Never a Wrong Bed

Tachi pats my arm.  "No worries.  He is really the most gentle person on my team.  He apologizes before he hurts someone.   Even if they are trying to kill him, he will apologize and then knock 'em out.  That's why I keep him away from any real action.  Any time he has to be physical, it weighs on his mind for a long while."  He smiles and clears his throat.

Everyone at the table puts their pens down and gives their full attention to Tachi.  "Okay, take your ideas to legal and publicity.  They will talk them through with you and determine if it's something we can sell to the public."  I wince at his wording but in essence, this is what he has to do. 

I look at Tachi and nod in thanks.  He reciprocates in kind and turns back to his men.  "Have the final write ups taken to Sobata for 'sensitivity' review."  He turns to me and smirks.  "I want to make sure we aren’t causing any further stress and anxiety for anyone that knew Naka well."  Tachi stands, as does everyone else at the table.  He waits a beat before everyone bows together like a well rehearsed troupe. 

Tachi raps his knuckles on the table two times and turns and walks out of the room.  The air in the room suddenly lightens and everyone takes a deep breath.  When I look around, everyone's eyes are on me.  I shrug and smile sheepishly before I dart out of the room to catch up to Tachi.  But before I get to far, Troy and Sosaki grab me by my shoulders and pull me to a stop.

I turn and look at each of them with a scowl on my face. "What now?"  I ask and they both sigh and gently turn me by my shoulders and lead me down the hall, past the conference room.  We turn right down yet another hallway that has doors on both sides, evenly spaced.  It gives the hall a creepy haunted house vibe that makes me shudder.

We finally stop at a set of double doors at the end of the hall.  "This is where you are going to be staying." Sosaki says as he pushes the handles down and opens the doors with a flourish.  Troy walks in with his arms spread wide like some game show host showing off the 'grand prize' and I'll give him that because the room is sort of 'grand'. 

The far wall, directly across from the open doors, are floor to ceiling windows.  Keep in mind that the ceiling is two stories up.  Situated in the middle of the expanse of windows is the largest futon I have ever seen.  It sets upon a platform base but is still low to the ground.  I can't even guess the size.  I would say 'imperial' would be close.  Barney could get lost in this futon!  I pause and mentally shake myself for thinking of that hulking man, especially thinking about him in the bed I'm supposed to be sleeping in.

To the right of the bed is a seating area and a grand fireplace.  And yes, Barney could probably roast himself in it and still have room for the veggies.  This time I almost physically slap myself for thinking of that brute naked in a pot, just begging to be eaten.  I look closely at the fireplace and notice it's clean but has wood stacked and ready to be lit. 

To the right of the fireplace there is an opening with a shoji pulled across.  Troy sees me eyeing it so he rushes over and slides the screen to the side. "It’s the bathroom with a changing room and if you go straight back to the other shoji, there is an onsen with a natural heated spring bath."  Troy wiggles his eyebrows as he takes me by the hand for a personal tour.

When we finish the tour, and yes, I will probably spend hours in that hot spring, we return to the main room.  On the other side of the room, across from the ensuite is an office space complete with a small conference table and six high back leather chairs and a credenza with a bamboo tray and various decanters of alcohol.

I wrestle my wrist from Troy's grasp and head straight for the alcohol, pouring myself a full glass of the darkest liquid I see.  I set the decanter down a little harder than I intend to as I raise my glass to Troy and Sosaki.  "Here's to Naka!  You damn fool, why did you have to let love get in the way?"  I down the entire glass, almost regretting it as the alcohol burns down my throat and all the way into my stomach. 

Grimacing visibly, I let out a heavy sigh and turn to Troy and Sosaki.  "Okay.  I guess I'm stuck here until everything gets figured out.  I don’t think you two need to keep watch over me, do you?  Can I get some privacy?  Have a soak and some quiet time to myself?  Hmm?  Maybe?"  Sosaki smiles and walks to me, opening his arms to give me time to refuse his embrace but I don't.  Feeling his long arms around me, his body heat and that unforgettable scent of sandalwood and mint was just what I needed to settle my nerves.

