Chapter 3

Saturday night. Okami's favorite night of the week. The bars were always at their busiest on Saturday. The place was packed and lively. Upbeat music filled the air as her guests danced and drank. Okami sat at her favorite table and smiled. She would be making a lot of money tonight.

Sitting on either side of her were her two trusted bodyguards. Raiden, with an always present serious look on his face. He was fidgety and looked more cautious than usual. The other, Kamiden, Raiden's twin brother, sat and hummed happily along with the song being sung, bouncing in his chair slightly with a child-like innocence.

"Now now, Raiden. No need to be so uptight. We'll handle the matter with the Taiyo in due time. Just relax and have a drink." Okami playfully ruffled the serious looking man's spiky hair earning an annoyed grunt from him which only made her chuckle.

"How can you be so calm about this Boss? This could spell out bad news for us. Besides, I got a bad feeling about something'…" He turned and waved at the bartender who nodded in response and began pouring him a beer.

Okami scoffed and took another sip of her drink. "You and your bad feelings…"

"Well, Boss. His gut usually isn't wrong about that kinda thing after all." Kamiden chimed in. "Remember last time he got a bad feeling? That drug manufacturer? If not for him and his gut feeling you probably would have ended up six feet under!"

"Thanks." Raiden smiled as he took his beer from the waitress. "At least someone is taking me seriously..."

Okami tossed her dark hair behind her shoulder and huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Be a sourpuss then." She downed the last of her drink and resumed listening to the redhead that was singing on stage.

It was just before 9 'o' clock when the door to the bar opened and two men stepped inside. Raiden caught sight of them just out of the corner of his eye. Great, this is all we need… the damn cops… He watched as they walked inside and looked around. When they spotted Okami and the two men sitting at the table they took a seat not too far from her.

Rainden never let them out of his sight. His hand moved slowly into his jacket and rested on the gun he kept hidden, just in case they tried to pull something. He watched the two men ordered some drinks and sat idly, hardly making a sound. He had always been cautious, especially around the cops. His boss always told him that the cops were nothing to be worried about. She held them in the palm of her hand, after all, and considering how much of their funding came from her, they wouldn't dare arrest her no matter how much dirt they dug up on her. But he still liked to be on the cautious side.

Time moved agonizingly slow for Raiden. The men hadn't moved or done much since they had sat at their table. Yet even so his hand never left his jacket. His boss and brother seemed completely oblivious to him. They continued to drink, laugh, and enjoy the music.

It was only after an agonizing hour of silence that the two men stood from the seat and approached Okami's table. Raiden's grip on his pistol tightened.

"Okami Tsukino?" One of the men spoke.

The dark haired women looked up at the two men who stood in front of her table. "My, my! If it isn't Detective Nara. What can I help you with tonight, handsome?" Okami smiled warmly. She was very familiar with the tired looking detective who stood in front of her. Anytime her empire had a brush with the law, it was always him who showed up at her club demanding answers.

But Okami did love it whenever he came knocking on her door. He was easily annoyed and quick to anger. Most people who crossed her path looked at her with lust filled eyes. Whether it was her body or money that they lusted after, she didn't know nor care. And those who knew who she really was looked at her with fear. They knew if they slipped up or stepped out of line that she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and make an example out of them. And yet here stood this Detective. The only man to have any idea of who she really was and still stand up to her, talk down to her, and challenge her authority. She found it adorable that he thought he even had a chance at taking her down. She always loved an opportunity to see how far she could push him.

"We're here on L.K.P.D. business. We'd like to ask you a few questions." The bored sounding man with the pony tail flashed his badge. He knew that she knew who he was but he still liked to remind her that he was the law.

"May I ask what this is about?" She rested her elbows on the table and smiled coyly at the two detectives earning a scowl from the pony tailed man.

"It's probably best if we discuss this in private, Ms. Tsukino." Shikamaru crossed his arms. He never was a fan of the games she played.

Okami rose from her seat and began walking toward the back of the club. She gestured for the detectives to follow. "This way, handsome. We can talk in my office." The detectives followed her to the back of the club. Raiden hurried just ahead of the three to open the door. Once Okami and the detectives were inside he closed the door and stood just outside of it. Moments later Kamiden joined him. They stood on either side of the door, making sure their boss' meeting wasn't disturbed.

