Warning: language. sex. violence. Rating is mature to be safe.
Disclaimer is on my page.
Happy Sunday!
...Wildest Dreams...
Part Two: Numbered
When she opened the door, more than a little annoyed at her shower time being cut short by persistent knocking, she was not expecting two handsome men in suits and a beautiful blue haired woman.
Ungracefully, she swore and promptly slammed the door in their surprised faces. She felt slightly guilty, the woman's face had been so red it was hard to tell if she was embarrassed or choking on something.
"Give me a minute," she shouted through the door to them, more than expecting them to turn around and high tail it out of there after what'd just happened. They were dressed on the nicer side and she swore again at the prospect of a lost opportunity, whether it be another interview or maybe, hopefully, miraculously, a business proposition that would help with the wildlands.
She clutched her towel to her body and sprinted back to her room. Throwing it off, she threw on the first clothes she found, faintly realizing with a cringe they were the dirty ones she'd left in a heap on the floor last night. Ripping those off, she ran out of her room.
Searching around for something nicer, she remembered the stacks of clean clothes on her kitchen table. Combing her hair into a braid with her fingers, she flew into the kitchen and dug around until she found the dark green, simple dress she'd been searching for, letting the rest of the stack of clothes slouch sideways into a messy pile she promised herself she'd refold later.
As she was sliding the dress over her head, she realized the front window's blinds were down, but open to let some of the sunlight come through. She squealed and tugged the dress down, face almost as red as the blue haired woman's, as she stared at the profile of the dark haired man leaning against the railing on the top step. He hadn't seemed to notice her moving around in her kitchen and she took a deep, calming breath to gather her wits before she went and opened the door again.
The three of them looked more relaxed than when she'd originally answered. The dark haired man leaned against the railing on her front step, the blond sat on the bottom step and the woman stared at the buildings on the horizon. They all looked up at the sound of the door opening and the dark haired man stepped forward. She expected him to smile as part of his introduction, but his lips only twitched in the hint of one.
She waited for him to say something and finally he seemed to gather himself because he cleared his throat and held out his hand. She took it, matching his strong grip with her own, and ignored the goosebumps. Blaming it on the cold morning air, she crossed her arms over her chest as he spoke.
"We're here from Uchiha Technology," the man started, putting his hands in his pockets. Jesus, even his voice gave her goosebumps, demanding attention and sharp just like his jaw. She scolded herself and wrapped her fingers tighter over her elbows. She returned her attention to his words and found her manners somewhere in the soles of her feet, motioning for them to come inside. Once they were through the door, she went off to find her planner, finally locating it under her notebook on the couch.
"I'm sorry," she said as she flipped through the pages and landed on today, the square blank, "were we supposed to have an interview today?"
The blond shook his head and flopped down on the couch, not bothered by the way his suit wrinkled up. "Actually, we tried contacting you several times, but we couldn't get ahold of you so we decided face to face might work better."
Sakura dropped the planner on a stack of books on the floor next to the couch. When she'd first moved in three years ago after leaving Tsunade's place, she'd planned on getting a bookshelf, but still hadn't gotten around to it.
"You flew here just to talk to me?" She instantly felt guilty for not having a better handle on her shit. She swore she'd clean up this place, not that it was dirty per say but merely disorganized to the point where people had to fucking fly here just to get her attention. The place was small, cluttered in some spots like the coffee and kitchen tables with documents and stacks of what she hoped were clean clothes, while the counter was organized like her desk in her room.
There was an urge to start cleaning now, like she could pause the three of them in her living room and tidy up around them and then un-pause and start fresh, but that was impossible judging by the way the dark haired man's eyes roamed every inch with what, interest? Disgust? Disappointment? She reasoned that if she'd known they were coming, she would've cleaned up what she could.
"I'm sorry about that," she said and tried to keep the redness of her face at a minimum as she perched on the arm of the sofa at the other end of where the blond was sitting. How many times would she have to apologize for her lifestyle? Whether to her family, friends, old boyfriends, these people? "I'm not the best with technology."
Looking around, she realized she didn't even know where her phone was and made a mental note—Jesus Christ the list was growing by the second—to find it later and charge it since she assumed it was dead by now.
"Don't worry, neither is Hinata," the blond remarked and there was a small noise of protest from the other woman. She stood behind Naruto, one hand on the back of the couch, and he turned in his seat to nudge her forearm playfully. "I'm just kidding, you know that!"
Sakura could tell Hinata wanted to roll her eyes or smile or do something in reaction to his comment, but she was so tense she just looked at him and nodded.
