My meetings were a blur. I found myself thinking of the way Hiroshi had looked while I pleasured him. The strain of his jaw as he refused to moan for me. That rebellious streak of his was very attractive. So much so, that I hadn’t payed attention to anything for the day. Not until Masao slammed his hands on my desk and drew a rather pissed off glare from me. He didn’t back down though as he leaned close to me.

“What the hell has your head in the clouds?”

“I’m not in the clouds, Masao,” I growled in return.

He snorted at me, “Please. Don’t lie to me. I know when you’re attentive and when you’re not. Today you are most definitely not attentive. What happened?”

“If you continue to ask me, Masao, even you won’t get away with it for long.”

There. That seemed to make him rethink his choice of words. My threatening growl was still intact despite having nothing but thoughts of Hiroshi running through my mind. It was insane how quickly he’d taken over. Still, I knew why Masao was frustrated with me. If I didn’t pay attention, things could go wrong. Things could happen that I didn’t want happening, nor could afford to have happen. His angry words calling me out on my bluff made me rethink my position.

“Any news?” I asked, trying to ease the tension between us.

“No. No one has moved and that kids place is clean. No one’s followed him, or done anything to even indicate wanting to have something to do with him.”

I wasn’t sure if that made me happy or not. I knew my next step was a necessary one. I had to keep my head on straight. Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I turned in the chair to look out into the darkness, the only light coming from the city that was just as lively as every other night.

“Leave him alone, then. If no one’s biting, then there’s no need to keep an eye on him.”

“Kazuo… Are you sure? It’s only been a couple of days.”

“I’m sure. You’re right, I am in the clouds. I can’t afford that. If we’re watching him, I will think of him and that makes it difficult.”

Masao was silent for a long while. I could see his reflection off the window from the lights within my office. He was watching me with a deep frown, concern written all over his face. The reddish brown locks of hair fell in short tangles along his forehead, the single earring in his left ear swaying just slightly as he tilted his head to the side, “You are one hell of a difficult man to work for.”

I grinned at him through the mirror that was my window, the lights reflecting all over the place, “Yet you remain by my side no matter what. I think you enjoy it. Perhaps you’re a masochist.”

Masao made a sharp sound, “No, but you’re a fucking sadist. Bastard.”

“Careful, Masao,” I said, leaning back in the chair and looking at him from over my shoulder, “Even for you, that’s a little far. I don’t enjoy watching someone in pain.”

“True let me rephrase. You enjoy tying them up and enjoying them that way.”

My finger curled around my lower lip as a grin teased my mouth, a bit of a laugh leaving my mouth as I rocked in the chair, “Very much so, yes. Now, would you care to finish your duties, or should I show you just how much I enjoying dominating a sex partner?”

Masao made a strangled sound and his steps backward across the carpet were clear. Looking up into the window, I could just barely make out the embarrassed look crossing his face as he flailed for the door handle without turning around to see where it was. Maybe he was afraid I would pounce on him if he turned for just a second. Though Masao would have nothing to worry about. My interests were still in the boy, Hiroshi. Even so, I was going to refrain from going after him.

If I did…

I frowned as I watched Masao manage to get out of the office without hurting himself. Those thoughts of mine were dangerous, so I shoved them aside. I had bigger things to worry about than some kid who talked back to me in such a way as to excite me.

Left alone, I stared out the window into the darkness, watching the city lights as they flickered and danced. The building I was in was huge, tall like most other skyscrapers. It was also the main building in the city, the one where I could control most of the dealings in Tawano. The trade center. I knew what came into Tawano and what left. I knew who to buy from, and who to send packing. I was the sole reason for Tawano’s prosperity. I was also one of the few men with a price so high on their heads, the yakuza would do anything to bring me down.

Anything.

Including taking what was preciously mine, and threatening me with it.

***

I was proud of myself. For two weeks straight I hadn’t thought of Hiroshi. Nor had I gone to seek him out. If I wanted someone to sleep with me, Masao was the one I took to bed. Yet, I had no attachments to him other than his being a rather close friend and working as my right hand. For two weeks, I was back in the game as I had always been. Things went smoothly, just as I liked them to be.

Kiyto was located a couple miles from the office building, it was where the majority of my yakuza stayed. It was heavily guarded and to that day no one had found a way to get into it without my knowing about it. My office building was just as protected, if not more so. Kiyto was beautiful, the old style Japanese home with a pathway of raised wooden planks leading to the huge estate. Underneath the bridges were several rock gardens, their patterns in the sand beautiful to gaze at. Single trees in the center of each. Separating out each garden were pools of water where the koi grew large and glittered gorgeously in the sunlight.

Pillars of dark red lined the front porch to the estate, the black shingled roof offsetting the red perfectly. Dragons carved along pillars, gray stone statues of the magnificent beasts guarded the stairwell up into the house, one on each side. The double doors were red in color, carvings of a huge circular maze etched into its face, the symbol of my yakuza curling in the middle, the claws of a dragon.

I finished my shower, preparing to leave Kiyto to meet up with a loyal buyer of my stocks. The phone on my dresser rang, vibrating wildly. Picking it up, I frowned at Masao’s name that was displayed on the screen. Swiping it to answer the call, I pressed it to my ear, his name rolling off my tongue in annoyance. That annoyance was swept away rapidly by a shock of fear, then replaced by pure malice.

“Kazuo! They’re moving! Those fucking bastards!” Masao’s voice was soft, as if he were whispering but the anger was clear, “They’re going to fucking terrorize the university!”

A low growl escaped my throat. For the first time in two long weeks, Hiroshi came to mind and I thought for a moment I was going to break the phone as the edges crushed into the palm of my hand, “Who?”

“Ikiya. Little reedy bastard…”

“Stop them. I don’t care how. Just do it.”

“With pleasure,” Masao answered and the line went dead.

I stared down at the phone for a long while. My anger was seething; as was a familiar feeling that I could never forget even if I wanted to. Throwing the stupid device across the room, it shattered against the wall, thankfully not irreplaceable as it was just the battery that went flying. Cursing myself for my impulsive anger, I finished dressing and went to put the phone back together as I stormed from my room.

Grabbing one of my men, I directed him to the door with me, giving him a push forward that was a little harder than I’d wanted, “Take me to the university. Quickly.”

He nodded his agreement, shouting a few things in Chinese to some other men before we left Kiyto. As I slipped into the car, several others piling into another, I opened a concealed compartment behind the middle console. Drawing the weapon from it’s dark depths, I checked the clip to make sure it was indeed fully loaded. Chambering a round, I put the gun in the sheath of the holster that hung off my shoulders, just under my arm and hidden perfectly by my jacket, and pleaded silently that I wouldn’t be the first one there- because I would be too late.

Hurry, Masao...

Next Chapter: 6- Hiroshi