Chapter Three

Just Deal With It

"Good morning, Kabuto," she said, poking her head around and smiling at him when he was whipping up some fresh breakfast. It looked like perch alongside steamed vegetables, and the smell was heavenly. He asked her if she wanted any, but she politely declined. "Is Uchiha-san here?"

Something glinted in the spectacled man's eyes when he told her the master of the house was in the spa room - and that he had ASKED for her. Sakura couldn't believe it. Never did she think she would end up hearing that her boss - her temporary boss - was in a hot tub and wanted to see her as soon as she arrived.

Good thing his back halfway faced her, and his eyes were closed when she stepped in, standing by the side and just watching him. Suddenly, she wasn't sure she wanted to look away when she saw how muscled he was. He was pale, from a lack of sunlight, but surprisingly, he kept himself well-honed. He wasn't bulky, but lean and lithe, the ripples defined. Every girl's wet dream, if you asked her. Sakura bit her bottom lip, threatening to draw blood. Something in her body started to stir...

She cleared her throat, distracting herself from the uncomfortable knot in her belly. "Hello, Uchiha-san." He opened his eyes and looked straight up at her. The steam made his irises smolder like spa rocks, intensifying the clenching of her abdomen.

"Ah, Sakura. There's a book on my nightstand."

In other words, he wanted her to get it. She nodded and left him to do just that - but when she found herself in his room, the photograph beside it made her halt. It was antique gold, framing a black-and-white photograph of two boys: one young enough to be seven, and the other maybe twelve or thirteen. The young one had the duck's hair, identifying him immediately as Sasuke. The other had longer hair, tied back, and with two lines slanted below his eyes. Both of them looked very happy like nothing was ever wrong with the world.

This must be him and his brother...Itachi Uchiha.

She brought the book back without even glancing at the title, placing it into his extended and waiting hand. "Your next orders, sir?" she asked, deciding to tease him, see if it would work on him. It sparked a reaction, and she could have sworn she saw a faint hint of a little smile. It wasn't much, but it was a good start.

"You can wait in the next room. Read a book if you like." And reading was what she would do; she knew just the one.

She was in high school when she first read A Coral Kiss, which told of a young author and her very good friend who eventually became much more than that following a strange injury in which he came for her help. What's funny is the guy is dark, mystifying...and oh, so seductive. After that would come delightful, heated nights and the need for personal healing - in the mix came a suspenseful murder mystery.

Sakura read only a little bit of the first page when her oh-so-charming employer called for her to get his towel. Good thing he was wearing swimming trunks. She wasn't sure how much longer her sanity would hold after seeing his chest...the water dripping off those glistening muscles...

"What are you doing with that?" Here we go again.

Sakura held up the book still in her hand. "Nothing much. Just reading like you asked. I loved this when I was a kid."

Her innocent revelation seemed to make him angrier. "Get rid of it."

She couldn't believe it. He said to toss this wonderful tale out because -?! "Why? It's a nice copy!" Maybe she should have kept that to herself because, in a flash, the book was out of her hand and into the water which was calming down. Her anger bubbled and blew just like those bubbles in there. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!"

"It's just a damned book."

"No, it's more than that," Sakura said, no longer caring to be kind when she hated this man so much, and she was going to let him know. She turned and moved to pick it out, drying it by shaking it off without needing a towel.

Sasuke stared down at her with evident distaste. "You think I care, hn? I no longer understand why that's still here when I could have thrown it anytime I wanted over the years." She froze where she was; there it was, another hint. This book meant more to him than he was saying. And it had once been something sentimental - now it was a burden, a reminder.

"Perhaps that ought to change," Sakura spat, looking him square in the eye. "Look, Uchiha, I do not know you or your reasons, but you don't know me or mine. Stop being so disrespectful."

His fist clenched, threatening to hit her if he wanted to, and she was so prepared for that. Maybe she could guilt-trip him with it afterward. She took hits from bullies when she was younger. "Haruno," he returned, using her name, "it's MY house. If you don't like it, you're welcome to leave." Oh, like hell. She lifted her chin at him in defiance as her answer.

"Then deal with it." Now that was the last straw.

Her palm came and cracked him hard against the cheek. The sound echoed like a whiplash. A second passed before horror crossed over her as Sakura realized what she'd done.

His eyes showed the same amount of shock as she blatantly cracked her hand against his face. And as he said, in his house, in the spa room he'd just been relaxing - and just across the hall from the office where her father's work number was. Great...now I've screwed up big time. But she didn't have it in her to form an apology; half of her didn't want to say she was sorry.

But Sasuke said nothing of this; instead, he changed the subject and issued another order. "I'm going out of town tomorrow and will be gone the entire day," he said. "I want you to pack my bag."

~o~

He was asking Kabuto what was for breakfast when he smelled perch and vegetables, telling him the answer. But first things first.

If Kabuto knew what transpired in the spa room, he chose to say nothing, but the mischievous glint was there. That was his way of saying "She showed you". But the Uchiha chose to say nothing and made way for his bedroom to get dressed. His cheek still stung from her palm whipping him; his skin was on fire. Now, safely away in his room, Sasuke threw the towel onto the floor in a fit of fury.

No one and he meant no one, struck Sasuke Uchiha the way she did! Why, he could have just gotten on the phone and -!

He stopped his mental ranting then and there, remembering that she was coming up here to pack his bag for tomorrow as he asked, so he hurried and slipped out of his trunks, settling on a navy sweater and black trousers afterward. His suitcase was under the bed, but he chose to spare her job, absentmindedly, and put it atop the bed and wide open. He decided to just throw his swimming wear into the laundry basket which he needed to be done anyway; he would leave that to Sakura since she was capable enough for that. And speaking of the devil when he opened the door...

