An Indecent Affair

Chapter 6
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Neji stepped out of the elevator and followed the bouncing head of pink hair as the woman led him down the hallway and made a left, up a small flight of stairs beneath thick, mahogany double doors.

“It’s in here,” she indicated with a simple hand gesture and Neji adjusted the slightly heavy box in his arms as she opened the door for him and he gasped slightly when he was introduced to the expansive room.

It was as big as his apartment, maybe even more so.

Straight ahead was a large, L-shaped desk with a high-backed swivel chair behind it but it was turned so that it faced the waiting area on the right side of the room where a modern sofa set backed the floor length, glass windows that overlooked the breathtaking view of the city and the shipping harbor. A low coffee table was placed just a few feet in front of the comfortable seats and on it was a stack of Time and GQ magazines for clients’ reading pleasure and a water cooler and Coffee Mate machine for refreshment.

The floor space was completely covered by wall to wall velvet carpeting, cushioned beneath and so soft that you could sleep on it. Each corner of the room was occupied by various potted plants and hung on the Venetian plastered walls were subtle yet engaging pieces of abstract art.

The place more suitable as a waiting room in the White House and Neji was sure that they got off on the wrong floor but when she informed him that this was where he’d be working from now on he had a hard time believing her. He really didn’t need all this space especially if it was going to be just him.

Sakura stepped around him and beckoned for him to follow her and each step Neji made sank deep into the plush carpet. The girl stopped at the receptionist’s desk in the middle of the room and placed a flat palm against the smooth, wood. “This is your new desk,” she said with a disappointed sigh as she ran her fingers against it.

There was plenty of space on the table’s surface, only a computer, printer and fax machine occupied it and Neji immediately placed the box down, glad to be rid of the weight.

“You are so lucky,” the young woman exclaimed, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve sent in my application to be Sasuke’s secretary? Seven times!” she shrieked, “but it was always declined and the one time I don’t send one in is the time that the position becomes available.” Sakura huffed and folded her arms over her flat chest beneath her red, pin-striped jacket. “ It’s every woman in this company’s dream to be Sasuke’s personal secretary, and I envy you so much right now.”

Neji could only stare at her and blink as he desperately searched for something to say but the girl just rolled her eyes again when he opened his mouth and immediately closed it. “Of course I don’t expect you to understand, what with you being a guy and everything,” and she sighed, slightly annoyed that he didn’t empathize with her.

Well at least it was a man and not a woman that would be working side by side with the gorgeous Uchiha from now on so there was no reason for her to become insanely jealous especially since the position didn’t go to her rival, Ino, either and she could rub that in her face as much as she knew the other girl was going to rub it in hers.

One of the large double doors flew open and it slammed into the wall, startling both long-haired individuals and they turned to see the C.E.O. and Senior Manager of this floor stomp into the room with a wireless Bluetooth headset attached to one ear and his black, Razr cellphone in hand. Sasuke viciously cursed the person on the other end, completely oblivious to the others who were now forced to suffer through his noise pollution.

“Good morning, Sasuke,” the girl next to Neji squeaked as he walked by them but he didn’t acknowledge her greeting, nor did he even look in their direction and he disappeared behind the door marked ‘Fugaku Uchiha’ to the left of Neji’s desk but he didn’t close it in time and a ‘Holy fucking shit!’ escaped the crack.

“Isn’t he just incredibly hot?”

Neji tore his eyes from Sasuke’s office so he could face the girl who had one hand over her chest and was staring dreamily at that door as if she could see the object of her infatuations from behind it. He didn’t answer that question either because he knew she couldn’t possibly be talking to him and when she suddenly remembered that the only other person nearby who could share in her adoration of that dark Adonis was another male she clicked her tongue in irritation.

Neji honestly didn’t know what her problem was, or any woman who was attracted to the Uchiha for that matter. He’d only known him for less than twenty-four collective hours but Neji already found him infuriating. For one thing, he was arrogant, always acting as if he owned everything and Neji believed he had probably been spoiled as a child.