"So I'm guessing you're here about the animals," she said to break the short silence. She had a tendency to be impatient, unable to sit idle when she could be doing something. It wasn't that she was annoyed with the three of them for being here, in fact it was nice to have company that could talk back and they'd flown all this way to see her, but she had a large list of stuff to do like cleaning her house among other things. Plus they looked like walking zombies, exhausted and worn in their designer suits, but still impeccable and high class.
The dark haired man, who she'd finally allowed herself to admit was quite handsome and totally off-limits, nodded and stood from his perch against the kitchen counter.
"We apologize, it's been a long flight and the time different is throwing us off," he explained and came closer to stand next to Hinata's stiff form. "We're here for the animals. My name's Sasuke Uchiha, this is Hinata Hyuuga and that's Naruto Uzumaki. We're here to invest in the wild lands."
The moment the words were out of his mouth, her entire face lit up with a grin. She jumped to her feet with a clap of her hands, startling Hinata so much Sakura swore she got whiplash.
"I wasn't expecting that," she said and ran into her bedroom, coming back with some glossy photographs. "Now, before you get into anything, I want to show you these guys and then tomorrow we can go meet them. If you're up for it of course. And then we can sit down and talk."
Naruto sprang up, pumping his fist in the air in a manner that was totally not expected from a guy in a multi-thousand dollars suit. "Hell yeah we want to go!"
He saw the nervous look on Hinata's face and was around the couch and at her side in a second, cupping her elbow. "Don't worry, you can sit in the back with me, Hinata," he said and then leaned closer, whispering, "or on my lap."
"Oh for the love of God," Sasuke muttered as he dragged his hand down his face and then threatened, "if you two get into that bullshit, I swear I'm going to throw you out the window so the lions can eat you and I'll be laughing the entire time."
Naruto gasped theatrically, one hand on his chest, and said, "You think you can take me? When pigs fly, asshole, when pigs fly."
"Oh, I'll make you fly alright," Sasuke said and started to push up his sleeves, gearing up for a fight they all knew was in jest; well maybe not Sakura at this point, but she'd eventually catch on.
Naruto made a 'pfft' sound but still moved behind Hinata, using her as a shield as he countered, "You'll have to get through Hinata first. Good luck with that."
Hinata looked at Sakura with so red of a face it was purple and that drew Naruto and Sasuke's attentions back to her as well. She stood there with a gaping mouth, pictures all but forgotten in her hand.
"Sorry," Hinata squeaked, putting her palms against her cheeks to cool them down. "I-I swear we're more professional than this."
Sakura shook her head, laughter rumbling up her throat. "You're all so different from when you first came in. I like it."
She remembered she was holding the photos and handed them to Sasuke, their fingers bumping in her haste to move on with things.
"They're completely harmless if you stay in the car, of course," she explained and pointed to the lion on the left in the picture. "That's Nagi, one of the female lions. She loves to have her chin scratched, I think because of the scar she got as a cub. It itches sometimes, plus I'm sure it feels good."
Quietly, Sasuke stood at her side, glancing over her shoulder at the pictures as she went through them, talking like these were her best friends rather than animals. They were close ups, whiskers and different shades of hair in crystal clear detail. It looked like the person who'd taken them knew what they were doing. He assumed Sakura had taken them by the personal feel of each one and, looking around once more because he just couldn't seem to get enough of this insight into her life, he spotted the forgotten camera on another stack of books.
He looked at her, the spot behind her ear, and wondered what was so intriguing about her. What set her apart from other woman in his mind? There was a spark of determination to find out, but he pushed it away into the back corners of his mind. She was a business deal, strictly off-limits, and the only interest he should've had was in seeing the future benefits of working with her.
She kept chattering away to Naruto and Hinata, seeming to forget all about him. He found it amusing, different, from the usual groveling company he kept, most hoping for something or another out of their connection with him. Naruto and a few others were the only ones he truly felt comfortable calling his friends. He could tell whatever Sakura wanted, she got it her own way through sweat and blood. If they became friends, which would be inevitable since he'd have to come back for two to three months to get the investment started, she would keep a good head on her shoulders and not be influenced by him.
His eyes once again roamed and he noticed the signs indicating she lived alone. There weren't many pictures, but the ones he could see consisted of her family, a mom and dad, neither with pink hair he mused, with Tsunade or the animals. It reminded him of his own place, except he was neat so his didn't look as lived in as hers.
