of t-shirts and jeans
038. temptation

(au ftw, right? :D)

Itachi rubbed his temples, inhaling and exhaling the slowest he could.

"Your luncheon meeting with Hyuuga Inc. is at twelve-thirty," his secretary was saying, consulting her agenda. "Then you have to go shopping for your mother's birthday at four, and go home and prepare between five-thirty and six. But, right now"—she paused as she checked her watch—"there's only about ten more minutes before you have to see your father."

He was an Uchiha. He lived under pressure. He thrived under pressure.

But he did not live—and most certainly did not thrive—under temptation.

Haruno Sakura was no ordinary girl. Haruno Sakura was not like his previous secretaries. Haruno Sakura did not make him herbal tea, nor did she wear skimpy-but-still-formal outfits to work. She did not cake her face in makeup—and she definitely did not bother him every other minute. (And thank God she didn't, too.)

No. Sakura made him black coffee, with cream and no sugar, just the way he liked it. She occasionally wore jeans and a t-shirt to work. She applied lip gloss on her breaks, and only spoke to him when necessary, or if he was the one who initiated the conversation.

To Itachi, this was the ultimate form of temptation. When the opposition didn't care about how she affected him.

"Uchiha-san? Are you listening?" said secretary cocked her head to the side, inspecting him. "I could reschedule your father's meeting for another time, if you're stressed…"

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

Shutting her agenda and hugging it to her chest with one arm, she tucked a lock of pink hair behind her ear with her other hand. (She did that on purpose just to see his reaction. He was positive.) "Are you sure? It seems like you've been overworking yourself lately."

He abruptly stood from his seat, making his way around his desk and over to her. "Sakura." The blush that crept to her cheeks was immediate.

Well, of course. Even though she didn't care about how she affected him, that didn't mean he didn't affect her.

"Y-Yes?" She took a step back when it moved a little closer to her.

"Stop," he said slowly, trying very hard to keep his arms still at his sides, "being so"—he had to pause to take a subtle deep breath—"fucking tempting."

She looked flabbergasted. "What?"

"Tempting," he repeated, placing a hand on her shoulder so she couldn't back away again once he took another step towards her. She had a floral scent about her, but he wasn't surprised. Her name was Sakura, after all.

"I'm not being tempting!" she said indignantly, cheeks flushing even further. "You are!"

"I know." He shrugged noncommittally. "It's not intentional."

"Ignorant prick," she muttered under her breath. He narrowed his eyes, grip tightening on her shoulder.

"What did you say?"

Her eyes widened slightly from fear. "Nothing at all. I suggest we head to your meeting now." She avoided his gaze, but from her expression, he could tell she meant her words, one hundred percent.

Screw temptation. He should just fire her.

A/N: This one is dedicated to AB, who just recently reviewed every single chapter of this fic. Seriously, I was so happy! :D