Okami turned and leaned against the desk, resting her hands on the edge. She crossed her ankles and puffed out her chest, making sure that her best assets were on display. A simple trick to distract men that worked all to well. And she wanted to make sure she had the upper hand in whatever conversation was about to unfold.. "Well Detectives, what is it you'd like to ask me about then, hm?"

Detective Uzumaki did his best not to stare at the hint of cleavage peaking from her pinstriped top. His partner, however, seemed totally unfazed, as he usually was whenever she tried to use her charms to distract him in such an obvious way.

"We'd like to ask you your whereabouts yesterday evening." Detective Nara took a small notebook and pencil from his jacket.

"I was here at the bar, as I am pretty much everyday. I came in at around five pm and didn't leave until the sun was out. Owning a few businesses comes with it's fair share of paperwork after all." She giggled slightly and watched the Detective write the information down in his notebook.

"And can anyone confirm your alibi for last night?"

"My body guards, Kamiden and Raiden can. They were with me all night." She crossed her arms pushing her bust up slightly. "Now are you going to tell me what this is all about or not?"

Detective Nara finished writing in his notebook before locking eyes with the women in front of him. "We found a body over by the docks earlier this morning. The body was laying right outside one of your warehouses. We found a note on him suggesting that he had plans to come here to meet you tonight for something."

Okami was surprised. She had known about the body and who he was but this was the first time she had heard of any kind of meeting that he was supposed to have in her bar. And it didn't sit right with her. "Oh my… I had no idea such a thing had happened… But I can assure you, I had no plans to meet with anyone. I don't have any meetings or appointments scheduled for this evening. You're welcome to look through my day planner if you'd like." She turned and grabbed a small, black, leather-bound book that sat on her desk and handed it to the Detective. He took the book from her hand roughly and flipped through it. His brow furrowed as he turned the pages. He knew he wouldn't find anything but maybe it had just been wishful thinking on his part that she may have slipped up this once. She had obviously been drinking and he had personally watched her down a couple glasses wine in the short time he had been watching her. Part of him hoped she would slip up just a bit since she was obviously tipsy. But there was nothing to note in the little book. All the pages contained was appointments and dates that were expected of a business owner.

Detective Nara closed the little leather-bound book and handed it back to Okami. "Naruto, I want you to go out there and interview the body guards.." His voice sounded serious and Detective Uzumaki knew better than to protest when it came to dealings with Okami. So he nodded then walked out the door knowing that he wouldn't get anything interesting out of the twins anyway.

A smirked played it's way onto Okami's face. She could see his frustration growing and she loved it when he got angry. He always had been her favorite Detective. It was so easy to push his buttons and make him lose his patience and all it took this time around was one little book. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about Detective? I assume you had a reason for sending your partner out of the room. Or did you just want some… alone time with me." Her voice was quiet and seductive. She knew he hated it when she would flirt and she was in a bit of a hurry to get the Detective out of her office so she could get to the bottom of what was going on. The note on the body was a bad sign.

She stepped closer and brought her body flush with his. She placed her hands on his chest before slowly dragging them up to wrap her arms around his neck. She could feel his heartbeat getting faster as she moved her face so her lips were inches away from his. "Don't worry Detective. I can always lock the door so we don't get caught."

His face reddened for a moment before he regained his composure and pushed away from her. The comments weren't unusual but that kind of thing did always catch him off guard. Especially when she took things a step further and started getting physical. "I'd like to take a look around, if you don't mind." His voice was noticeably angrier now which only made her smile widen.

"Of course. Be my guest, Handsome." She winked as she moved past him to give him room to rummage though her belonging. He scowled in return.

The Detective sorted through her drawers thoroughly, checked every book on her shelf, and even sifted through the glasses and bottles in the mini bar. He frowned and was about to stand up when something soft and warm pressed against his back and a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Handsome." She spoke in barely a whisper, her warm breath tickling at his neck. She reached around him to grab one of the wine glasses sitting in the mini bar just in front of him, moving slowly and gracefully. His face burned red as her chest pressed into his back. But before he had time to react, she pulled away, wine glass in hand and stepped to the side and began pouring herself a glass of merlot. He stood and tried to regain his composure.

"Would like a glass of wine? Or maybe you're more of a whiskey man." She smiled up at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. He did his best to keep his eyes from roaming her body. Her pinstripe jacket and matching pencil skirt hugged her curves in all the right ways. He hated to admit that she was beautiful. Part of him, deep down had enjoyed the brief contact and yearned to feel her warmth against him again. It had been a while since he had been so close to a women. But why, out of all the women in the city, did it have to be her that was making him feel this way?

