Naruto noticed. He noticed ho distracted she was. He noticed how she missed her cues more often then usual, and how her steps were slower than usual. He noticed how she no longer invited to spend the night in her third-floor apartment, and how as soon as her numbers were over, she would slip out through the back door with a worried expression planted on her face. He noticed the dark under her eyes. Most of all, he noticed how she flinched each time he touched her arm, how scared she looked when a man walked in the room.

The business, on the other hand, was doing well. As she had promised, money seemed to be coming in at increasing amounts at what seemed like random intervals. They had fixed the sign so all the letters blinked in the dark, and they had built a new stage, so Sakura could walk out across the catwalk while the band played on a larger surface behind her. The drinks were more expensive now, the roof in the back that leaked was patched.

She crossed her legs and melted back into her chair. It was one of her few nights off, and she was enjoying herself just because she was with Naruto. She knew him. Knew his tricks. He was familiar, unlike the beds of such strange men with their greasy tuxedoes and thick mustaches. Everything ached. Her arms, her hips, her chest, even the inside of her thighs. Especially the inside of her thighs.

Sliding down the couch next to her, Naruto put his arms gently around her shoulders. She looked to tired to flinch, so she just looked at him and tried to pass off her grimace as a smile. He didn't buy it, but he appreciated the effort anyways. "How are you?" he asked. Already he knew she would lie, but she just shook her head and remained silent, bundled against his chest.

Intending to delve, Naruto opened his mouth to ask questions, but Kakashi strode in at that very moment and the room fell into a hush. "Well," he said, smiling under the scarf he wore around his mouth to mask his scarred features. "We're doing so well now. How about a round of applause for Sakura, for getting us out of that horrible mess." Her crowd of colleagues erupted into cheers. Several of the boys wolf-whistled. She smiled sheepishly at them and stood to quiet them.

"We can still go farther," she said instantly. "I've been working my ass off--" she meant this quite literally "--to collect money for this place. We might even be able to expand soon. We could higher another act, even." There was an excitement in her eyes; it made Naruto uneasy. Two or three of the others seemed to have the same reaction, but most of her peers had the same reaction she had at the thought of expanding. Kiba grinned, and next to him Neji pulled on his ponytail in thought. Kakashi stood up from his seat in the corner. Normally he ran the conferences, but Sakura had all but overthrown him in recent weeks.

Snapping his fingers, Kakashi regained the room's attention. "That's all very well," Kakashi said. "But don't you think we should lie low for a while? When businesses suddenly pick up, there's usually something illegal going on behind the scenes. Remember the Mizu? They were busted for drugs." Sakura pursed her lips and started to stand up to argue, but Naruto grabbed her hand and kept her down on the couch. She looked at him angrily for a moment, but didn't rise.

After a general murmur of agreement, Kakashi nodded and walked out, signifying the end of their meeting. Sakura stood and smoothed out her dress, taking care to remove each crease individually before standing and retreating through the back door. Naruto didn't follow her, just stared forlornly at her back as the door swung closed behind her.

Sakura slipped into her car, and hit the wheel in her anger. It let out a honk that vibrated through the empty parking lot. Dipping her head, she took deep breaths, and then looked back up and slammed her foot down on the gas, peeling out of her parking space and into the street before anyone could even see her leave. Ten minutes later, she was parked a block away from Uchiha Finances and walking with the same determination she had driven with towards the front door.

Sasuke, up at his window as usual, saw her and sprinted to the door, which he threw open and leaned out of. "Sakura's on her way up," he said, his monotone corrupted by a hint of annoyance. Hinata only looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise. She had heard his footsteps thumping across the room, and the impact of his body against the door. She opened her mouth to ask if she was to be told that Sasuke was out, but Sasuke beat her to it, "let her in when she gets here... And offer to take her coat while you're at it."

Hinata nodded weakly. "We don't have a c-c-c-c-coat closet, Mr. Uchiha," she whimpered, twiddling her fingers nervously.

"Make something up, then," he said irritably, and snapped the door shut. He stalked across the room to his chair and threw himself into it, making sure to arrange himself in it so it looked like he wasn't trying to be cool, he was just naturally so. Instead he ended up looking stiff, so he gave up and leaned forward on his elbows, wonder what in the world she might want this time.