Sakura pushed a dangling piece of hair from her face, accidentally elbowing him in the process. She shot him a quick 'sorry' over her shoulder before turning back to the pictures. Naruto chuckled and removed his jacket, asking if they could sit down.
"Oh! I'm being so rude, taking up all your time when you probably want to go to your hotel and sleep," she said and twisted the pictures, rolling them between her fingers until they curled in naturally. Glancing at them, she moved around the couch and dropped them on the coffee table over a stack of papers.
He didn't realize how close he'd been standing to her until she'd moved away, taking her warmth and the smell of lemon and sunlight with her. Off-limits, jackass.
Naruto had already settled on the couch and Hinata made to sit next to them. He hovered, looking at the door, wanting to get out of there, distance himself.
Sakura noticed the direction of his eyes and looked at him with a raised brow. "I hope I'm not boring you," she said.
It was the polar opposite, in fact, but he couldn't tell her that. Fuck no. He could tell Naruto and Hinata didn't want to leave and while he himself wanted to settle down in this place that was more homey than the hotel they were staying at, he was afraid he'd get too attached too fast if he didn't pace himself. There was so much going on, with his senses, with his thoughts. Information overload, breaking him down one molecule at a time.
"Not at all," he said as he moved towards the door. "Unfortunately, we have to go take care of some other business."
His gut twisted at the sight of her face falling and before he could put a foot in his mouth to shut the fuck up, he added, "But if you're interested, we could all have dinner later. You know this place better than the Internet does and we have a lot of things to go over for the business deal, if you decide to accept it that is."
"Sounds great," she agreed, smiling in that bright, blinding way again. He wondered if her cheeks ever hurt from smiling so much. She played with the hem of her dress, rolled it between her fingers absentmindedly, and in the process flashed a smooth thigh that sent Sasuke's heart rate up into the triple digits.
Naruto caught his eye from behind her back as he stood and gave him two thumbs up. He didn't know if Naruto was doing it in regards to the deal, not that they needed much luck when he thought about her initial reaction, or to the fact that he kind of just asked her out, even if Naruto and Hinata were going to be there. He never asked woman to have dinner or any meal with him, business deal or not. He always let them come to his office, to him, because chasing just wasn't his thing.
And then he thought about how he'd flown all the way to Africa for fuck's sake and he hadn't even met her yet.
"Sorry, Naruto's still getting ready," Sasuke said on the other end. Sakura sighed and turned off her Jeep, left it parked in the front unloading area and headed into the lobby. The hotel was right in the middle of the industry district where everything thrived and people who stayed here had deep pockets and time to kill. She wasn't surprised they were staying here, she'd done some research on Uchiha Tech before their dinner last night and even after. It was safe to say their grandchildren's' grandchildren would be well off.
"What floor?" she asked and waited for the elevator to arrive. Her finger traced the wooden panel next to the doors and then passed the ridge to feel the smoothness of the marble leading up to the ceiling.
"You're coming up? 46," he said and then off, in the distance, "Oi, put some clothes on. Sakura's coming up."
"He's not even dressed? What's he doing?" The doors opened and she stepped in, pressing 46 at the very top of the row, the top floor. She wondered how architects decided on the number of floors like 'let's just stop at 46, I like that number, it was the age of my mother before she passed.'
"Making ramen, fucking around, the usual," he muttered. "He's worse than a teenage girl."
"Oh, let me put my makeup on now and curl my hair," came a girlish squeal from the other end and Sakura couldn't help but giggle.
"Do not encourage him," Sasuke threatened and sighed. There was a rustling and she assumed he was running his hand through his hair, already spun up at 9 a.m. If they were dating, she would've started rubbing his neck and shoulders by now to relieve some of the tension. The thought made her choke on her spit so that it went down the wrong pipe and she started coughing like a chain smoker.
"Sakura? You okay?" came Sasuke's voice, his worried tone not helping any.
"Yeah," she croaked and the doors finally opened to reveal a two-story penthouse three times the size of her house. Sasuke stood there in a pair of slacks, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal the white t-shirt underneath, phone still to his ear. He let it drop as he took in her cargo pants and tank top. They were polar opposites in dress and, when she thought about that little black seed in the back of her mind, worlds.
"Hey," he said like they hadn't just been talking on the phone for the past ten minutes. He shoved his cell in his pocket and led her further into the room.
