The Over-Under

A/N: From now on in the story, I will be referring to Naruto and Neji as Narumi and Jina and using female pronouns to describe them (she, her, etc.) while they're crossdressing or while they're thinking as their female selves. I'll be referring to them as Naruto and Neji and using male pronouns (he, his, etc.) when they're not crossdressing or when they're thinking as themselves, not their female counterparts. Keeping it uniform this way will be a lot easier for everyone I think, but if anyone gets confused by it don't be afraid to speak up. ^^

"Confidence is the companion of success."
Author Unknown

Key:
thoughts
-:- denotes time pass and/or scene change


Chapter 4 - Training


For the next two weeks, Narumi was trained in the art of being a hostess by Jina, Anko, and a surprisingly large number of both fellow hostesses and hosts from Upstairs. The first thing Anko did was give her an in-depth definition of what she would be doing.

"Hostesses, while on the clock, exist solely for the entertainment of the customer," Anko began Narumi's orientation session. "We'll have you start out on the main floor with the rest of the newer girls. You'll start off making a base salary that isn't far above minimum wage, but you'll get tips. You'll bring new customers and hostess-hoppers to their tables, and sometimes you'll have to show new Upstairs customers the way to the elevator or the stairs. We service all sexualities here, so always make sure to ask customers what they've come for, if they don't tell you right off the bat. In the beginning you'll be part hostess and part waitress. You will take customer's orders and deliver them to the kitchen. You will light cigarettes, pour drinks, and serve food, always in a sensual manner. You will offer flirtatious conversation. You will dance with and sing to clients.

"How long this goes on depends on how well you do your job. As soon as you start catching clients' eyes they'll start requesting to see you in private. At this point you'll be assigned your own room to cater to clients either privately or in groups, depending on the customer's preference and/or request. At this point you will have more of a simulated relationship with your clients. In addition to catering to them in the same ways as before, you may also have to listen to their problems and offer them advice or comfort as needed. It will seem bothersome in the beginning, but in your room is where you'll earn double your base pay hourly, plus commission on everything your client orders." Anko paused in her description of the job and gave Narumi a smirk. "Trust me, the moolah makes it all worth it."

Throughout the rest of his training Narumi worked closely with more seasoned hostesses, learning the intricacies of what her job would be like on while she was on the main floor. Once she had that covered, she began working with seasoned hosts in private rooms. They gave her pointers on how to speak to men so that they felt comfortable, and gave her good pointers on how to subtly change the flow of conversation if she ever got uncomfortable with it. Hostesses and hosts alike made sure to assure Narumi whenever possible that she had absolutely no obligation to get physical with customers, and that if a client ever made an unwanted advance, she was urged to push the panic button found in her room or under her table, depending on where she was. The club had a strict policy against clients taking advantage of hostesses and hosts.

All throughout the training process, Naruto was amazed by how welcome and comfortable the entire staff made him feel. He confided to Neji, on the drive home from work one evening, that sometimes he really forgot that he was a man posing as a woman. Neji merely laughed and assured him that that was probably the best mindset to have in his situation. Constantly worrying about getting found out would, effectively, get him found out sooner or later. The only time Naruto really felt like Naruto while in the Over-Under was on his last day of training, when he was paired in a room with the number one host from Upstairs.

"Watch yourself with him," Jina had warned in the car on the way to work that morning. "He's young, but he's been with the club longer than anyone, except for Kakashi and Anko. He has a habit of nit-picking and will come off insulting and condescending, but you have to make sure you remember that he really is trying to help you succeed. All of us have to be put through a test with him before we're accepted onto our first day on the job, just like all of the new male hosts have to be put through a test with me before their first day on the job." Jina smiled and winked, flaunting the fact that she was the most popular female hostess Downstairs.

"Sounds like a nightmare," Narumi replied, slouching in her seat.

"Don't mess up your hair!" Jina chastised, lightly slapping Narumi's shoulder with the back of her hand. Narumi grudgingly sat up straight. "He really isn't that bad if you remember what I told you," Jina continued as they pulled into the parking lot of the club. "He's not trying to be rude, it's just how he is."

"Greeeaaaat," Narumi replied sarcastically as the two got out of the car.

After the pair got clocked in Narumi made her way to the room she had been training in, only to find that her training partner for the day was already there. At first she was slightly taken aback by the sight of who it was: the gorgeous, dark-haired host that Naruto had seen the first time Jina took him Upstairs. After she got a chance to think about it, however, she wasn't surprised. He was easily the most attractive man Naruto had ever seen in his life, and if Narumi were to go to a host club this man would definitely be the one she chose to spend her time with.