There was a quiet knock on the door before it was thrust open, and Sakura was revealed, with a cowering Hinata behind her. Hinata looked about to announce that Sakura had arrived, but the latter closed the door with the same enthusiasm he had only minutes before. As usual, she took a seat on the table in front of him, to which he had gotten used to. This time, though, she leaned towards him instead of away from him.

He cleared his throat in what he hoped sounded like a very business-like way. "I suppose you want to get right down to things," he said, trying to keep his voice, as always, unemotional. She nodded. "So? Why are you here? I'm already paying you more than all of my other whores--combined, almost." He watched her recoil at the comment, but she didn't withdraw completely. "There can't be anything else you want. You can't quit." He added the last as a reminder of her contract.

Then, she had joked about signing it in blood, it was so serious. She didn't really feel like joking anymore. "When do I get the serious customers?" she asked. He rolled his chair away from the table and looked at her with a smirk on his pale face. "I'm sick of sweaty old men. When do I get real clients? Big company owners--like you." His smirk became more self-righteous with every word she spoke.

"Like me?" he asked, standing up next to her. She slid to the floor as well, the space between them less, even, than when she had pulled her gun on him. Her lips pulled back, bared in a smile that made his spine tingle, although he couldn't tell if it was pleasantly or very much the opposite. He bent his head so their noses were brushing at the tips; she lifted her arms to his shoulders.

"Like you," she simpered, drawing up to her full height to reach her lips to his. Heart skipping, he threaded his fingers over he waist, his lips bruising gently under her soft ones. He pressed against her, guiding her back until she was doubled over with her back against the cool surface of the table. Rising her knees to curl around his chest, she let a soft moan escape her lips.

She wouldn't turn this into a fight for dominance. Not like she always did with Naruto. It was different with Naruto. Naruto liked to play. Nothing was serious. So Sakura dominated. But this time, she submitted, let Sasuke pin her hands next to her head. Sasuke lowered his body over hers, so she was pinned completely to the glass.

Outside, Hinata was listening at the door, her ear pressed against the oak. She squeaked when she heard the thump followed by a low, deep moan and scuttled backwards into her desk, where she turned around violently and threw herself into her chair, as if nothing had happened. Despite this, she could still hear the crashes as, she guessed, a chair tumbled to the floor in one of their fits.

Sakura crept away from the office, bundling her neck in one of Sasuke's scarves, a smile delicately lining her features. She slid into her car, still with butterflies in her stomach, and put her foot on the pedal. If she arrived home before Naruto woke up, then she might even get off clean. Home, she opened the door, still smiling but cautious now.

Sitting at the table in her front room was Naruto, his eyebrows raised up, his mouth set. "Hey," he said casually, although his tone was careful. "How are you?" She flinched.

"Really good," she said, circling around his chair to the closet where she hung Sasuke's scarf and her coat. "I was out with Ino and TenTen. For dinner." Naruto glanced at his watch--it was nearly eleven, and he couldn't imagine how eating dinner could take so long, especially since he was used to watching Sakura pick through her dinner quickly and leave half the plate full. He stood up and rolled his shoulders out. He dropped a kiss on her lips and then nodded at her.

"Okay," he said quietly, looking down to his hands, where he was stroking the metal band around his finger. For one moment she felt a pang of guilt ripple in her stomach, but she brushed it off. This wasn't really about him anymore. Maybe it never was. For a brief moment, she was caught in reverie; perhaps, as she had asked herself earlier, she was going to far. Especially with Sasuke getting closer to her.

This past time, it had been so quick and simple. There was nothing but blind passion (and lust--she liked that part) in their touch. But what about next time? Next time, there might be some kind of attachment. Next time might be the time she fell for him. If there was a next time, she reminded herself as she flitted back into her room, changing from her evening dress to her pajamas.

Could she fall for a man like him?

Naruto snapped her out of her thoughts as he lowered himself onto the bed next to her, his weight shifting the mattress. "Goodnight," he said, leaning back into the pillows.

She didn't trust herself enough to speak to him.

NOTE: I'm trying to figure out why I seem to think I need to add an author's note after every entry.

Anyways, for this one, it's to apologize for being a day late. I'll get into the swing of things as soon as I can.

Lastly, I'd like to thank my beta readers: Zach, Chelsea, Elizabeth, Taylor. Even if you're only telling me I'm amazing (debatable), I'm thankful.