"This is fancy," was all she could come up with as she looked around, turning in slow circles to take in every inch of a kind of luxury she'd never seen before. Sometimes, if she squinted hard enough, she could see the hotel from her driveway, far off in the distance, unreachable, untouchable. Everything was shiny and sleek and she was sure if she chipped even the smallest thing, it would take her a lifetime to pay it back. Sasuke looked perfectly in place here, comfortable with this lifestyle in the way he leaned back against the counter of the kitchen with a wine glass filled with water and waited for her to finish scanning every detail.
"Do you want anything?" he finally asked, drawing her attention away from the floor to ceiling windows and the breathless view outside.
She shook her head and moved towards the window, Sasuke following. "I've never seen a view like this before."
He snorted beside her and she looked up in surprise, momentarily forgetting where she was and what she was going to say as she took in the way the sun made his face gold and his eyes spark. If he knew she was staring at him, he made to acknowledgement of it and she managed to gather herself enough to ask, "What?"
"You've seen better than this. I saw your video, well one of them, where you're showing the sunset with the GoPro cam," he explained and saw her nod out of the corner of his eye, "and it was amazing. That's what sold it for me."
"Not the lions?" she asked and realized she was twisting the hem of her shirt around her finger and forced herself to stop. It was a nervous habit and she told herself she had nothing to worry about. Except she felt Sasuke didn't normally share his thoughts with people and yet here he was doing so with her, making her stomach flutter like she'd just jumped out the window of this 46th floor penthouse.
"Yeah, the lions were part of it too. They need a habitat like that, where it feels open and free and infinite and we need beauty like that, we need the reminder that there's still good out there in some way and we can protect it." He felt his heart hammering in his chest. Something about her made him open up, like a clam opening in steam after being shut tight for so long, and it felt so damn good to be listened to and understood.
She moved her hand closer to his, felt the heat of his fingers as she said, "There's plenty of good things out there we haven't ruined yet, you just have to look for them and I think you are."
Their fingers touched and he didn't pull away like she expected him to. She felt his palm glide over hers, pressing firmly and then snap back like he'd been shocked as Naruto came bounding down the stairs, Hinata behind him ushering him along. She held his shirt as he slurped on a bowl of ramen and he managed not to get it all down his bare front or trip down the stairs.
"S'kura, you want some ramen?" Naruto asked from inside his bowl, his eyes looking at her over the rim.
Sakura stepped away from the window, already feeling a million miles away from the moment her and Sasuke had just had. It made her feel cold, like the sun had just set, leaving her in the dark, frigid air. Crossing her arms, she glared at Naruto and said, "No thanks, I ate before I left so I'd be on time but clearly that was all for nothing."
Sasuke chuckled behind her and even Hinata hid a smile behind her hair.
"We can go," Naruto said after swallowing, "I can eat on the way."
Sakura cringed and then sighed, ready to get a move on things. "Fine, but if you so much as spill a drop in my car, I'll really feed you to Scruff. He hasn't had a treat in so long."
Naruto set the bowl on the counter and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He smiled wearily and said, "All done."
"Nagi!" Sakura yelled, taking a few steps away from the car. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called for the lion again.
Sasuke watched her closely, every wire in his body finely tuned to the way she moved. His muscles hummed and he swore if any of the lions threatened her well being, he'd jump from the car and fight them bare handed if needed. He realized his eyes were on her ass and focused on the windshield, internally wincing at how cave man he seemed to have become. It'd only been two fucking days.
Something was coming closer. They could all see the way the brush moved, hear the paws hitting the ground. His breath picked up and he clenched his fist on his knee.
"Nagi," Sakura yelped as a regal lion came into view, running straight for Sakura. Right before it smacked into her, it reared up on its hind legs and wrapped its front paws around her shoulders, pulling her in close and rubbing its face along hers.
He watched her shoulder muscles bunch, could imagine her slender legs doing the same, calves taunt and thighs locked, under the weight of Nagi.
"Good thing she doesn't have allergies," Naruto joked from the back seat, but it was half-hearted. They were all entranced at this odd site even though they'd seen it in her videos and interviews. There was something different about seeing it in real life that made it more true and unbelievable than it had been before.
Sasuke felt a small flame of jealousy, but he played it off as not being as badass as Sakura and being able to play with lions instead of the fact that these lions were able to get so close to her physically and emotionally while he felt exactly as he was: in a car behind a locked door, unable to touch her in her grandest moments.
"I missed you," Sakura crooned to the lion as it lowered back to the ground. She rubbed its ears, twisting them this way and that with a smile while talking to the gang over her shoulder. "The softest fur is located on the ears."
