Undercurrents

A/N: Having some technical issues with this site for whatever reason. Just wanted to say - quickly (as I know you want to jump into the insane night ahead of Neji & Shika) that I appreciate all the kind words immensely. They've made me smile, laugh, grin, and left me generally giddy. Many, many thanks and much love.

~*~

Neji’s fingers dug into the arm of his chair as he came into the Hermes scarf wrapped around his dick. He panted once, body leaning forward and hand clenching around the silk. He let the orgasm run its course; let himself enjoy the few seconds of pleasure before refocusing on the rest of the night. Then with a shiver and a shaky sigh, he gathered the scarf and tossed it aside with a mental note to get it dry cleaned.

Glancing at the clock, Neji adjusted his clothing and breathed deeply to make his pulse return to normal. He couldn’t have timed his scheduled self-release better: it was exactly 45 minutes until eight. That was plenty of time for him to close up his office, get to his car, and drive home to meet Shikamaru.

Neji swiveled his chair to face his computer and quickly shot off an email to Kakashi regarding the wait staff at Club Break. The annual Fetish Ball was only a couple months away, and it required tedious attention to detail.

The phone on the desk beeped softly.

“Apologies, sir,” said a prim female voice. “There’s a Jody with Akasuna Auto on the line for you. He’s on the approved call list.”

“Thank you, Melody. I’ll take it.”

Neji picked up the receiver when it beeped again. “Hyuga Neji.”

“Evening, sir. It’s Jody from the auto shop. Just wanted to let you know that we’ve got the BMW tuned and serviced.”

Jody worked at Gaara’s garage and generally handled all the customer service needs. Gaara wasn’t exactly a people person; he seemed far cozier with metal and bolts than with humans and emotions. So he left the phone calls to Jody. Neji understood them to be old friends – though Neji thought the term “survivors” might be more appropriate given Gaara’s past.

“Thank you,” Neji said.

“No problem. We can have her delivered to you tomorrow if that works.”

“The day after would work better for me,” Neji said, thinking that he and Shikamaru would probably need all of tomorrow to recuperate from this evening’s festivities.

“Certainly,” Jody said agreeably. “I’ll mark it down.”

“Bit late to be making the service calls, isn’t it?” Neji asked, thinking he could spare a moment to be sociable with the man who helped maintain his most prized possessions.

“I’m here as long as the boss is,” Jody said with a long-suffering sigh. “And if you don’t mind me sayin’, so, sir, it’s a bit late for you to be at the office on a Friday, isn’t it? I expected to leave a voice mail and go on ‘bout my business.”

“I was just leaving, actually,” Neji replied. “Thank you for the call, Jody.”

“Always a pleasure, sir. Have a good weekend.”

“You, too.”

Neji hung up with a small smile. Jody was the summer to Gaara’s winter, and it continually amused him that the two managed not to kill one another in the process of doing business.

Then again, Neji thought as he shrugged into his suit jacket and wool dress coat, it’s amazing Gaara doesn’t kill anyone in the course of doing business. Reformed or not.

Neji grabbed the scarf and shoved it into a bag before shutting down the computer and turning off the lights. He quickly made his way down to the lobby, and the building valet brought around Neji’s Rover in record time. Anticipation slithered through his bloodstream as he began the drive home.

Tonight was going to be one hell of a night.

After Shikamaru’s chess games and revelations several days ago, Neji formed a strategy of his own. His plan was simple: fulfill Shikamaru’s fantasy down to the last detail. And in doing so, he would prove to both himself and to Shika that he was every inch the dominant partner that his Nara wanted and needed him to be. Their relationship thus far was full of heat, tenderness, and satisfaction…but tonight no part of Shikamaru’s body was off limits to Neji. The mere thought made him happy he’d taken care of himself before leaving the office. It simply wouldn’t do to be more excited than Shika.

Especially since “no masturbation” was one of the rules for the Nara at the moment, Neji thought with a grin.

The morning after the chess game, Neji gave Shika a list of commands that he was to obey over the next few days.

“All of these are to happen before Friday,” Neji said to the sleepy Nara. “And on Friday you’ll get a new list from me by phone.”

“Professional wax, shave, manicure and pedicure?” Shika asked, slightly aghast. “Really?”

“Yes. Really.” Neji sipped his coffee.

“And no masturbation,” Shika read. “From now until Friday?”

Neji smiled, and it was slightly cruel. “That is correct.”

“That’s four days.” Shika didn’t even bother to hide his irritation.

“Also true,” Neji agreed.

“And I assume I won’t be seeing you until Friday, either.”

Neji just nodded.

Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed. “What’s with all the rules?”

“Equal parts necessity and personal preference, Shika,” Neji replied. “There’s very little room for laziness in what I have planned for us on Friday.”

That had Shika asking all sorts of questions, most of which Neji refused to answer. Shikamaru’s protests, frowns, and cries of “troublesome” held Neji over for the remainder of the week. Well, that and the extensive preparations Neji made on his own time. Getting ready for a complicated scene did take planning, after all.