He wasn’t business-like at all by the way he dressed in a blood red, sleeveless jersey, ripped, black jeans with matching rubber slippers and from the way he carried on in such a manner, but even though it was just the three of them here and he probably spoke like that when he was alone anyway, it still wasn’t professional.

The only reason he probably even worked here was because it was a family business and Neji didn’t think it was fair that there were thousands of other people qualified for this job yet it was placed in the hands of someone like him just because of nepotism.

Neji must have summoned him with his thoughts because Sasuke stepped out of his office, sans electronic equipment, after he was finished with his call and when his eyes rested on Sakura he frowned.

“Why are you still here?” he asked annoyed. “Don’t you have work to do?”

The girl apologized profusely and excused herself before heading back the way she came and Neji wanted to scream ‘No, don’t go!’ when she left him alone with his new employer. He tried to remain composed, as if the other man’s very presence didn’t unsettle him in the least but when he pushed himself away from the door and stepped closer Neji’s entire body tensed in reflex.

“Well, what do you think?” he asked referring to their surroundings with a slanted nod of his head and took a seat on the desk next to Neji’s box.

“It’s a bit much,” he barely managed above a whisper and Neji didn’t even know that he’d been holding his breath the entire time.

Sasuke just shrugged at that but appreciated his honesty all the same. “No one’s worked here for a few years so everything’s fairly new,” he said, explaining the pristine condition of the office’s furnishings and décor. “But it’s yours now so feel free to do whatever you want with it. Heck, decorate the place with Play-Doh for all I care,” but while Neji thought he was only joking, Sasuke was dead serious.

He thought it was grossly excessive as well but this floor had belonged to his father and the man had an ego as large as both rooms put together. He’d meant to get rid of the flashy upholstery and gaudy paintings for objects more his flair but he never got around to making that appointment with the interior decorator but that would be Neji’s job now.

“You’re gonna be working here from now on so it’s only fair you’re comfortable with your environment.”

Neji didn’t think he’d care about something like that and he was sure the Uchiha would just as soon leave him surrounded by the walls of garish extravagance as he would leave him in a pit of scorpions. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” he muttered.

Sasuke then noticed the box next to him and leaned over so he could peer inside and, with no regard for the other man’s privacy, began sifting through its contents. Neji could only stare in disbelief as he began taking out the items, one by one, inspecting them and then putting them on the table in a disorganized mess but when he lifted the silver-framed photo that he’d taken of Ten Ten he reached out to snatch it from his hands but Sasuke was faster and leaned back while stretching his arm out far behind him and continued to examine it from that distance.

“Who’s this?” he asked, slightly tilting the rectangular object as he scrutinized the girl from a different angle.

Neji really didn’t think it was any of his business but he answered anyway. “She’s my fiancée,” he ground out between clenched teeth and his hands were fisted just as tightly by his sides, fighting the urge to make another grab for the picture.

“She’s pretty,” he stated simply but he didn’t sound as if he meant it and had only said so to be polite. Sasuke handed the picture to him and Neji clutched it as if to protect his betrothed from the overbearing individual. “When’s the wedding?” was his next question and he resumed snooping through Neji’s things.

“Why do you care?” It wasn’t as if he was going to be there because he wasn’t going to be invited in the first place.

“I don’t,” was his sincere reply and he sighed in disappointment at the lackluster objects that Neji owned. “You don’t have much,” he said more to himself and the other man felt offended at his jab towards his meager paraphernalia.

“I’m sorry, but we all can’t be loaded like you,” he snapped.

Sasuke sat up, his spine now erect at that curt response and Neji swallowed when those dark eyes drew into thin slits. “I meant,” he said slowly. “Your things won’t take up much space so I won’t need to get an extra desk for you to store them.”

It was only a misunderstanding and Neji felt embarrassed for lashing out at him after jumping to the wrong conclusion and, stammered an apology.