"Welcome to work," the man greeted, standing from the loveseat couch and taking a few steps toward Narumi. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and as I'm sure you've already been told, I'm the most popular host Upstairs." He extended his hand toward Narumi as he spoke, palm up. Narumi had to remind herself to present her hand palm down, fingers slightly bent, as a female formally should.

"Yes, I've heard," she replied as she gave him her hand. "My name is Narumi Namikaze. It's a pleasure to be working with you." Narumi couldn't stop the blush that warmed her cheeks when she felt Sasuke's fingers wrap around hers as he lifted her hand to his lips, gently pressing his lips to the back of her hand. Knowing it was the proper way for a man to greet a woman didn't subdue her reaction at all.

"Jina-san told me you're going to test me before I'm allowed on the main floor," Narumi stated as Sasuke dropped her hand.

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed. "I am going to be your final exam with instant feedback. If I don't think you're ready for the main floor before we open tonight, you'll go home and be put through another week of training. If I do think you're ready, you'll be put on the front lines tonight."

"Alrighty!" Narumi said enthusiastically. "Let's do this!"

The pair sat on the loveseat and began to make light conversation as Narumi poured water from a sake bottle. "Focus more on me," Sasuke interrupted, tapping Narumi's chin up so that she made eye contact with him. "Make sure you don't overflow the glasses, but always focus the majority of your attention on the customer. Make them feel like whatever they're saying is the most interesting thing you've ever heard, even if they're just talking about the weather." Narumi nodded, flicking her eyes back to the cup just long enough to tilt the sake bottle back up, move it to the next cup, and begin pouring again. "Good," Sasuke complimented. "You'll get better with time. If you stay here long enough you'll get to the point where you can sense when the cups are full without having to look, just by the sound of the sake pouring."

Narumi finished pouring their drinks and they went back to their casual speech as they sipped their water. Narumi used a few subtle flirting tricks she learned from her fellow hostesses, such as leaning toward him as he spoke, making as much eye contact as possible, smiling and biting her lip every now and then, and touching him lightly on the shoulder, upper arm, or knee as he spoke. After a while Sasuke interrupted the conversation to say, "You're trying too hard."

"What?" Narumi asked, pulling her hand away from where it was resting on his knee. He placed his hand on top of hers and stopped her as he replied.

"First of all, the knee is going too far for your first meeting with someone." He lifted his hand from hers, and she pulled it into her own lap. "The light arm touches or maybe turning yourself toward me so that our knees touch is fine," as he spoke he angled himself toward Narumi so that their knees and an inch or so of their thighs were pressed together, to demonstrate what he meant, "but I would save the hand on the knee until your third, maybe fourth time with a client. It would be considered by many to be an intimate spot, and if you don't know me well, you don't know whether or not I'll take that as a sexual advance."

"I don't see how you mean," Narumi replied. "It's just a simple touch. It's not like I was touching your thigh or anything."

"Then put your hand back on my knee if you don't follow me," said Sasuke. Narumi obliged and Sasuke continued, "Now, what if I were some horny client who had merely requested to see you because you caught my eye on the main floor? Maybe I'm controlling, maybe I've never been in a real relationship, and I take your 'simple touch' as a sexual advance." He placed his hand back atop Narumi's and slowly slid it up his thigh, closer to his crotch. "You didn't mean to touch my thigh, but now you are. And with my hand on top of yours, as a hostess you can't simply pull your hand away. You might offend the customer. How would you react in this situation?"

"Would you like a refill of your drink, Uchiha-san?" Narumi asked after a moment's pause, leaning her whole body toward the table rather than only pulling her hand away.

Rather than letting her slip away, Sasuke grabbed her other hand with his free one. "A drink isn't what I want right now, Narumi," he said in a menacing voice, pulling her closer to him.

Narumi swallowed thickly. "Maybe we can find you something on the menu, then?" she asked innocently, trying once more to pull her body gently away from the host. Again Sasuke pulled her closer, this time yanking Narumi so that she fell onto him. Narumi felt all the air leave her lungs as her chest fell onto Sasuke's, their faces mere inches apart and her legs tangled with his. Finally she tried to yank herself away, but Sasuke's hold was too strong.

"How would you react if a customer had you in this position, Narumi?" he whispered, and the blond smiled seductively as a thought hit her.

"Actually, Uchiha-san," she said in her most innocent voice. Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt one of her legs move between his. "I think I'd be okay with this situation..." She leaned her face even closer to Sasuke's and whispered, "Especially with you."