Neji stopped at a traffic light and chuckled softly at the thought of his phone call to Shikamaru earlier that day. At 8 a.m. on the dot, Neji dialed Shika’s number and managed not to laugh at the adorably sleepy greeting.

“Good morning, Shika,” Neji said. He didn’t bother waiting for the Nara’s protests of the hour before he continued. “I will arrive at my home tonight at eight sharp. In twelve hours I expect to find you kneeling in the foyer wearing nothing but the clothing you will find in the family room. You are to eat well today, consume at least six glasses of water, and make sure to have dinner at least an hour before eight. I will send you a list of these and other details along with the location of everything you’ll need to prepare for me via email in the next ten minutes. If you understand everything in that email, then reply back with a simple affirmation. Should anything happen to disrupt plans, contact me. Otherwise, I will see you tonight, pet.”

Neji felt an echo of the thrill that went through him when he simply hung up and hit “send” on the email he’d already drafted. Twenty minutes later, a reply came back. There were only two words:

“Yes, Sir.”

Neji steered the Rover onto the back roads headed toward his house. He easily timed his speed to ensure that he would pull into the driveway five minutes or so before eight. The coat and suit he wore were suddenly too warm, and it took more concentration than usual to drive. To distract himself, Neji went over everything he wanted to do tonight for the hundredth time. He listed the items he purchased in his head, the things he laid out on various tables were enumerated and counted, and he revisited the instructions he sent Shika over the past week in excruciating detail.

Everything was ready…Neji just needed to get home.

Four days without his Shika left Neji anxious to see him. There was a great, gnawing need burning in his gut and making him feel like some vital part of his body was missing. Neji glanced at the clock and pushed his foot down on the accelerator. He could be a few minutes early…keep the Nara on his toes.

Or knees, in this case, Neji thought with a wicked grin.

By the time Neji arrived and shut off the car, questions laced with tiny amounts of doubt circled his brain. Did he forget anything? Would Shika really be there as he asked? Neji wanted to open his front door and see a particular image…it was carved in his mind – etched there by Shika’s own words.

It starts with me waiting on you to get home…

Neji got out of the Rover and walked quickly up the front steps and to the front door. As he walked, he brought down his feet with force, announcing his arrival in a way he hoped would make Shika’s blood pressure rise. Despite the fact that he was dying to throw open the door and kiss Shikamaru with bruising force – and his body trembled momentarily with that need – Neji pressed his thumb on the latch with slow, steady pressure. He could only hope that Shika felt a quarter of the anticipation Neji did.

The door clicked open and Neji stepped inside. What he saw defied logic and imagination with its perfection.

Shikamaru knelt on a long, black cushion designed for that purpose. He sat back on his heels with his hands on his thighs and his head tilted down. Shika’s hair was loose, and wavy brown locks fell forward to brush his cheeks. He was completely nude save for a few pieces of decorative leather. Around his neck was a collar that looked like lace at a distance. In actuality, it was intricately tooled, thin strips of leather worked into a rose pattern. The top and bottom of the collar were lined with solid black leather, and it snapped closed at the back of his neck. Neji liked that pattern because while it was attractive, the leather made it distinctly non-feminine.

On Shika’s forearms were soft, leather sleeves that anchored around his thumbs. They stopped at the crook of his arms, and the top inch of the sleeves had the same rose-leather pattern as the collar. As a final touch, another strip of the rose leather wound around Shika’s upper right thigh.

Pride and lust battled in Neji as he closed the door and drank in the sight of Shika kneeling in the middle of the entryway. The Nara’s chest rose and fell a little rapidly, but he managed to look calm and – though Neji knew Shika would not think it a compliment – elegant.

I’m waiting on you just inside the front door of you house, and I’m dying to see you. I want to touch you…want you to touch me…

Neji smiled, pleased beyond all reason that what he and Shika wanted married so well.

“You did well, Shika,” Neji praised, stepping a little closer. He saw Shika’s shoulders drop a fraction in some amount of relief.

“For now you may say or ask anything you like so long as you address me with proper respect. Refer to me as ‘sir’ for now.” Neji paused and wondered if Shika would remember the other things in the email. It would be great fun to find out.

“Come get my coat,” Neji commanded softly.

“Yes, sir,” Shika said immediately and rose. He winced just slightly and Neji chuckled. There was an art to kneeling, but it still left the joints stiff.

Eyes down and obedient, Shikamaru stepped behind Neji and removed his coat, gently draping it over one arm. Without being asked, Shika retreated exactly three steps and then turned to hang the piece of clothing in the coat closet. Neji watched with a smile and loosened his tie. It seemed Shika did pay attention to some details after all.

Shikamaru moved with a sort of jerky grace: he wasn’t used to being naked like this or used to Neji’s watchful, heated eyes.

Once the coat was put away, Shika returned to Neji’s side and received Neji’s suit jacket and tie.

“Upstairs to the master closet,” Neji instructed. “You’ll see where they go. Then come back and meet me in the family room. Run along now.”

With obvious gratitude at the instruction, Shika retreated and then turned to walk quickly to the stairs. Neji watched him go, enjoying the view, and then undid the first few buttons of his dress shirt while he walked through the rotunda and down into the family room. He seated himself in one of the leather chairs and waited, somehow finding the decorum not to tap his foot with impatience.