“Whatever,” and Sasuke made a rude noise by clicking his tongue against the back of his teeth. “The drawers are already empty so it’s just a matter of you putting your stuff away. Your bathroom’s down that hall and to the left,” he indicated with a pointed finger, “and visitors’ on the right. There’s a kitchenette further down from your washroom, hard to miss. It’s connected to my office so we’ll have to share but the fridge is kinda empty since I usually get my lunch from Café Blue anyway.”

Neji nodded quietly, still a little hesitant to speak yet after his earlier outburst but Sasuke seemed to notice his discomfort and tried to put him at ease by asking him a general question. “Is there anything specific you’ll need? Anything I need to know about you, like medical conditions, allergies, phobias, stuff like that?”

Neji shook his head. “No I’m fine, Mr. Uchiha,” and the second those two words left his mouth Sasuke got off the desk and shook his head violently and Neji took a cautious step backwards.

“Whoa, whoa whoa WHOA!,” he said loudly until his voice was almost a yell. “No! Don’t EVER call me that. My name is Sasuke, use it.”

Neji was very relieved that the taller man wasn’t about to jump on him. That scene had played in the back of his mind the minute Sakura left and he was afraid that it was about to be acted upon but he pulled himself together when he realized that the other man was only being dramatic.

“I can’t call you that,” and when Sasuke frowned Neji explained the reasoning behind his non-compliance. “You’re my boss, referring to you by your first name is too unprofessional.”

“Then call me whatever you want, just don’t call me that,” and his face split into a grin when he made his next suggestion. “I’m actually quite partial to ‘Master’.”

“How about ‘Sir’,” Neji offered.

Sasuke seemed to ponder it for a moment but declined. “I prefer ‘Master’.”

“Then ‘Mr. Uchiha’ it is,” the shorter man said with finality. If the spoiled, little, rich kid wanted to be difficult then so could he.

Sasuke didn’t force the issue after that. He always got what he wanted anyway and he usually achieved his victories with little conflict.

“I think I’m gonna need to make some changes to your contract,” he mused out loud and before Neji could ask him what kind of ‘changes’ he was referring to he disappeared into his office once again.

His pale, apprehensive eyes remained glued to that door for about two minutes, waiting for…only God knew what but that voice inside his head kept telling him over and over again that he wasn’t going to like it and if he had any sense he’d pack his things and get the hell out of here right now, but Neji didn’t listen this time, actually, when had he ever listened to that voice?

It had never been wrong before and if he had just paid it the attention it deserved he wouldn’t be in this mess, but things weren’t so bad now…were they? Sure, he was still fully dressed and Sasuke hadn’t thrown him to the floor and was having his wicked way with him but who was to say that that wouldn’t happen eventually?

The almost forgotten picture frame in his hand creaked under the severe pressure of his fingers on the plastic photo frame and he looked down into those large, brown eyes with his uncertain own, listening for her voice to tell him what he should do now but the only voice he heard was that coarse one that told him he had to be pretty mental if he was expecting advice from a photograph.

Sasuke’s return silenced it and Neji placed the picture face-down on the table when the Uchiha tossed a stack of papers on the desk.

“That’s your new contract,” he stated in an almost bored tone of voice. “You need to sign it now, the guys in Personnel are waiting for it.”

Neji approached the documents and was about to lean over to inspect them but remembering his past mistake he went around the desk to sit in his chair and read them instead. Sasuke sat upon the desk again to wait patiently for him to finish but this time he drew his legs upon the table and turned to face Neji so that he sat cross-legged in front of him.

Neji could feel those dark eyes on the top of his head as Sasuke watched him and he shivered slightly when the other man leaned forward to rest one elbow on his knee to support his chin in his hand. It was hard to concentrate with him staring so intently like that but he had to make sure he read each line carefully because he did not want to miss any hidden clauses or misread any fine print.

“Do you mind?” the long-haired brunette finally asked, unable to endure his scrutiny any longer and too nervous to meet his gaze.

“Not at all,” Sasuke grinned.

He doubled his efforts at ignoring the churlish man above him but he knew he preferred the Uchiha ogling him like a mannequin on display than trying to molest him.