He shook the thoughts from his head and regained his composure. He just grunted, stuffed his hands in his pockets and started making his way to the door to her office. The sooner he got out of there, the better.

Okami smirked from behind him. "Please, have a safe trip back to the station." She walked up behind him and placed her free hand on his should and leaned close to his ear. "And feel free to come see me anytime, Handsome." She withdrew from the Detective. He stood for a moment, debated on turning around, and then opened the door to leave her office.

Moments later Raiden and Kamiden entered the office and Okami's mood changed instantly. "Raiden, find out what's going on. I want to know why a Taiyo was found outside my warehouse and why they were supposed to be at my club tonight." Her voice was harsh and serious. Nothing like the soft, flirtatious woman she had been moments ago.

"Right, Boss. I'll figure out what I can."

"Damn... This is turning into a bigger problem than I thought it would." She slammed down the rest of her wine and sat the glass on her desk. She wiped the droplet of liquid that was streaming down her chin with her gloved hand. "I think I've had enough excitement for one day. I'm going to call it a night and head home. You had better have some news for me tomorrow." With that she walked past her two body guards and out the door to her office.

Kamiden drove her home that night. Okami sat in the back seat of her car staring out the window as she always did, lost in thought. It didn't take long before they arrived at her home. Kamiden opened her car door for her and reached out a hand to help her out. Before leaving, he bid her a good night and then made his way to tuck the car safely in her garage.

She made her way up to her room and sat at the edge of her bed with a huff. She kicked off her shoes before laying back on the plush comforter. Her mind was filled with thoughts from earlier. Not of the body or the note. Not of what this could all mean. But of the detective who seemed to have made it his life's mission to bother her. Truthfully, having him always poking his nose into her business was dangerous. She should have just offed him a long time ago. But she had grown fond of him. And not just because she enjoyed playing with him and pushing his buttons. He was a handsome man who was very passionate about his work even if he always seemed bored with it. That was something they both had in common, she thought. She actually enjoyed seeing him walk into her club. She would never admit it, but she felt like a schoolgirl with a crush whenever she saw him.

Maybe it was all the wine she had that was making her think this way. But she couldn't help but wonder what it was he was doing right now. She had never seen a wedding ring on his hand before so she figured he was most likely single. He really didn't seem like the type to have a girlfriend. Was he laying in bed thinking of her like she was thinking of him?

For God's sake, get a grip! He's a cop. I can't risk everything Father left me for a good looking man in a suit. With that thought, Okami pushed the feelings down and went about getting ready for bed. She had bigger things to worry about anyway.

Across town in a modestly sized house, Detective Nara was also getting ready for bed. But his mind kept drifting back to the warm feeling of Okami's chest against his back. And try as he might to push the thoughts from his head, they just kept coming back.

He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. It wasn't the first time she had left him feeling this way, but as time went on the feelings only got more and more intense. He had always blamed it on how long he had been without a lover. How many years had it been now since the divorce? Three? Four? He was starting to lose count.

And had he really debated on taking her up on her offer earlier? He felt like he was losing it. All night after he left her club he had tried focusing on the case but all he could think of was the way she felt pressed against him. He thought about her tight fitting suit. The hint of cleavage that peeked out of her jacket. Her long slender legs that disappeared into her skirt. Her soft lips and sultry eyes. He thought about her desk and how it was just the right height to bend her over and- Dammit, stop it! He cursed himself inwardly. It wasn't like him, being this lustful. Especially towards someone he hated.

He got undressed and headed for his bathroom. Try as he might his mind and body wouldn't let the thoughts go. What he needed was a cold shower before bed. Something to calm him down enough so he could at least get some sleep. He stepped inside once the water was running and shuddered for a moment. The cool water ran down his body and seemed to wash away the thoughts as well as the day's stress. He sighed as he felt his body calming down. With the rush leaving his body he was starting to feel the wear and tear of the day. He stayed under the water for a few more moments before turning it off, grabbing a towel and making his way back to his bedroom

Once he was dried off and dressed for bed, he pulled the sheets back and laid down with a huff. He was tired. Tired in so many ways. But he had a lot of work ahead of him tomorrow. Especially if he wanted to put Okami behind bars once and for all where she would no longer be a nuisance to the public or to him.