Well, and that glass of alcohol was staring to warm my blood nicely.  He pulls back and drops his arms.  "Yeah, Sobata.  We'll leave you be for the rest of the evening.  Your luggage is in the walk-in closet.  I wouldn't let anyone unpack your stuff.  I know you don’t like people touching your things."  Sosaki nods and turns, grabbing Troy's arm and pulling him out of the room, closing the double doors with a light click.

I can hear Troy's protests through the door but they fade as they walk off down the hall.  I eye the decanters again but shake my head and put the tumbler down.  I really don't need to get drunk my first night as a guest in a gangster's home.  I know I would get into trouble, or into the wrong bed, if I was lucky, because there is never a 'wrong' bed for me.

I walk around the room slowly, taking in all of the art and fine craftsmanship of the wood, shoji, floors covered in tatami, and windows.  I slowly settle on the futon, falling back so I'm laying down with my legs hanging over the end.  The mattress itself is soft and inviting, comfortably forming around my body, cradling me in soft comfort.  I close my eyes and start to drift off in a light dozing state until I hear a light rapping on the doors.

Groaning, I sit up slowly and get to my feet.  I open the doors and step back suddenly at the sight of Barney standing on the other side with his head bowed and his hands crossed in front of himself. "Uh, Barney.  To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you so soon after the meeting?" I try to sound less surprised than I actually am.

"I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier.  I didn't mean to offend you or make you feel uncomfortable.  My comments were genuine and my true thoughts and feelings at the time."  Barney says quite calmly without adjusting his posture.

I nod my head and then realize he can't see me do so because of his bowed posture.  I move forward and lightly touch his hands.  "Thank you, Barney.  And I must apologize for my rash and hurtful comment.  I tend to speak before I think and didn't consider your true feelings before I did."  I smile as Barney raises his head, his eyes gazing deeply into my own causing me to shudder slightly.

He parts his hands letting them fall to his sides.  I can see that he is physically restraining his desire to reach out to me and I'm thankful he has such control over himself.  "Does that mean your comments weren't your true feelings….. About… a partner?" 

Barney's eyes look into mine with a child-like hopefulness that I find endearing until I realize that this hulk of a man is interested in me, in a romantic sense.  "Oh, Barney." I say in my most 'auntie-like' voice. "While I do find a well muscled body very nice to look at, um, and maybe to roam my hands over." Great me, just raise his hopes even higher before you push him over into the abyss.  "I do have a particular 'type' as a romantic partner, as I'm sure you do as well, right, Barney?"

I hope my tone expresses how much I want him to understand.  While he seems visibly disappointed, he relaxes considerably before he leans forward and whispers next to my ear.  His hot breath and teasing tone send heat directly where is shouldn't when I'm rejecting him as a romantic partner.  "Then maybe you would like to roam your hands over my body in the hot spring.  Just as acquaintances sharing a soak, of course." 

I take a step back but keep my gaze on his very shiny shoes.  "Uh.. Well..I - um, I guess there's no harm in two people sharing a soak in a hot spring bath.  The bath is very large so it's not like we would be crowded."  I stammer out and instantly want to slap myself but I can't deny the curiosity that arose the second I saw his massive frame in the conference room.  And I do like to roam my hands over a well muscled body.  That was the honest truth.

Barney nods and makes his way into my room.  I curse the double doors that allow him to pass by me so easily so that I have no time or reason to change my mind.  I close the doors slowly, hoping for someone to walk past and call me out, to postpone my curious mind and, now, suddenly over heating body. 

Damn that alcohol, damn myself.  I roll my eyes and my head at the same time, slowly following behind Barney who is shedding his clothes as he saunters (yes, he has that certain sway to his hips when he walks) towards the shoji separating the onsen from the ensuite.

We both stop after stepping through the onsen doorway, removing the last of our clothing, folding everything and neatly placing them on the bench next to the showing area.  I almost audibly gasp when I see Barney fully naked before me.  He isn't all buff and bulk.  I glance at the bench where he has left his clothing and suddenly realize that most of that bulk, and hardness, was from a reenforced bullet proof compression shirt that he was wearing under his suit.