“Since you’re on employee probation and just a Personal Assistant you don’t get paid as much as before,” Sasuke pointed out when Neji turned to the page outlining his salary and the calculation of his hourly wages. He watched the other boy’s expression carefully, waited to hear what he would say to that and was thoroughly surprised when he said he didn’t mind.

Sasuke had half expected him to protest or start a dispute about the four dollar difference but if what he had said that night in the bar about there being ‘more important things to him than money’ was true then it only confirmed his first impression of the boy as a gold-digger was incorrect.

“Good!” he said, now that they were in agreement, but he wanted to let him understand that his salary cap didn’t stop there. “With a lot of hard work and dedication to your job I’ll give you a raise, as long as you’ve earned it because I’m not like the others and I won’t pay you to sit around on that sexy, little ass of yours and look pretty.”

Neji felt a vein pound next to his pale temple and replied in a cold voice, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The Uchiha seemed to be on the up and up and as far as Neji could tell there weren’t any stipulations that demanded he be the man’s sex toy and he was beginning to think that maybe he was capable of conducting a legitimate business transaction, that is, until he came to the last page which outlined the ‘Employee’s Duty Schedule’.

At the very bottom of the page, scribbled in black ink and labeled item nine stated that ‘The employee’ is to address the ‘employer’ as ‘Sasuke’ at all times. In the event the ‘employee’ is too anal retentive then he may address the ‘employer’ as ‘Sir’ or ‘Master’ with ‘Master’ being the preferred title. Failing this and the ‘employee’ still insists on using ‘Mr. Uchiha’ (ugh!) then he is to be fined a day’s pay for each offense’.

Neji read and re-read that paragraph for a third time, finding it hard to believe that he actually had the gall to include something like that in a legal document and he did look up at him then to find the other man with a wide, idiotic grin splayed across his face. Neji sighed heavily and signed the contract anyway before handing the papers back to him.

“Now it’s official,” he declared and he got off the desk in one, fluid motion, tucking the agreement under an arm. “I gotta get this to Human Resources,” he said and let Neji know he’d only be gone a second before departing through those large doors and heading down the hall to the elevator.

Neji felt a certain peace settle over him but he wanted to believe that it was because he was now alone and not because he was now working with Sasuke and even though his disembodied hosts were telling him he’d made a terrible mistake he believed that the Uchiha really was just trying to help him out.

No! That was what he wanted to believe. There was no way a man like that had the compassion to help anyone else besides himself.

Well he’d just have to be on his guard around him. Sasuke was shorter than Orochimaru but more sturdy and Neji didn’t think he’d have enough strength to fight him off either if he had to.

‘Why am I such a weakling?’ he asked the voices inside him but they didn’t respond as if they were completely freezing him out.

He picked up that picture frame again and cradled the photo in one hand so he could trace Ten Ten’s jawline with his fingertips. “How can I protect you when I can’t even protect myself?” he whispered. Neji continued to stare at the image of his love’s face and as he did so he recalled last night when he’d mistaken her for him and he suddenly felt afraid.

It hadn’t been intentional, it wasn’t as if he was trying to think about that man, when her lips touched his it was like a conditioned response and it had just…happened. He closed his eyes and remembered her dark brown eyes becoming lighter until they seemed to change color altogether, her hair growing longer, her skin paling until it was of an unhealthy, white tint and her thick, pouty lips becoming wide and thin.

His eyes flew open to prevent witnessing the rest of metamorphosis and even though the face in the frame hadn’t gone through the same change the more Neji stared at that picture the more disgusted he became and instead of displaying it on his desk like he’d intended to he had to hide it in the bottom drawer.

He still wasn’t ready yet.

Neji packed away the remainder of his equipment as a means to keep his mind occupied and realized that Sasuke was right, there was still lots of room within the drawers that hadn’t been utilized. After settling himself in and Sasuke still hadn’t returned Neji attempted to get some semblance of work done but he wasn’t exactly sure what he should do. The phone hadn’t rung yet and even though he knew what a personal assistant did and what his duty schedule entailed he didn’t even know exactly what it was Sasuke expected of him or even what his precise role was in this company so it was hard to assign himself a task.