"Jesus Christ, she's playing with it like it's some dog and not something that could bite off her hand at any moment," Naruto thought aloud and Sasuke ground his teeth, once more reminded of the danger of the situation. Except she'd been doing this for years and if it hadn't happened by now, then what were the chances?
So he focused on the way the sun turned her hair a lighter shade. The higher it got in the sky, the whiter her hair became until she was practically glowing and she wasn't even doing anything but laying on the ground, leaning against the lion she called Scruff. Her muscles bunched in her arm as she scratched his chest, legs crossed, head haloed by lion hair.
He wanted to join her so bad, to share in this experience with her and become closer. Off-limits and don't you forget it you little shit. But this was just another thing they were separated in and there was nothing he could do about it because she'd been training with these lions since they were cubs and the second he stepped foot out of this car they'd come at him like he was their next meal.
"Prince," Sakura squealed and then the car shook. "My car is not a plaything, you wanton cat. If you want a scratching then come over here."
Sasuke's head snapped around as did Naruto and Hinata's and they saw another lion, this one slightly smaller and most definitely male, peering in the window at them. It stared at Sasuke through the driver side window and time turned elastic. Neither moved. All Sasuke could hear was his own breathing and the low grumble of Prince.
Something smacked into his window and he nearly jumped, turning back to find Sakura gazing at him through the slightly dusty glass. There was a handprint where she'd tried to startle him and she was frowning at her failure to do so.
The car was an older one so he had to manually roll down the window. She watched his arm move up and down, the way his shoulder tensed and relaxed with each cycle until the window was down all the way.
She leaned her elbows on the window, one eyebrow raised, "Took you long enough, twig arms."
Naruto coughed in the back, trying to hide his laugher, but it was obvious because Naruto was never quiet or subtle at anything.
Sasuke lifted his own eyebrow and lowered his sunglasses so he could peer at her over them. Ray-bans looked good on him Sakura admitted and added it to the growing list of things she liked about him.
"It wouldn't take me so long if your car wasn't from the Stone Age," he retorted and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat until Nagi decided to pop up next to her, her snout searching and then her eyes.
"Off-limits, babe," Sakura said to her and angled her body so she filled the whole window and resumed leaning on her elbows. Nagi whined behind her and then nudged her backside, sending her half into the car. One hand landed on Sasuke's thigh, the other on his shoulder and there was an audible smack as their heads collided.
"Jesus, Nagi!" Sakura practically growled and straightened, leaving a tingling where her hands had been. "Roll up the window, we're going to see the hyenas."
The three lions chased the car, Prince right outside Sasuke's window, until one by one they dropped off into the dust settling in the growing distance.
The hyenas were just as playful but more mobile. Sakura spent a good ten minutes chasing them around for fun and then they got the large metal cage out and she set about constructing it.
The three of them were more than happy to get out of the car even if they still had a metal cage separating them from the open. The hyenas came up, flocking around them and trying to fit their noses through the small squares. Naruto tried to get one to sniff his hand, but it backed off when he crouched down.
"It's cause you smell," Sasuke pointed out with a smirk, "and I don't mean that in a good way."
"You never mean anything you say to me in a good way," Naruto countered, never taking his eyes off the pack. They ran around, nipping at each others heels and then taking off like a bunch of little kids. In a way, they reminded Sasuke of Naruto and his free spirited playfulness. They yipped and barked and occasionally ran up to Sakura for a good scratching.
Sasuke had to admit she was good with her hands. He turned away, feeling heat course through his body that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun. This was dangerous ground he was treading on and he had to be careful. There was too much to worry about with a relationship with her. He just had to focus on keeping his head on his shoulders until he's gone and then he'll be in the clear.
But really, who was he kidding himself. When he went back to the States the following week, he barely went a day without emailing her. There was this pull and he'd start imagining her around in his everyday life, how she'd react to things, how she'd look sitting on his pristine black leather couch in her grass stained cargo pants and tank top showing off her glowing skin.
When she finally responded it was quicker than he'd expected. He secretly believed she'd been waiting for him, but knew he'd just gotten lucky.
And so he called up Karin, invited her over, and would've shouted Sakura's name to the heavens if he had any less self-control and if it'd been more pleasurable. Afterwards, he kicked her out and sat on the kitchen floor drinking a bottle of champagne someone had give to him, feeling like the asshole he was.
His fingers danced over the unlock button of his cell, temptation coursing through his veins. He could already hear her voice in his ear, scratchy from sleep and pissed off at being woken, and glanced down to see he'd unconsciously typed in his password and was on the dial screen. Her number was a permanent mark in his head and not just because had a good memory.
