Believable and Sellable

I decide to take drastic measures when I get hard while washing my private parts with the silkiest body wash I have ever used.  Just the enticing peppermint and lemon grass scent got the blood pumping in all the wrong places.  I can’t decide between just jerking one out or trying to just let it go away on its own.  Neither option seems appealing so I tun off the hot water and let the ice cold water change the little mind that won’t calm down.

After yelping like a twink in a Bedazeled store for 5 minutes, my whole body is chilled and shrunken down to a more manageable size.  I get out of the shower, towel off and get dressed in my casual pants and a comfortable compression shirt.  I’m built pretty well and work out daily so I have no problem showing off what most aren’t allowed to have.  I’m a tease but I’m good at it. 

After reflecting on the conversation I just had in my mind and my acceptance of Barney fingering my ass, I start to waiver if I’m really a top or just a power bottom with control issues.  My musings are forgotten as the most enticing aroma flows through the shoji opening when I slide the screen back.  Coffee, eggs, bacon and several other breakfast food smells invade my senses as my stomach releases a loud grumble and I almost double over in pain.

I hear shuffling from the other side of the room, one part of me hoping it wasn’t Barney and another part, the part that was starting to put a strain on my boxers again, really wanted it to be Barney.  The other part lost when I saw Tachi stand and bow to me, sweeping one arm to the side, presenting the breakfast spread that covered the conference table.  “You’re breakfast has been served, your grace!” 

Tachi smirks and coughs into his hand as I scowl and wave him off, strutting to the table like the peacock that I am.  “All of this, just for me?  You really shouldn’t have, but I’m glad you did.  I didn’t eat anything after the wake yesterday.”  I frown as my stomach desires to support my statement.  I bend over a little, patting my belly like some poor starved person begging for food.

“Well, then.  Sit, and have your fill while we go over the final proposals that passed by legal and publicity.”  Tachi turns and sits down, stabbing a fork into his food and eating without even waiting until I’m seated.  I roll my eyes and grab my plate, taking in all the different dishes neatly arranged on the table.  I decide to go for a traditional breakfast of salmon, miso soup, and of course, rice. 

I choose a seat next to Tachi as he has folders stacked on the table so I assume we are going to review these proposals together.  I eye the stack of about a dozen proposals in nice jackets, some with visible graphics.  Did they think this was some sort of business thing?  Trying to figure out the best way to announce and explain Naka’s death?  I was getting a little upset as I started to shovel my breakfast into my mouth.

I must have been more hungry than I realized as I finished my food before Tachi, who started before me.  Or maybe it was better food than I was used to.  Probably a little of both.  “Well, I guess we should make sure you eat more regularly or maybe I should tell Barney to feed you afterwards.”  Tachi said in a teasing tone complete with a little wink and shoulder shimmy.

I just smile back as I pour myself some tea, opening the lids of the silver chilled pots looking for some coconut milk.  Tachi points to the pot in the middle and wiggles his fingers.  He mumbles something due to half a bagel sticking out of his mouth.  I can only assume he knows what I’m looking for.  And he is right, that pot did hold the coconut milk.

I take the pot and place it in front of me as I look over the table some more.  I stop as Tachi holds a jar too close to my face.  It contains a golden liquid that I can only assume is honey.  I lean back and nod my thanks as I gently take the jar from his hands.

Tachi smiles, side eyeing me as I prepare my tea.  Once all of the ingredients are mixed in, I once again look over the remaining dishes on the table.  I absentmindedly ask, “Would there be any cinnamon or ginger?  Perhaps a little turmeric?”  I don’t expect there to be those particular spices served with a breakfast of this ilk but I see Tachi’s hand slowly pushing a little platter in my direction that has 3 little silver bowls. 

I raise an eyebrow and glare at Tachi.  “What is going on here?”  I say quietly while accepting the platter and adding the powders to my tea. 

Tachi matches my raised eyebrows and adds in shoulder shrugs to raise the stakes.  “Nothing.” He says, drawing out the ‘ing’ a little longer than he should.  “Would you believe Naka talked about you quite a bit?  Like, a lot.”  He says as he goes back to slathering something all over the remaining half of his bagel.

I relax back into my chair and start to sip my tea.  It’s still hot, smooth and sweet with just a hint of spice from the ginger.  “I think I would believe that he might talk about our time together in the group and other outings we may have done together but I have a hard time believing he discussed my breakfast preference and tea preparations.” 

Tachi flinches slightly and sits up a little straighter.  “Well, there were some days when he wouldn’t shut up about you.  I would have to distract him just to get him to think about something else.”

Again, I raise an eyebrow and let the other one join in as I am astonished that Naka would talk about me that much when he was with the man he was in love with and lost his life to be with.  “Tachi.” I say slowly as I put my tea on the table and lean closer to him.  He begins to lean away from me causing me to reach out and grab his bicep.

He nearly falls out of his chair as he rips his arm away and stands up at the same time.  I can only laugh at his lack of grace as he lands face down in the chair next to him.  “So much for the master of choreography and dance.”  I chide and sit back, taking my tea into my hands once again, reveling in the warmth that caresses my hands.