He got familiar with the floor instead, searching out the washrooms and the kitchenette the Uchiha had described earlier. The bathroom seemed a little too lavish considering what one was going to be doing inside of it and he felt as if it would be a federal offense to answer nature’s call in here as he glanced around the peach, marble-tiled room and sniffed the various scented, sea-shell soaps.

Sasuke had made a vast understatement when he’d said there was a kitchenette and Neji felt as if he’d stepped into a page of ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ when he saw the light, oak cupboards with built-in oven, granite counter-tops and baskets with bouquets of poinsettias hanging from the ceiling and a white, thirteen inch television set in the middle of the island.

They had really gone over board with everything and even the ‘space-age’ kitchen appliances looked like they cost too much just to heat food or make coffee and since Sasuke mentioned that no one had been here for years and he hardly ever used the kitchen himself so to Neji it seemed almost wasteful.

After his exploration, and Sasuke still hadn’t returned, Neji felt it was time he actually did something and began investigating the different cabinets stuffed with folders, files and index cards so he’d at least know what was where and that was what Sasuke caught him doing when he eventually got back.

“What are you doing?”

His soft, deep voice startled Neji and he spun around too quickly and banged his knee against the metal drawer causing him to wince and he rubbed away the pain with his fingers. Neji wasn’t sure how to respond but he knew he couldn’t say he was doing ‘nothing’ but he really wasn’t doing ‘anything’ either.

“Uh, working,” he answered.

“Why?” and he said that in such a condescending tone that it made the other brunette feel as if he was doing something he shouldn’t. “It’s your first day so take it easy.”

“I thought you didn’t pay me to sit on my ass and look pretty, remember?” Neji shot back and returned to his previous task.

Sasuke simply shrugged at his impertinence and strolled over to him while fishing a bundle of keys from his pocket and proceeded to lock all the cabinets then grabbed Neji by the wrist and dragged him back to his desk.

“Sit!” he commanded and pressed down hard on Neji’s shoulders, forcing him into his chair with a loud flop. “Relax!”

“You really can’t expect me to do nothing for the rest of the day?” he seethed, while rubbing his wrist as if to, subconsciously, wipe away the other man’s fingerprints.

Sasuke leaned over him and Neji gasped when he brought his head so close that he could feel his warm breath on his cheek as he spoke.

“You work for me now,” was the flat reminder. “You do whatever I tell you to do and if I say you don’t work then you don’t work.”

He hadn’t meant to be intimidating, he just wanted to be firm when he stated his point but as he looked into those eyes, wide like a deer trapped in headlights, he saw the apprehension clearly within those reflective orbs and he drew his brows together in a tight line when he heard Neji’s strangled breath escape in short puffs between slightly parted lips and saw his chest heave as if he were on the verge of hyperventilating.

It seemed the boy was uncomfortable being in such close proximity to him and it was a shame because Sasuke wanted to get closer to him…much closer but he didn’t want Neji to respond to his nearness this way. Whatever it was Orochimaru did to him must have been really bad and that only added more fuel to the burning rage the Uchiha felt towards that man.

It was going to take time for Neji to piece himself together, and Sasuke would have to be very careful not to do anything that might put him under duress. He’d have to take it slow and make sure he went at Neji’s pace and not his own, but it was going to be damned difficult trying to keep his hands off him and Sasuke made a promise to himself that he would endure because he didn’t want to damage the boy any further.

He straightened then and Neji put more distance between them by scooting away in his chair while pretending to align the keyboard until it was perfectly parallel to the desk.

“It’s got a DSL connection so you can surf the net.”

Neji only nodded and Sasuke sighed inwardly. He didn’t like it whenever he behaved as if he’d just been whipped, he preferred him when he was stubborn; defying everything he said and objecting to everything he did. He liked that spunk the other man possessed and actually enjoyed watching him try to have his own way even though Sasuke was going to force him to do whatever he wanted anyway but when he acted like this it was like watching the carnival lights turn out and all the rides shut down.