Sasuke seemed to be lost for words. Narumi only grinned wider at the shocked expression on the host's face. Suddenly the door slammed open, and Anko barged into the room. Sasuke was looking past Narumi to Anko when he heard a soft clicking. Lowering his eyes he saw that the clicking was Narumi's shoes tapping on the underside of the coffee table that their drinks were set on. "You pressed the panic button with your foot," Sasuke said, seeming to be both flabbergasted and relieved at the same time. "Clever. A good quality to have in this line of work."

"What's going on here?" Anko demanded, seeing Sasuke holding Narumi to him on the loveseat. Immediately Sasuke let go of Narumi's wrists and she pulled herself back to her original sitting position on the other side of the loveseat.

"Nothing, Anko-san," Narumi said pleasantly, smiling widely at her boss. "Sasuke-san was just making sure I could take care of myself in the event that a customer got physical with me."

"Oh," Anko replied, though Narumi wasn't sure whether or not the woman accepted the answer. Either way Anko merely shrugged, and backed out of the room. When she had gone, Narumi turned back to Sasuke with a smug look on her face.

"That was extremely dangerous, Narumi," Sasuke said, sounding enraged as he sat himself back up.

"What, Anko?" Narumi asked, confused. "She didn't ca-"

"No, not Anko," Sasuke interrupted. "Even aside from the fact that that stunt you pulled was a very inappropriate advance on a coworker, it would have been even worse if you had done that to an actual customer."

"Why would it be?" Narumi asked, even more confused. "I pushed the panic button, Anko would have come and gotten the guy out, nothing would hav-"

"A customer who got it in his head to rape you could have rolled you over on the couch and pinned you underneath him before you had the chance to find the panic button with your foot!" Sasuke yelled. Narumi flinched backward at the sound of his raised voice. "These rooms are almost completely soundproof to block out the noise of the club," Sasuke continued. "The chances of Anko hearing you scream over the padding in the walls and the music blaring on the main floor would be slim to none. Do you understand now why that stunt would have been dangerous for you?"

"Yes," Narumi mumbled, looking down at the floor. She saw Sasuke stand, but didn't look up.

"I'm going to tell Anko that you're not ready," he said. "You still need a lot more training."

"No!" Narumi exclaimed, jumping from her seat. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I understand now, don't be too seductive. Don't put my hand on a customer's knee until I know their temperament. I get it!"

"Do you really get it?" Sasuke fumed. "Because I don't think you do. I don't think you're cut out for a dangerous environment like this."

"Please!" Narumi practically begged. "Please, Sasuke, just give me another chance. You said I had until the club opened for the night to prove to you that I could handle it. Please just let me try again."

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and stared Narumi down. She laced her fingers together as if she were praying and brought them up to her chest, mouthing the word 'Please.' After a few moments Sasuke sighed, bringing one hand up to his face and squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Fine," he relented, and Narumi almost jumped for joy.

"Thank you very much, Sasuke-san," she said gratefully, bowing deeply in front of him. Sasuke sighed again and took his previous place on the loveseat.

For the next few hours Sasuke continued to criticize everything that Narumi did even slightly wrong, making every little mistake sound much worse than it really was. Although Narumi knew that he was only annoyed with her and she wasn't really doing as badly as he said, she tried her hardest to accept the criticism graciously and make all of the improvements that Sasuke suggested. Finally, about half an hour before the Over-Under opened for the night, Anko returned to the practice room.

"Well, Sasuke?" Anko asked. "Is she ready or not?"

From her tone, Narumi could tell that Anko expected Sasuke to say no. Therefore, they were both surprised when the Uchiha replied, "She's improved in every area I saw flaw in, even in this short amount of time. I see no reason to keep her off the main floor any longer."

Anko's jaw dropped slightly and she groped for words. It must be a pretty rare thing for him to pass someone on their first try, Narumi thought. As the words flew through her mind she couldn't help but smile widely at the thought that she had passed a test that few others did. She couldn't stop herself from flopping forward on the loveseat and hugging Sasuke tightly. Sasuke stiffened a little, then wrapped one arm around the blond and patted her back lightly before prying himself away from her and standing from the couch.

Narumi stood as well. "Sorry," she said, chuckling awkwardly and blushing as Sasuke straightened his jacket. "Thank you," she said, bowing once more to the host.

"Don't mention it," Sasuke replied. "And please, don't hug me while on the clock." Narumi furrowed her eyebrows at the statement as Sasuke squeezed past Anko and left the practice room, probably on his way Upstairs for his shift.

Anko stared after Sasuke for a bit, then turned back to Narumi and shrugged. "Come on girlie," she said in an upbeat tone. "Apparently you start work tonight."