"Excuse me," she said bluntly, slipping past him to find his suitcase, only to see it on the bed for her. Sasuke could only stare at her, unable to find words, but he was too livid to deal with her anymore. It was bad enough that she had to read that book which had been his mother's, but she didn't know that. Nor did she even ask. She just assumed that it was mine.

Somehow, the thought amused Sasuke. He hadn't laughed at anything in a long time, not even at any jokes Kabuto would crack at him. Nor did he ever smile at Sakura when she did. Nobody ever smiled at him the way she and Kabuto did, and the ones Karin gave him were nothing short of faux that he knew too well.

He just hoped he wouldn't have to think about the unbearable Sakura Haruno tomorrow with the meeting. Anything but her...

~o~

I don't know how much longer I can deal with that son of an Uchiha. If he was a real duck, then I would have roasted him on the fire myself. Oh, yeah, then serve him for Daddy and me. The murderous fantasy was satisfying in itself, but she had no means to carry it out. The best distraction she did was to dry off the book the best she could, without ripping the precious pages and returned it to where she found it.

Now she was here in the Beast's room, packing his bag for him as he asked. He'd been in his room, redressing, and she hadn't expected to see him there when she finally went to do the deed. It was this time she chose to call Ino who was at work, but on her break, and now Sakura could no longer keep her cool. "I can't stand him."

"Wait, what - who are you talking about?" It was high time she told her best friend since she wanted to so many times, but it wasn't like she purposefully kept it from Ino.

"Sasuke Uchiha," the pinkette said, putting a neatly folded black shirt in.

"Uchiha, as in Scary Rich Uchiha, Uchiha Mansion before the forest?"

"Yes to all. And Ino-Pig, I wanted to say this all along but didn't get the chance to, and when it did come, I had no idea how to say it. The story goes like this: Dad accidentally broke something at his house while repairing the fireplace, so Uchiha threatened to call Dad's boss and have him fired. Now I am working for Uchiha until the debt is paid off."

A pause before a harsh intake of breath. "So, that's where you've been. Kiba keeps asking me where you are; he thinks you're avoiding him."

Sakura was tempted to curse. Why would Kiba assume such a thing? She told him that she worked here; he could have just come and visited her to see himself, right? And what the hell was his problem? She didn't even tell him she was ready to get serious with him or anyone. She had more important things to worry about.

"So, is his house like...amazing?"

"Ino!" she huffed, insulted. Here she was in one of the greatest predicaments of her life, and all her friend could ask her was if the insane Uchiha's house was great? Well, yes, it is, but that's hardly the main issue! Ino, honestly, you can be so small-minded sometimes.

"Come on, would your dad's boss even fire him?" Ino asked instead, making her sigh.

"It's hard to say." By this time, she was done and closing the case. He had everything he needed from his suit of the day, his night clothes to sleep in if he chose to stay the night, and bathroom essentials - all of which were too personal for her to handle. He could have just asked Kabuto since the guy obviously knew him much better than she did. "He's only been with them for a short amount of time, plus Uchiha calling..."

"Got it - but what's bugging you now, Billboard?"

Sakura had to lean over to check through the cracked door to see if Mr. High and Mighty might be listening. "He is such a jerk," she hissed. "He's purposefully making it harder than it has to be. He has me doing the stupidest little jobs -" Dry cleaning, sealing envelopes, picking up groceries, alphabetizing books. "- he insults me constantly, and he has absolutely no respect for...anything." Including throwing away a great piece of literature that captured the heart. If he'd thrown the Bible into the water, that would have been sacrilegious.

"...so it sounds like all the rumors were true. You know he was a drunk as an underage, right? Got into fights? Talked to countless therapists - and was once placed on suicide watch?"

She never saw him drink in her time here - but then she halted at the mention of "suicide watch". "I heard of all that, but I'm just now hearing about the suicide..." She trailed off, unsure of how to think about this. His parents' murders must have driven him that off the edge he thought his life was over.

"But the bottom line is, if he's gonna be a jerk, you can think of how to shut him up."

"I wish I could. I can't have him fire me and then call my father's boss. I have to get through with this." She paused to bite her bottom lip. "Except I did do one stupid thing today. Take a guess as I did to Neji Hyuuga when we were in high school." The guy from one of the biggest families would have pressed charges if there had been signs of a severely broken bone or a bruise even when he thought he could get onto her like that, and Ino had been there to witness.

"...you're kidding, girl. You really blew him to the jaw."

Sakura grinned even though the other girl couldn't see her. "More like slapped like a bitch." This made her friend shriek with laughter before she calmed.

"Moving on from this. What does he do?"

She shrugged. As far as she knew, he was a consultant or something, but this was his family's business left to him when his parents died, and when he was rehabilitated, he was homeschooled for college and then got the seat. Maybe it was time she found out, as Ino suggested. If she was fed up with her current position, it was time to start rising.

Then Ino had to ask her if she wanted to see a movie with her and Kiba, which made her sad that she had to blow them again. "He's going out of town tomorrow, I got stuff to do." As always...but oh, hell. Uchiha did say I had my work cut out for me.

She sure as hell did, and while he was gone, maybe she could use this opportunity. Even ask Kabuto more...personal questions about his boss and childhood friend.

I read "A Coral Kiss" by Jayne Ann Krentz in high school, and it proved to be one of the best romance novels I ever read. The perfect blend of two opposites attracts as well as a long-unsolved murder mystery in the middle.