With a sigh, he took another long gulp and let his head fall back against the cabinet, wondering where he'd been in a year from now and if he'd still see this situation as such a fucking pain in the ass, a black hole sucking away at his sanity.
Sakura tried her best not to reach out to him because really, who was she compared to his mighty world of hundred dollar glasses of champagne and billionaires' daughters. So she checked her email every morning as part of a new lifestyle where she stayed on top of her shit and didn't let it pile up on the coffee table. At least, that's what she told herself when her stomach dropped at the lack of communication from Sasuke.
It was hard because she'd seen him in her world, in her home, and so it was quite easy to imagine him leaning against the counter while she cooked dinner, making some sarcastic remark or leaning out the window of her Jeep as she played with the lions and hyenas, his ray-bans perched on his nose as he looked over the rims at her. It'd been physically real and she could picture every detail, whether it was just some imagination or a true memory and it was so fucking hard to go from empty space to someone filling it even for a little bit to empty space again.
One morning, still half asleep, she finally got a message from him. 'How are you doing?' was all it said, but it zapped her like a rush of adrenaline and she smiled so hard her cheeks started to hurt.
Eventually they graduated up to video chat. Sometimes it was easy to find time and other times it was the middle of night for him and her lunch break. Sasuke always started it out with business talk like he was trying to play it safe before giving up and letting the conversation eventually wander off into their personal lives.
While Sakura loved talking to him, it made things harder because she desperately yearned for the physical side of things. She had no clue if Sasuke was attracted to her like she was him and it would be stupid to assume such a thing when it came to someone like him. Girls probably lined up around the block for him, no doubt, and she'd never been brought up in high society like that or even really known him that long to know what his patterns were.
They took a week off from communication here and there due to Sasuke's busy work schedule and her late nights at the research center. When they didn't email or video chat Sakura didn't know what to do with her time. She scolded herself for letting some guy have so much control over her life and so she took up photography again, playing around with the pictures on her computer and finally getting one of her personal favorites printed out and framed.
She was in the middle of hanging it on the wall, right between the two windows in the living room, when there was a knock on the front door. Looking at the clock, she clutched the hammer like a weapon and approached the door. Whoever was here this late at night, if looking for trouble, wouldn't like what they found.
Pushing the blinds of the window aside slightly, she peered out at her front step and promptly dropped the hammer in surprise.
"Sasuke?" she said as she opened the door, eyes wide and mouth wider.
"Did you drop something?" he asked and looked past her at the floor, spotting the hammer. "Do I look like a burglar?"
"What're you doing here?" She couldn't believe he was on her doorstep. After imagining him coming back for a couple weeks, she'd given up on the thought because it was too mentally exhausting and depressing, but here he was. She wanted to reach out and poke him in the chest, just to be sure, but refrained.
"I've got two months to finalize the business deal and set everything up," he explained and hovered just outside her door like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to come in or not.
"Shit, come in, sorry," she said in a rush and stepped aside, opening up her home to him. Her fingers picked at a loose thread at the edge of her pajama top and she internally battled whether to hug him or not. They were friends now, after all, but she knew he didn't like being touched and they hadn't ever really been friends face to face, not since the beginning when they were more business partners than anything else. She decided to keep her distance rather than scare him off within the first minute.
He started to explain the whole two-month startup program where they'd brainstorm and negotiate and settle on a concrete contract. She looked out at the starless sky in the distance as she went to close the door. Instead, she realized it had started down pouring and screeched like a banshee.
"My car!" she screamed, cutting him off in the middle of his speech, and raced out into the rain in her pajamas, barefoot, waving her arms like a madwoman. "Shit, Sasuke grab the keys!"
He watched her for a moment with a roll of his eyes and a smirk before yelling back, "Where are they?"
"Kitchen table!" She pushed her wet hair out of her eyes and looked with panic at the growing wet spots on her seats. The wind pushed the rain horizontal, allowing the rain to slip through the windows easily. She yanked on all the door handles and then tried to reach the lock through the half open window, but was too short and the window was rolled up too high so she resorted to crawling through the back window as it'd been lowered more than the front ones. Her hips got stuck halfway in and she dangled there, trying to grab onto the seat and pull herself in or get some leverage with her feet against the door but failed miserably at both.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Sasuke asked behind her and she glared at him when she realized he was laughing. He was now soaked through as well since he decided to spend his time making fun of her rather than being of any help.