“If you want something to do you can check your e-mail, play online poker or look at porn if you’d like. Just make sure you clean up your mess.”

Sasuke smiled triumphantly when Neji shot him a nasty glare, that confrontational bravado that he enjoyed so much had returned and he made a mental note that whenever he wanted to bring Neji back from the brink, or just ignite that rebellious spark for his own entertainment, all he had to do was ruffle his feathers a bit.

Sasuke yawned loudly, contorting his face into an almost comedic expression and Neji bit his tongue so he wouldn’t laugh when he saw it since he hadn’t even bothered to cover his mouth with his hand.

“I’m gonna take a nap in my office so if you need me just call me on the intercom. My line’s this one,” and he pointed out the second button from the top. “If anyone else needs me, tell them to go to hell.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone that,” he argued, flabbergasted that he would expect him to say something like that.

“Then tell them I said to go to hell,” and he retreated to his office before Neji got the chance to voice his protest.

‘Is our work relationship always going to be like this?’ Neji groused when the door clicked shut and Sasuke left him alone for the second time that morning. At least it wasn’t too bad. So far he preferred working for this Uchiha than the previous one and that should go without saying, but he didn’t know how much longer he could put up with the guy always getting under his skin like that. He also didn’t like it when he was so close to him and Neji rubbed at his wrist again where Sasuke had gripped him when he led him away from the filing cabinets earlier. His scalp tingled when he remembered those dark eyes boring through the top of his skull and his cheeks flushed when he recalled the feel of his warm breath on his face.

Neji dropped his head in his hands and ran anxious fingers through his hair and tried to calm his nerves. The Uchiha had said that he wasn’t going to force sex upon on him and if he did want to…do it…then he probably would have made an attempt by now, right? But the fact that he didn’t only validated his claims that he really only wanted to help.

‘But what would he want in return?’

Neji laughed when that particular voice spoke up. He knew it couldn’t remain quiet for very long, he also knew that he vainly wanted to believe the answer to that question was ‘Nothing!’ but he was only being in denial because Sasuke struck him as the type of person that, even though he had everything, still wanted more.

He thought about this for a while and argued with, what he was beginning to believe were, demons that had attached themselves to him after his ordeal before they gave him the cold shoulder once more and the deafening silence within the office almost made him want to channel them again because every passing minute only brought him closer to the brink of insanity.

He was also bored but he refused to take up Sasuke on his offer and use the office computer for his personal use but after rearranging his drawer for the fifth time he eventually gave in and promised himself that he was going to check his e-mail only. His inbox contained nothing but spam, chain mail and correspondence from various countries abroad that named him as next of kin to some deceased person’s affluent inheritance and Neji was so desperately in need of something to do that he sat there and read every single one, word for word, before deleting them.

He was in the middle of forwarding a ‘friendship flower’ email to Ten Ten’s address when he heard the main doors open and he quickly closed Internet Explorer so he could deal with his first client but his visitor was not someone he wanted to deal with right now…or ever again.

Orochimaru sauntered over to the center desk, a harsh scowl carved deep into his face and Neji met his gaze defiantly with a frown of his own. He didn’t want to give him the satisfaction in knowing that he was intimidated but his heart was slamming so hard in his chest he was afraid the other man could hear it and it was difficult to maintain his indifferent demeanor when those glinting eyes kept him pinned to his chair.

His initial shock at seeing this man and his momentary paralysis soon passed and he reached out a shaky hand for the telephone and his voice quivered just as noticeably when a groggy voice answered on the other end.

“Sir, your father’s here to see y-,” Neji broke off with a loud gasp when Orochimaru slammed his large palm on the intercom, interrupting the call.

Neji’s resolve shattered and he cried out, dropping the receiver and jumping backwards out of his chair, the elder Uchiha grinned wickedly at his terrified expression and it only made him appear twice as daunting.

“I’m not here to see him,” Orochimaru purred and raked lascivious eyes over Neji’s body. “I’m here to see you.”