After a few minutes, Shika padded on bare feet into the room. He kept his eyes down as he approached and then faltered a little, not sure what to do with himself.

“Come here,” Neji said softly but firmly. “Stand in front of me. Let’s see if you did everything as I asked.”

Shikamaru blushed as he walked over to stand in front of Neji. His fingers clenched into fists and released. Neji suspected Shikamaru hadn’t particularly enjoyed the wax and shave, thinking it all prissy and girly. No matter…he’d be thankful for it later.

“Hands behind your back,” Neji said and Shikamaru obeyed at once. For a long moment Neji merely looked the Nara over and enjoyed how Shika’s breathing sped up at the examination. Neji knew all too well how it felt to have someone’s attention on one’s body like this…it was both heady and nerve-racking.

Reaching out with one hand, Neji lightly touched Shika’s side. The Nara didn’t react at first, but when Neji’s hand trailed down to circle his navel, Shika’s breathing hitched.

With a perfunctory touch, Neji let his fingers skim over Shikamaru’s lower stomach and then down over his half-hard length. The flesh jumped at the attention, and Neji managed to keep his face neutral as he continued his exploration. Reveling in the fact that Shika was so responsive, he idly touched the bare skin at Shikamaru’s base. He grazed over Shika’s balls, lightly cupping them before pulling his hand away entirely. The skin was completely hairless and soft. Above him, Shika made a soft noise and he hardened further, his cock almost at eye-level with Neji.

“It seems you can follow instructions,” Neji commented. “Let me see your hands.”

Shikamaru held out his hands palm up and then, as though catching up to what Neji wanted to see, he flipped them over. Neji glanced at the nails and nodded casually before snapping his fingers.

“Foot,” he ordered and pointed to his thigh. Neji enjoyed the moment of awkwardness while Shika tried to figure out the best way to present said foot. He finally opted to just stand on one leg and put his bare foot on Neji’s thigh. Immediately Neji circled Shika’s calf with his hands and kneaded the flesh. Shika gasped when Neji leaned forward and lightly kissed the inside of Shika’s knee. Neji had no doubt that Shika had obeyed his every command once he saw him in the foyer. But it wouldn’t do for Shika to think he didn’t care enough to check.

“Kneel and rest your head on my leg,” Neji commanded with a gentle push to Shika’s knee to indicate it was okay to move.

“Yes, sir,” Shika said softly as he swiftly went down on his knees and arranged himself so that his cheek rested against Neji’s knee and thigh. He moved awkwardly but eagerly, and once his skin made contact with Neji, Shikamaru wrapped his arm around Neji’s leg and pulled himself closer.

For a moment it was all Neji could do not to pull Shikamaru into his lap and touch him everywhere: kiss him, hold him, make him squirm. Neji’s mind and body tried to get lost down that path, and he breathed in through his nose to make himself stop.

Later…that was later. For now he wanted Shika to get used to the dynamic. This was the first time they’d done anything non-sexual with Neji in charge, and he wanted Shika to have a few minutes to breathe before they went to the garage. He swallowed and reached to pet Shika’s hair, relieved that Shika was positioned in such a way that he couldn’t tell that Neji was hard.

Shikamaru nuzzled against Neji’s leg and sighed. “Did you have a good day, sir?”

Neji dug his fingers into Shikamaru’s hair and massaged the scalp with firm fingers. The heat coming off the Nara’s body was maddening, and anticipation licked through Neji at the thought of this body lying prone and bound in front of him. Neji licked his lips and Shika leaned more of his weight against Neji, the muscles across his shoulder blades relaxing a bit more.

“I did,” Neji answered, fingers digging lower to rub Shika’s neck. His head fell forward under Neji’s touch.

“I’ve missed you, sir,” Shika said quietly. His arms tightened around Neji’s legs even as he shuddered a little as Neji continued to hit pressure points along Shika’s neck and shoulder.

“Been a long few days, has it?” Neji asked.

“Y-yes, sir…”

Neji merely hummed a low response and kept rubbing and touching Shika until his fingers tingled. The Nara was resting comfortably, now, and Neji sighed.

“Go fetch me some water, pet.”

“Of course, sir,” Shika said, pulling away to stand. Neji watched him go, eyes hungry and lips slightly parted. Not since that night when they went to Bliss had Neji felt this kind of rush…this fevered anticipation. And that night he’d been careful. He didn’t want to go too fast, he always respected limits, and he had Shikamaru’s past to consider.

But tonight…was different. His Nara had changed the rules and asked for more. Neji thought about how long a mere four days felt. He thought about what he wanted to do to Shika tonight…and as many times as he could from now until forever. He thought about his hands on Shika’s skin, the feel of his tongue, the noises he could practically hear like an erotic recording created for his mind alone.

And suddenly every dominant fiber in his body screamed at him to get his pretty little sub into the dungeon and make him beg, scream, moan, and come until he passed out.

You let me into your dungeon…and you take control of me…

Neji closed his eyes, shivered, and gave in.

~*~