"Jesus Christ, Sasuke, are you going to help me or stand there all night?" she growled at him and he stepped up behind her and helped lift her enough to wiggle through even though he had the keys in his pocket. She pushed against his chest with her feet, catching him in the jaw with her heel, and managed to get through. Landing on the back seat, she rolled over and massaged her hips to ease the pain. There'd definitely be bruises later.
"Maybe you should lay off the desserts," Sasuke suggested with a glint in his eye even as he held his jaw. She gave him the middle finger and went about rolling up the back windows while he did the front.
Then they ran back into her house and slammed the door as a fuck you to the rain.
"It's all muscle," she said a while later as they sat on the floor, him with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables against his jaw and her with a glass of Jack and coke balanced on one knee. They'd gone from soaking wet to damp because Sasuke had no clothes to change into and Sakura didn't feel like getting up so she settled for smirking like she'd just won a gold medal in the Olympics. Sport: bringing Sasuke harm.
"Muscle, my ass. That's fucking ten tons of—"
Whatever he was going to say got swallowed up by Sakura's lips. She couldn't handle it anymore and while she'd been patient enough to wait for him to reach out to her after he'd left, if she waited one more minute for him to make a move she was going to go crazy. It didn't help the way his wet clothes clung to his body and gave his skin a irresistible sheen that made her want to run her tongue along every inch of his body.
At first he didn't respond and she wondered if she'd read it all wrong. She wasn't stupid by any means and she knew she wasn't terrible looking either, but maybe the whole thing had been over her head and he really was here for pure business.
She pulled back, rubbing her thumb over her lower lip to occupy herself and sat back on his thighs, suddenly ashamed at herself for being so forward when she had no idea how he felt.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into the silence between them and started to scoot back, to retreat to her spot against the opposite cabinet and down her Jack and coke, get another and call it a night. But he didn't let her get past his knees. His hands caught her around the waist and pulled her back in until their hips were flush and they were sucking in the same air.
He kept her caged against his chest with her arms, thinking finally it's happening after four goddamn months, and grabbed the back of her neck and yanked her back in until their teeth clashed and she was sucking his tongue into her mouth.
It was hard to maintain control when her hands were everywhere, on his shoulders, tugging on the waist of pants as she rocked against him, sliding up his neck and down his chest, cupping his cock.
The mixed vegetables were forgotten on the floor as Sasuke stood, hands hooked under her ass to keep her pressed against him and her hands away from that area so he didn't lose it and take her on the floor or against the wall. It'd be fun, but for a different time, not their first. He moved towards the hallway and reached a door, unable to see or focus with Sakura's tongue in his mouth, wrapping around his own and running along the ridges of his teeth.
She pulled away for breath and said against his lips, "That's the bathroom. Next one."
When they finally made it to the bed, she'd already yanked her shirt off and was making quick work on his neck, nipping at his pulse and collarbone and tugging his shirt down so she could reach more. He set her on the bed so she was standing over him and sucked at the skin above her bra like he'd been denied water for a thousand years.
Her fingers urged his face up and even though the clouds covered the moon tonight she could still make out his features. Her forefinger traced the edge of his upper lip, pausing in the little dip before continuing on, up his cheekbone, past his temple and into his hair.
"I just want you to know," she said against his lips, his warm breath and his warm body heat and the warmth in his eyes engulfing her in a way that scared the shit out of her and yet she didn't back away, "that even though I was drinking, I'm completely sober. I want this."
He nodded, drawing their lips together, sealing the deal for a split second before leaning back to say, "Me too, even if you did kick me in the face."
Sakura chuckled and then slid down to her knees. Each button she undid she followed with a kiss until she was at the edge of his pants, tracing the zipper with a finger. He ripped his shirt off, feeling on fire all of a sudden.
"I'm sorry," she said with a pout and looked up at him through her lashes. "I can make it up to you, if you'd like."
"Is that even a question?" he muttered and stared down at her, nearly breathless at the sight of her. She was nowhere near model perfection, with her flushed, damp skin, hair starting to frizz, in her worn pajama bottoms and nude bra, and yet she was more than he could ask for, like a cooling breeze on a too hot summer day.
Her gaze went from burning to smoldering and right as she was about to yank down his zipper, he collapsed on top of her, settling them against the pillows, and captured her mouth again. He'd never get enough of her even if he had her every chance he got in the next two months. His teeth caught her lower lip when she tried to pull away and she pulled on his hair sharply, making him groan.