Suddenly feeling naked under his burning gaze, the young boy brought his arms up and clutched at his clothing as a confirmation that he was, indeed, still wearing them and when the inner door separating his office from Sasuke’s flew open wildly neither man took their eyes off each other.

“Can I help you?” Sasuke asked in a tone that sounded more like ‘What the fuck do you want?’.

Orochimaru lengthened his back until he reached his full height so he could look down his nose at Sasuke who was probably only two and a half inches shorter than he was. “I just came to congratulate Neji on his demotion,” came his excuse and the way he said it would give anyone the impression that Neji was now scrubbing toilets.

The younger of the two scoffed and leaned against his door frame, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head back so he could look down his nose at the other man also. “Well say it and get the hell off my floor.”

Orochimaru chuckled at his impudence. “Honestly, I don’t know why you left in the first place, Neji,” and the boy in question couldn’t believe he had the nerve to say that. “He’s not offering you anything I can’t.”

If he was expecting a response then Neji was going to have to disappoint him because he had nothing more to say to that man and he shook his head sadly as if he were truly disappointed over his impulsive decision. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me,” he said before turning to leave and as Sasuke glared sharp daggers into his retreating back he wished that the elevator would malfunction and plummet him to a grisly death.

A soft exhale brought him out of his sinister thoughts and he followed the sound to see a very shaken Neji with all color drained from his already pale face.

“You okay?” he asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.

“I thought you said that if I came and worked for you that he couldn’t touch me.”

His voice was strained and thick with the force he had to use to get it out of his throat but his outburst surprised Sasuke and he wondered when this angry persona had manifested. Not that he was complaining or anything, in fact he liked this Neji just as much as the obstinate one but it bewildered him how he could appear to be on the verge of tears then become infuriated in just a matter of seconds.

“Did he touch you?” Sasuke asked.

“No,” Neji replied honestly.

“Then what’s the problem?”

The problem was, that while he technically hadn’t laid a hand on him, Neji had understood their agreement to mean that he’d never have to see Orochimaru again, and even though it was unreasonable to believe that he’d never have to when they both worked in the same company he didn’t think he’d have to see him that often but what was the point of this arrangement if Orochimaru could come and go as he pleased and he’d have to interact with him everyday?

He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he happened to show up when Sasuke wasn’t in the office with him and it seemed as if that scenario was going to play out when he noticed Sasuke heading towards the main door.

“Wh- where are you going?”

That weak voice practically begged him to stay and he would have liked to but he had something very important to take care of, something he should have done immediately after turning in Neji’s contract but he didn’t think Orochimaru would break the covenant they and his brother shared between them. But this was Orochimaru he was dealing with and he really should have known better than to trust him.

His lack of foresight had let Neji down and as he watched that quivering mess, hugging himself and standing behind the desk as if it were a shield he knew he felt betrayed, but he’d fix this, he’d make sure Neji never had to feel paranoid whenever he was here.

“I’m going to security downstairs,” he explained. “I’ll tell them that Orochimaru is not allowed in or near my office from now on,” but when that didn’t seem to pacify Neji he tried to think of something he could say or do that would put him at ease while he dashed downstairs and came back and the only thing that he thought of was pissing him off.

“Just for your information,” he ground out. “Orochimaru and I are Uchihas in name only so don’t ever let me hear you refer to him as my father.”

“I…I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I just assumed that…I mean…I thought,”

“Well you thought wrong,” he drawled and cocked his head to one side. “It’s a common mistake, I know. My brother gets the same heat too but we just refer to him as ‘Orochimaru’ or ‘that asshole’, never ‘Dad’ and we like people to do the same. You can call him asshole too if you want.”

Neji uttered a ‘hmph’ and declined even though, deep down, he really wanted to.

“Suit yourself,” Sasuke shrugged and turned to leave but suddenly remembered something and walked over to stand in front of the other man. “Just one more thing, before I forget,” and he raised one hand and slapped Neji across his cheek.

He didn’t strike him very hard, not nearly as hard as Neji had hit him that day but it did make him recoil and when he regained his balance Sasuke winked and shot him a lopsided grin.

“Now we’re even.”