Tachi groans and pushes himself back into his seat.  “Fine.  Let’s just get to these proposals.”  He says as he taps the screen of the tablet imbedded in the table top. 

The double doors open as several people enter, some with carts and others with trays and towels.  They quickly clear the table and wipe it down while replacing the teapot with a fresh steaming one.  All but one of the swiftly moving staff leave the room.  I stare at the last person, a woman dressed in the same type of suit as Barney wears (I just think his name and I’m instantly aware of the tightness of my pants) but minus the reinforced undergarment.

She stands stoically at the end of the long table, staring at nothing in particular.  Tachi grunts something causing her to spring into action, spinning on her heals and leaving the room.  My eyebrows are getting a bit tired from all the things that make them raise up and question this morning.

“So, let’s just start with the one that received the lowest score of ‘Believable and sellable’.”  He says as he takes the first folder off the top of the stack.  He lays it between us, opening the flaps and pulling out the pages, copies from what I can tell, so we each have a copy in front of us.

I begin to read the opening statement and realize these are probably written to be used in a press conference or recorded statement.  I stop and push the paper back to Tachi as soon as I read the word ‘Suicide’. 

Tachi looks just as troubled but he continues to read the entire page.  I wait for his reaction before speaking but he just continues to stare at the page in front of him.  I realize that his eyes are tightly shut and his shoulders are shaking a bit.  I place a hand on the back of his head as a sign of support before I lean forward to speak to him.  “Tachi, I can’t let any statement be read that has the word ‘Suicide’ or implies that is what happened to Naka.”

Tachi nods slowly letting out a deep sigh.  “I agree.  I know that was the initial idea, but I just can’t.  It just wasn’t in him to do that.  He cared too much about how his actions affected the people around him.” 

I nod and turn back to the stack of proposals, reaching out for the next one while I hand the one after it to Tachi.  “Let’s scan each one first and then carefully read the ones that make if through the first pass.”  I don’t wait for a reply as I open the proposal in front of me, taking in a deep breath to prepare myself for what I’m about to read.

After an hour of sorting through the twenty or so proposals, we sit with exactly two that didn’t imply that Naka had killed himself.  I look at Tachi who seems to have aged considerably in the last hour, and nod my head towards the proposal in his hands.  We both sigh and sit back, opening the files before us and reading them closely.

The proposal in my hands implies that a stalker may have gained access to Naka’s apartment and during an altercation, Naka fell and stuck his head on the corner of the entertainment center, severing his spinal column from his head.  The stalker panicked and put Naka in the tub to make it look like he hit his head and passed out in the tub.  It was plausible and supported by many coroners reports on accidentally death from blunt force trauma. 

What led me to choose this one proposal was the author also included the fact that the stalker was later found and killed during a stand off in the wilderness.  It was the closest to the truth with closure that I had found.  I closed the file and let my head fall and my hands slide from the table to my lap.

“I think this one does him justice and is as close to the truth as we know.”  I said to the table top.

Tachi closes the file in his hands and slides it down the table to me and I do the same with the file I had just finished reading.  I just nod and open the new file in front of me.

As I read the new proposal, things started to stand out to me.  The sentence structure, the flow of the words and eloquent phrasing.  Not something you would use for a business proposal, more like for a poetry reading.  I wasn’t paying attention to the words or what the author was trying to convey about Naka’s death, just reading over the same few lines again and again.

I look at Tachi, who still has yet to open the new file, but has been staring at me the whole time.  He must have been silently crying for a while due to the tracks of tears running down his cheeks and the damp spots on his sleeves.  I look back at my file, wide eyed and suddenly shivering as tears begin to fall down my own face.

Grabbing a napkin, that feels like silk by the way, I furiously wipe my face free of tears and try to focus my eyes on the page in my shaking hands.  As I read, I realize who’s prose this is.  Finally paying attention to the sentence as a whole, the make up of the paragraphs.  The words hit me like a bullet train as I shoot up out of my chair with such force it causes the heavy wooden chair to hit the floor with enough force the crack the wood.

Suddenly, the doors fly open and several of Tachi’s men come in with guns drawn.  They break off and hit hidden screens in the pillars and walls as the windows shut and storm shutters close and latch quickly. 

I watch the flurry of movement for a few seconds but turn back to Tachi.  Flapping the file against my hand several times, I lean over and get right into Tachi’s face.  A few of his men rush over, ready to pummel me into the ground but he holds up a hand and like magic, the men back off and relax.

Never taking my eyes off Tachi’s face, I clench my teeth and try to speak as calmly as possible.  “Tachi?  What the fuck is this?” I shove the file into his chest.  “W-why is this…. How….. “. I drop the file and grab the front of his shirt and lift him out of his chair.  “Tell me why that file was included with these proposals?  No!  Wait!  Why do you have that at all!  It’s, this…. “ I am so angry and heartbroken that I can’t think and talk at the same time.