It took a moment for her to get her pajama bottoms off because his hands kept getting in the way, caressing the skin above the waistband and then dipping underneath to grasp her hip and pull her up against his own hard thrusts. When he finally backed off so she could be free of them, she rolled him onto his back and worked on his pants, surprising him by taking his underwear with it.
They weren't at the point of no return yet, but they were getting close. The way Sasuke was running his hands along her body, sliding them underneath her bra to get at her nipples and down her outer thighs and back up her inner thighs to the growing heat between her legs, Sakura had no doubt either of them could stop at this point. Going for the kill, she grasped his cock in a tight grip and watched him struggle to maintain control. It'd been a while, a really really long time if she was brutally honest, but she still knew how to do things.
She felt him unclasp her bra and she let go of him so he could pull it down her arms, but in the middle of doing so he rolled them back over and they settled there, him between her legs with only the thin fabric of her underwear separating them. One of his hands held her wrists to keep her from going for his cock again and while her bones felt fragile under his unrelenting grip, he knew she could handle it and even retaliate if she wanted.
"Not to be a buzz kill," she said and leaned up so could press kisses along his jaw, "but the condoms are in my dresser...over there."
Sasuke swore and jumped off her. She shuddered. It felt like wintertime and someone had just ripped the sheets from her body, letting all the cold in, and when Sasuke rejoined her she wrapped her limbs around him tightly. She wanted to tell him to never do that again, leave that is, but then her underwear was on the floor and his thumb was rubbing her clit skillfully and she was on her back trying to suck in air to lungs she swore had holes in them, the painting above the headboard upside down.
"Jesus Christ, you're good," she panted and felt her body twitch as she neared her peak, hips lifting to move against his fingers to create more friction and pressure. Yes, right there, right there.Jesus Christ, he was better than good. She moaned as everything went hazy with her impending orgasm the only thing she could focus on.
He backed off, ignoring her whine of disappointment, tracing her entrance with a finger teasingly and then pressing his cock against her. He ripped the foil and put on the condom as he sucked at her nipples, flicking one and then the other with his tongue before scraping them lightly with his teeth. One of her hands dug into his scalp, pushing and pulling like she wanted his mouth everywhere and didn't know how to deal with it, while the other hand curled around his shoulder. While she'd had control before, he had it now and he couldn't stand to torture her anymore because doing so tortured him.
Her head snapped forward when he filled her and he froze because even though it felt amazing and he knew it would only get better, she was really tense like a bow strung too tight. Her lips were pressed together so hard they'd lost all color and distantly wondered how long it'd been as he waited for her to readjust.
"You okay?" he asked in between kissing along her forehead and down her temple to her lips. She half-heartedly returned it. He ran his fingers through her hair repeatedly and brushed a strand from the corner of her lips. After a minute she nodded against him, exhaled a shaky breath, and then tilted her hips up so he sank a little bit deeper.
They started to rock together, heavy breathing and quiet moans that grew louder as their movement grew faster. He could feel her nails biting into his ribcage, anchoring onto his hips as he hooked his own hands under her ass to hoist her higher. He sank deeper, watched her back arch as she came undone with a long, drawn out moan that sent shivers down his spine. As her hips slowed, he reached down between them and started rubbing her clit until she was writhing beneath him again, clutching his biceps while she stared at his mouth.
He felt the tightening in his balls and pinched her clit and left nipple simultaneously, sending her over again. The tightening of her walls triggered his own release and they moaned together until their bodies stilled and he lowered himself so he was half on top of her. He slid out, discarded the condom in the trash, and then rejoined her, pulling her tight against his side.
"Jesus Christ, you're good." She kissed his shoulder as her eyes closed, body cooling down as her heart rate and breathing settled back to normal. He felt a sting and looked down at the scratch marks and then her smirk.
"I'll be lucky if I make it out of here alive," he muttered and then turned on his side so he could cocoon her with his body. He wasn't normally a cuddling type or even a spend the night after the deed kind of guy, but he knew if he went back to his hotel he'd spend the whole night wishing he was here, in bed with her, close so they could make the most of the next two months before he had to leave. He shook his head. He didn't even want to think about that, not when they'd just had a perfect moment.
"Don't get your hopes up," Sakura warned and tangled her legs with his. Her feet pressed against the backs of his calves to bring his legs closer and he yelped. She lifted herself onto her elbow, looking down at him with concern. "What? What's wrong?"
"Your feet are cold! Put some fucking socks on, will you?"
Here's part two out of three. I know this one has a lot more swearing in it (and sexual deeds woohoo) but I don't think anyone will be complaining (wink wink).
Thank you for reading everyone!