The metal plates are sewn into compression material so they fit flush and tight to his body, concealing the fact that he has such a bulky item on under his well tailored suits.  I turn back to look at Barney as he slowly walks down the steps into the bath, rivulets of water streaming down his back and over his - I shake my head and refocus my gaze.  He has a swimmer's figure, well muscled back, shoulders, arms and torso that tapers down to a trim waist, firm buttocks and muscled thighs.  I almost choak on my own drool when he looks over his shoulder with a questioning gaze.

I raise my hand to signal I'm right behind him.  "I'm coming.  D-don't w-wait on me."  I barley choak out before I'm rushing to the bath's edge and sinking under the water to hide my growing appreciation for Barney's form. 

As I sink into the hot water up to my neck, I can only berate myself for completely turning down this man before me.  I really need to stop passing judgement before I get to know someone, or at least see them naked. 

I sigh as I find a spot on the bench next to Barney, but not too close.  I really am an insensitive ass sometimes.  I roll my head in Barney's direction to see his smiling face with eyes to match, looking intently at me. 

Sitting up, I turn and fully face him.  "Listen, I'm sorry about my comments before.  I really am.  And I don’t want to seem like a superficial ass, which I am, by the way.  And I don’t know where things will go from here but, can we start over?  I mean, without the sexual innuendo."  I mean, we can get to that later, my little brain adds in my head.

I offer my hand to Barney to effectively 'start over'.  He smiles and grasps my hand tightly before he pulls me to him while leaning down with his lips dangerously close to my ear again.  My eyes flutter closed as his hot breath once again caress my ear.  "It isn't 'innuendo', Sobata.  It is a genuine offer to take care of you."  His voice trails off as his lips meet my neck.  My body instantly melts into his hold, his grasp on my hand the only thing keeping me from slipping under the water and drowning as I place my other hand on his chest to brace myself.

A sound escapes my lips without my permission or control.  It's a cross between a purr and sighing in utter contentment as my mind clouds and my body begins to heat up, even hotter than the spring's water.  Barney smiles against my neck where his lips and tongue have been teasing my skin with warm wet kisses and gentle suckling while his hands have released my own to travel up my sides, keeping me from completely collapsing, totally boneless against his body.

He moves his lips up my neck to rest behind my ear, in one of my most sensitive spots, as I gasp, cupping the back of his head and pulling him in tighter.   He doesn't resist and continues to massage the area with his lips and tongue, pulling moans and gasps from my lips as my chest continues to purr against him.

I feel his hands move down my sides, coming to rest on my hips.  He gently tugs and waits for my response which I give easily, allowing him to pull me into his lap.  This more comfortable position allows me to relax and fully appreciate his well muscled chest, gently tracing his pecks with my fingers.  Moving my hands up his chest and over his shoulders, I run my fingers through his fine black hair, gently tugging when they reach the back of his head.  He doesn't resist and allows me to pull his head back, giving me full access to his throat. 

Rising on my knees, I lock eyes with Barney as I slowly move forward until I can't resist looking at the strong rope like muscles in his neck.  I just want to run my tongue over them, suck on the skin until it's marked as my territory.  I smirk at this thought, this possessiveness that has lost me more than one partner, but Barney doesn’t seem to mind.  This assumption is verified when he growls out, "Do it.  Let everyone know who claims me tonight."

I growl deep in my chest before I tug harder on his hair, to show him who makes the decision in this moment, his hips buck up, letting me know that he is enjoying this type of play as his arousal rubs against my own. 

Staring at the vein throbbing in his neck, I inhale and dive at his neck with my teeth, like a starved vampire who has finally cornered its prey.  My teeth trace the large muscle of his neck but I don’t bite down, I close my lips over the perfect spot I have chosen and begin to apply suction while swirling my tongue over the area.  Barney must be enjoying my actions as a few moaned "Fuck"s are uttered between his clenched teeth.

I realize I'm torturing the poor man beneath me when his nails dig into the flesh over my hips.  I release his hair as a reward for behaving so well under my lips.  He doesn't move at first, just stroking circles with his thumbs over my hips.  I release his neck from my mouth and sit back to observe my handiwork.

Smiling, I look up and meet his eyes with my own and have a snide comment ready when I notice how blown his pupils are and how rapidly his chest is rising and falling.  His grip on my hips has also tightened to an uncomfortable level.  Placing my hands on his well chiseled chest, I try to get Barney's attention by gently massaging his pecks.