broken the Venus in Repose. A chill of fear went through me, but I straightened my spine. As Eisuke had reminded me, there was no chance that Carolina would win this war. Everything was just a game that she was destined to lose.

I attempted to pass by Carolina to wash my hands, but she stepped in front of me, grabbed my arm and started spitting angry words into my face in Italian. She'd gripped my bad arm right on the bruise. Tears sprung into my eyes and I reached to pry her fingers away from the tender spot as she poured venom that I couldn't even understand down on me.

My arm finally freed, Carolina finished scolding me. Her eyes were triumphant because mine were filled with tears. She probably thought that she'd scared the shit out of me, when she'd just hurt my poor arm. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Gia, giving her a nod to start interpreting her rant into Japanese.

As Gia began translating Carolina's words into perfect, businesslike Japanese with a cute Italian accent, something within me snapped. I was not going to take any more of this spoiled bitch. I was done.

"You lying bitch," Gia said calmly. "You're not Eisuke's girlfriend. He fucking bought you in his black market auction. You are nothing but a worthless sex slave. You were a maid at the hotel. You are nothing. A nobody. You need to get out of my way immediately before I make you disappear."

I could tell that Gia was condensing Carolina's point. She'd yelled in Italian for far too long for Gia to be interpreting her word for word.

I turned to look at Carolina, keeping my voice even and cold. I tried to channel Eisuke's bored eyes and superior smirk. She's a fly and I'm a butterfly.

"You're mistaken, Carolina," I began, feigning pity. "Of course, most people probably would be. That thing at the Auction was set up, it wasn't real. Eisuke has a little fantasy and I indulged him. Do you really think that if he had actually bought some random girl that he would have made her his girlfriend?"

I watched emotions play over Carolina's face as Gia interpreted my words for her, but in the end she settled on anger and attacked again. I waited patiently for her to finish and Gia to start speaking.

"I don't give a shit about that," the interpreter continued to calmly translate Carolina's fury. "You're nothing but a common whore. A maid at the hotel. A man may dip his dick in a slut from the village, but he'll marry the woman from the villa. It's only a matter of time before he realizes what a worthless piece of trash you are and comes running to me."

It was time to pull the pin from my grenade. Facing Carolina, I let anger and condescension flood my voice. "It's over, Carolina. You're chasing after a man that you will never catch and that you wouldn't be able to handle even if you got your hands on him."

I turned my head and used my finger to trace over the thin line of purple bruising that was visible along the edge of my hair at my temple. "Do you see this?" I snapped. "Is this the sort of relationship that you're looking for? Would you agree to stand up on that stage and let everyone think you were being sold to Eisuke? Is that how much you love him?"

I allowed my shawl to fall and expose the ugly bruise on my arm. "You're not the woman for him, Carolina. You're too strong and used to having things your way and getting what you want, you're Daddy's Little Girl. Eisuke has to be in control of absolutely everything about his women, and he never takes no for an answer." I hiked up my dress and showed her the large bruise at the top of my thigh. "Even if you think you might want to give this a try, you wouldn't be able to hide the bruises for long. He isn't always careful about where he puts them. Your father would just end up having him killed, or trying to, and Eisuke would kill your father and probably you, too. Is that really the romance you've been dreaming of?"

Carolina and the interpreter were staring at me in horror. Gia had been quietly talking to her at the same time that I was speaking. Carolina's face had drained of color. It was time to put the nail in the coffin.

"And this is all from happy fun times with Eisuke. I don't tell him no and I don't piss him off. Why do you think he loves me so much? It's because I'm so fucking well-behaved. I learned to be real quick. He dislocated my arm while he was fucking me from behind. I was freaking out, screaming in pain and my arm was just hanging there like it was dead and he wouldn't stop until he was finished with me," I said, doing my best to put the pain from Hiro assaulting me into my eyes.

Carolina began arguing and her interpreter quietly said, "No. He might treat a lowly bitch like that, but he would never treat me like that."

"Get over yourself, Carolina," I replied. "He dated a fucking Japanese princess and broke her arm in two places and gave her a concussion. He doesn't give a shit about your status. All that he cares about is getting exactly what he wants at all times. He can tell how much trouble you'd be. That's why he isn't interested.

"And if I were you, I'd stay away from Soryu, too. Soryu joins us in bed sometimes, so Eisuke is hoping that you and Soryu will start dating and you'll join us in a foursome. That way he could fuck you without worrying about dating you. But I'd be careful of Soryu. That man gets a little too sick with his rape fantasy thing. It's beyond disturbing."

With a take-it-or-leave-it shrug I turned to the sink and started washing my hands. After a moment, Carolina and the interpreter quietly left the restroom. I couldn't help giggling to myself a little after they were gone. I felt pretty proud of myself for my creativity and quick thinking. I was also pretty sure that Carolina would never bother Eisuke or Soryu again.

When I returned to the table, Carolina and the interpreter were nowhere to be seen. As I sat in my seat, Eisuke leaned over to whisper in my ear. "What did you do?"