-~-~-~-~-

Yersi Fanel 2007-02-22 *Gasp!* Neji is having mental issues, ha! Must be very dificult to him to deal wit his hum...Master-wanna be and ten trie to go back to normal only to find is not easy.

Tentes really worries about him in this story (but I still like more Sasuke to him, muhahaha...*sigh*) and I found really caring of Neji to tried to not hurt her, even if him is the one hurt at the end. (Someone said Angst? lol)

You know, I was coming back from school when I went here and saw you had update, I was all "YAY!" because, honestly, your story had just caught me, period XD.

I also have a lot of ideas and stuff in my head and I want to write them all, I wish I could do it as easy as say it, jajaja. Anyway, thanks for the chapter, take care!

ClaireBear: Neji’s really sweet on Ten Ten and he puts her feelings above his own all the time and she’s perfect for him because she’s nice and never takes advantage of the fact that he’d lay down his life for her but yeah, I prefer Sasuke for Neji too but don’t worry they’ll end up together, and what about Ten Ten you ask? Well you’ll find out soon.

You know, I think I forgot to put Angst in the Warnings…I think I’ll need to do that.


Tyra 2007-02-22 Wihii!
Another update.
I don't really care about Ten-Ten, but somehow I feel a little bad for her.
It's creepy to think that when you kiss someone, you see such a creepy face in your mind.. O_o
Heheh. Update soon. I wanna read more of this. I just love to see Neji suffer. And I love to see the smuggy Sasuke and creepy Orochimaru.. Yeah, even Orochimaru.
KEEP WRITING.

ClaireBear: Yeah I’m not all for Ten Ten either, actually she wasn’t even going to BE in this fic. Neji was supposed to be single but I wanted the rape to seem even more unfair so that’s why I added her as Neji’s fiancée. (Am I not evil?)

I love to see Neji suffer too but he’ll be undergoing a different kind of suffering now that he’s with Sasuke, but don’t worry Sasuke won’t abuse him or anything.


hanyou-elf 2007-02-23 you know, i was a little hesitant to read this because most neji/sasuke isn't done very well, but i'm very happy that i've done so. this story is absolutely amazing. your characterization was done amazingly well, the reader, understands and knows the character, they feel everything that's happening as it happens. you're prose is surprisingly poetic.

this is a painful story. i feel so sorry for neji, i want to take him away from everything and i want to hide him from orochimaru. by the way, your portrayal of him, absolutely stunningly disturbing. i love the way you have sasuke as well, the perfect bastard. i'm very interested in the next update and certainly hope that it comes quickly. great job!

~hanyou-elf

ClaireBear: You know, I wasn’t even going to write this fic because I thought it was a bit too dark considering most of the fics I read on this site at that time were WAFFy *yum* and had lots of delicious sex scenes *mrowr* but I caved and did it anyway because I wanted to do a fic where Neji was a guy as opposed to the girl he is in my other fic and more Neji abuse. Can’t forget the Neji abuse.

Thank you very much for your review, it means a lot to me and I’m glad you like the fic so far I’m sorry for the delay but I ran into problems with my PC but it’s fixed now so all’s good.

It’s funny but I actually like writing Orochimaru like this for some disturbing reason and I like Sasuke as a bastard too, I think it makes him perfect for Neji who’s usually quiet.


b 2007-02-26 Very interesting, I don't understand why he didn't report the rape, he has no history of anal sex and rape is damn easy to spot medically but then there would be no story.I like it alot.Intreguing (sp?).More please!

ClaireBear: What! Someone dares challenge the authoress?

I’m just teasing.

Actually I’m glad you asked that because I did have a reason WHY Neji didn’t report it the first time but for the life of me I can’t remember it now (all I remember was that it wasn’t a very good reason so that’s why I didn’t mention it in the story), but you’re right, then there wouldn’t even be a story but I like it when people warn me about loop holes and stuff. It keeps me on my toes. Thanks and glad you like it.


This chapter would have been out yesterday but I was terribly distracted. Curse you Sims 2…give me back my life!!!