Filled with triumph, I pressed my lips close to his ear and whispered in the sexiest voice that I could muster. "You can't figure it out with your fucking telepathy?"

I sat back in my chair and took a bite of my dessert. With a smile, I looked over at Soryu.

"Don't worry, Soryu. I took care of you, too. Carolina shouldn't be bothering either of you anymore."

He regarded me levelly for a moment. "I appreciate that, Olivia. Although, I'm concerned about whatever it is you've done."

"I don't think we should talk about it here," I said. "And I'm still hungry. Let me eat this and then we can go upstairs and I'll tell you everything."

I was riding high on my victory, replaying my argument with Carolina in my head and giggling to myself as I finished my dessert and rode the elevator to the penthouse.

As the door closed behind us, I turned to Eisuke, suddenly freezing as I noticed that his eyes were filled with a cold fury.

"What?" I backed up a step in fear and shock. "Did Carolina do something?"

"You need to tell us what you did," Soryu said.

Dread filled me and I began to shake. "I… I'm sorry. She attacked me in the restroom and I just wanted to finish it for good. I didn't know what else to do." I looked from Soryu to Eisuke and back again. They simply stared at me. I directed my words to Soryu since he wasn't as frightening as Eisuke.

Taking in a deep trembling breath, I tried to calm myself down and began to explain. "She found out that Eisuke bought me in the auction. She was yelling at me. I told her that the auction was a set up to let Eisuke act out a fantasy. I showed her my bruises and basically told her that Eisuke beats me for fun. I-" Tears began to fall from my eyes as I tried to explain myself to the two men who stood in front of me like statues. "I told her that Eisuke has you join us in the bedroom and you like to enact rape fantasies. So, I told her that she should stay away from you, too, Soryu."

The two men exchanged a glance and Soryu said, "I need details, Olivia. All of them."

"Okay," I said, rubbing my hands over my face, trying to remember everything. "I told her that Eisuke has to be in complete control of his women. That he doesn't take no for an answer. I told her that I never say no to him and that is why he loves me. I said that the bruises I have now are from him just having fun, not from punishing me. I told her that he dislocated my arm while we were having sex and he...uh...kept going anyway. I said that he dated a Japanese princess and broke her arm in two places and gave her a concussion. I told her Eisuke set her up with you in hopes that you guys would join us in a foursome, and he'd be able to have sex with her without dating her."

Soryu continued to stare at me and I searched my memory for more details. "I said that if she dated Eisuke she wouldn't always be able to hide the bruises and her father would find out and try to kill him. If Bucci didn't succeed in killing him, then Eisuke would probably kill Bucci and Carolina both."

By this time I was hanging my head in shame. I could feel their eyes staring at me. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think about how this would affect your reputations. I went a little crazy."

"We won't be going to the party. Soryu, you'll go in my place. Send her team home and take care of the details," Eisuke said after a tense silence. "Olivia, come."

I followed him to the upstairs living room, quietly taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I'd been so stupid. Imagining that I had some sort of connection with these men, that we were on the same team, working towards the same goal. In my shortsightedness, I'd forgotten that there were larger goals, bigger players. There was more to this than Carolina Bucci. She was a fly, wiggling and causing an annoying disturbance in a complex web of Eisuke's making.

I knew that Eisuke was the CEO for The Ichiyomiya Group, that he owned all of the Tres Spades hotels, I'd seen evidence that he had deals in the works with many different men, and I knew that he was involved in underground crime. There was really no telling what damage I had done. There was also no telling what he would do to punish me.

Once we were in the living room, Eisuke sat down on a couch. I remained standing before him like a guilty child.

When he spoke, his voice was more casual, warm and reasonable that he had ever been before when speaking to me. The divergence from normal sent alarm bells ringing in my mind and fear made my entire body tense.

"Let's get a few things straight," he said with a smile instead of a smirk. His right hand moved as he spoke, gesturing to emphasize his points in a way that I had never seen before. "First of all, you are really going to have to apologize again to Soryu for telling Carolina that he has rape fantasies. Not harming women is something that is very important to him. In that regard it was an especially unfortunate story to tell."

Eisuke was smiling at me like I was a child who had made a cute mistake. It was infinitely frightening.

"Yes, I will be sure to apologize again," I said, my voice trembling. "I am so very sorry."

"The lies you have told, they are...amusing. In and of themselves, there is not much wrong with them. They were the perfect way to scare off Carolina. You've created a convoluted mess for Soryu to clean up, but he enjoys a good challenge. Carolina will certainly have someone searching for evidence of your lies. It will be interesting to see how he creates a relationship between myself and Princess Mako that included abuse," he said and his voice sounded close to laughter.

"Yes, you could be commended for getting the job done. I'm sure that it wasn't easy to stand up to Carolina. I would imagine that if she were attacking you...just verbally, am I right?" He looked up at me with raised eyebrows and gestured for me to respond. I nodded quickly. "If she were yelling at you, especially in Italian, I am sure that it would have been frightening. And yet, you were able to tell a few lies that shut her down and resolved our problem entirely. It's quite the accomplishment."

"However," he said, and his voice returned to normal. His back straightened. His face became cold. His hand no longer gestured. His mouth smirked. His eyes stared forcefully into mine. "You acted without instructions. You improvised," he emphasized the word in a way that sent chills down my spine, "in a situation which you could not hope to comprehend. Your actions could have been devastating to my plans. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, I-," I swallowed convulsively. I'd begun trembling under his hard gaze. "I know that I can't possibly understand the complexity of the things that you are working on. And I know that I put those things in danger. I am so sorry, Eisuke."

"You are a tool, Olivia. You are only to follow instructions. You are not to make decisions or create your own path. If you do not stay on the path that has been decided for you, you put my concerns at risk. I cannot tolerate that, Olivia. If you endanger my concerns, the danger to you will be infinitely greater."

He stood up from the couch and I automatically began to take steps backwards, trying to put some distance between us. His eyes flashed and I froze immediately, a small cry of fear falling from my lips.

"Show me your breasts," he directed with a smirk.

My eyes widened in surprise, and I stared at him, unable to move or process what he had said. His eyes flashed and my hands began to move, my brain catching up a few seconds later. Trembling, I allowed the shawl that I had been clutching to me to fall to the floor. I reached up and pulled the off the shoulder neckline down, the white fabric of the bodice pooling at my waist. I stared forward, eyes unfocused, my mind was blank, purposefully not thinking about what was happening. I reached up and peeled the sticky bra cups from my breasts, dropping them with shaking fingers.

For some measure of time, neither of us moved – for seconds or minutes, I do not know – and then Eisuke took off his suit jacket and tossed it behind him onto the couch. He stepped forward to stand directly in front of me and chills of fear and awareness trembled over my skin. His hand came up, his knuckles coming to rest just above my bellybutton and then tracing a slow path up until his hand was resting between my breasts.

"You're not who I'm looking for," he breathed. "But I already knew that."

While my mind turned his words over, trying to make sense of them, my body responded to him, my nipples hardening. I kept my eyes turned to look over his shoulder, I was afraid to see what was in his eyes, afraid of how my body would respond if I looked at his face. He moved, drawing the back of his hand along the underside of my breast and then tracing over the outer edge. His thumb caressed gently over my nipple, and it tightened even more as he stroked it.

"This can't be," I thought. "This is not okay." But my body was already arching into his touch, crying out for more. I looked at him, but his eyes were hooded, staring down at his thumb playing with my nipple. His other hand joined the onslaught, falling upon my right breast and mirroring the actions of his right hand.

Pluck. Pluck. Twirl. Pinch.

"No. Oh, no," I breathed, but my words were for myself, not for him. I raised my hands and set them on his forearms, using the leverage to push myself into his hands. Desire flooded through me. If I had been thinking, I may have decided that I had been through too much, that everything was just too hard and I wanted to forget and give myself over to the feelings that his simple touch had the power to create in me. But I wasn't thinking anymore. Each soft caress of his fingers shut off another part of my brain, until there was nothing left of me except my body and an aching need for more.

"Eisuke," I pleaded, and his name was like a catalyst. He stepped closer, drawing my body against his, cupping the sides of my head carefully, his thumbs resting in front of my ears and his mouth taking mine in a kiss that was instantly deep and overwhelming.

I'd marveled before at how well he kissed, but that, apparently, had been nothing but playacting. His mouth was hotter, more intimate and more commanding than any kiss I had ever experienced. His kisses were relentless, fervently searching, and I did my best to meet the demands of his tongue, pleasure shivering through me with each stroke.

When his lips finally parted from mine, I buried my face in his chest, gasping and moaning with desire. His hands smoothed down my back and then he was turning me and lowering me gently down onto the couch. He followed closely, kneeling on a knee placed between my legs. His mouth finding mine again quickly, although this time his kisses were shallow. I threaded my fingers into his hair, eagerly meeting each movement of his lips and tongue.

He found my nipple and began rolling it between his fingers and thumb. His mouth moved to my ear, his breathing ragged. "You belong to me," he commanded. "Say it."

"I belong to you," I cried out, the words sounding right and true when all that I wanted was for him to take me completely.

His mouth moved from my ear, trailing hotly, licking and sucking down my neck and over my chest to my breast. By this time I was moaning endlessly, clutching at his shoulders, my pussy hot and throbbing, my body begging for more of him. His tongue traced over the curves of my breast before pulling my nipple into his mouth and worrying it with his teeth.

Suddenly he stood up. My first thought was that he was going to take is clothes off, but when I looked up and met his gaze I found that he was staring down at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes. After a moment he turned on his heel and walked away.

I turned and rose up on one arm, watching him cross the living room and disappear down the stairs, confused and abandoned.

Eisuke's Mental Notes 7/15/18:

...Carolina Bucci situation likely solved. Olivia acted autonomously, telling lies. Soryu generating evidence. Olivia must be brought under control. To be retained, she must behave, and there is no possibility of allowing her freedom at this time. Checked her breasts, she is not Keiko, as expected. I went further than that, but she is mine and I will do with her as I please. In this situation, there is no reason to restrain myself...