Innocent Deception (7/?)
Title: Innocent Deception
Pairing: TegoMasu
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: purely fiction
Summary: Massu is a wealthy businessman who had just acquired a restaurant about to be closed down. Yuya is an heir to his daddy’s fortune. . . . . .It only took one chance, one meeting, where Yuya caught Massu’s interest with his impetuousness, not to mention his sexiness. Massu made Yuya want to break the rules, to flirt with the danger in his eyes - Yuya wondered if challenging the handsome restaurant owner would get him kissed or kicked out. Sparks started flying from the first time that they met, but bitter past experiences had taught them both that people might want more than their love.
Yuya’s family’s wealth had cushioned his life, and his friends had protected him from faithless lovers. . . . . . The more Massu learned about Yuya, the more he wanted to know, but his mysterious Yuya kept too many secrets. . . . . . Could Yuya trust him?
A/N - credits to shingung for beta
Previous: ||Chapter 1|| || Chapter 2|| ||Chapter 3|| ||Chapter 4|| ||Chapter 5|| || Chapter 6||
(part 1)
Chapter 7 (part 2)
“It was sweet of YamaPi to call you Koyama.” Yuya sipped his tall glass of iced water, and checked his watch, wondering how to spend the next three hours and a half before he’s allowed to return home.
“I would have fed you even if he hadn’t called.” Koyama said, pulling a chair and sat across Yuya. “After all, this is a restaurant.”
“I think he was feeling guilty or something,” Yuya murmured, studying Koyama’s white outfit with a touch of regret. The pristine jacket and hat looked terrific but he had a soft spot for how Koyama looked in the pink apron.
“Massu has got some business to take care of.” Koyama said.
“Can’t be helped,” Yuya shrugged, but his stomach was clenching because he hated not knowing what Massu must be thinking. Falling asleep on him was bad enough without having to prolong the agony of not knowing his reaction in his untimely snooze.
After sharing a soup with him, Koyama got up and murmured something about going back into the kitchen. Without any company to keep him, Yuya glanced around and studied the other diners. There weren’t that many but then, miracles don’t happen overnight, he thought. The place would need a lot of changes and he wondered if Massu could afford it.
He frowned at the thought - not liking the way his mind was working, but he just couldn’t trust Massu yet. Not yet, not before YamaPi had a chance to do his job.
“I thought YamaPi was having a dinner party,” a husky voice said, wrenching a gasp of surprise from him.
Heat rushed into his cheeks as he tried to recover from Massu’s sudden appearance, and babbled the first thing that came to mind. “Two’s a company, four’s a party and three’s a crowd.”
“I know,” Massu said with a pang of regret, and sat on the chair across him. “And I would prefer to have dinner with you but a business associate arrived and I have to entertain him.”
“I understand.” Yuya murmured, sighing a little because time and business seemed to be conspiring against him. “Maybe tomorrow?” He looked up at him; certain his heart had stopped because his entire life seemed to revolve around Massu’s answer.
Massu nodded slightly, smiling as he echoed tomorrow. He leaned over and Yuya knew without a doubt that Massu still wanted him just as fiercely as before. Nothing had changed. His breathing quickened as Massu bent his head, eyes on his lips.
“Hey Massu, old buddy, I thought we were going to eat,”
Massu quickly masked his frustration but still managed to shoot Yuya a look of pure desire before turning to the man who called out to him. “I’ve got a table by the windows.”
“You’re going to let your companion eat alone?” Ignoring Massu, the man extended his hand to Yuya. “Massu thinks we can’t discuss business in front of a pretty face, but I’ve always thought it works better that way. My name’s Claude. Claude Rogers.”
“Tegoshi Yuya,” Yuya took the hand that was offered, shook it and smiled at Claude.
“I’m sure Yuya doesn’t want to sit through a boring business dinner,” Massu said.
“I don’t want to intrude,” Yuya said. “I’m sure you’ll get more accomplished without me.”
Claude showed his disagreement by pulling another chair and sat beside Massu and smiled at Yuya.
“Massu shrugged and threw Yuya an apologetic look and beckoned to the waiter. “We were almost finished anyway.”
“Good thing too. The faster this project gets off the ground the faster we can start making money.”
“What kind of project?” Yuya asked, wondering if this was the same thing Massu had been so reluctant to discuss the other night at dinner.
“The one I mentioned before,” Massu confirmed and shot Claude an exasperated look before continuing, “And as I said then, things aren’t at the stage yet to be ready for broadcast.”
“Nonsense Massu,” Claude countered. What’s Yuya going to do? Shout it to the rooftops?”
Yuya half listened to the two men as they started discussing business. When he spotted Koyama, he excused himself and went to him to talk for a while. Koyama’s busy so he contented himself with looking around the kitchen. Finally getting bored with nothing to do, he decided to go back to Massu and Claude.
They were finalizing their two-man conference when he got to their table.
“Three years isn’t such a long time, not with a guaranteed pot of gold at the end of it. What do you say Yuya? Feel like sharing the wealth?
Yuya was surprised but didn’t show any sign of it. He sat in complete silence as Claude’s remark finally registered. He doesn’t need to worry that Massu might be setting him up for some kind of an investment scam. He has left it to Claude, he thought, remembering his remark of earlier -- I’m sure Yuya doesn’t want to sit through a boring business dinner -- and now Claude is moving in for the kill. Kill might not have been an appropriate word for whatever kind of con game they were playing but he didn’t care. All he knew was he was being set up.
This was how it had begun with Sakura, but his sister had carried it past that stage. She had actually married the creep, giving him access to all her money and not just a part of it. He had no idea how Massu and Claude had learned about his family’s fortune, but it didn’t matter. Not at the moment. All that mattered was putting a stop to it.
“It’s hard to express an interest when I don’t have a clue where the money’s going,” he faked a smile and continued. “Besides, how do you know I would have enough to put into the pot, so to speak?”
Claude smiled. “Class,” he said with a broad wink. “You got class man, lots of it. And from where I’m looking, there’s only one way to get it - OLD MONEY.” Smirking at the astonished expression on Yuya’s face, he excused himself from the table and went to the washroom.
And to think he liked Claude. Not to mention how he felt about Massu.
“I’m sorry about that,” Massu said softly. “I suppose he went over his limit. I’ll put him in a taxi when he comes back.”
Massu knew Yuya was upset. He sensed it earlier, but couldn’t put a finger on it. It was clear it had something to do with the business talk. But whether it was because Yuya didn’t have enough to invest or was irritated at Claude’s behavior, he couldn’t tell. Claude was too excited about their project that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. But why that upset Yuya?
As soon as Claude had disappeared, Yuya asked, “If I say I’m interested, would you be able to scrape a couple of shares for me?” He forced himself to look at Massu.
Massu was staring at him as though he didn’t know what approach to use.
“If you’re interested, I suppose I could let you have part of what I have let out for myself,” he replied reluctantly. As much as he didn’t like the idea of getting into a financial relationship with Yuya, he didn’t want to sound churlish so he said, “If you like, I’ll bring out a copy of the proposal tomorrow at the gallery. You can let me know what you think after that.”
His words struck blow that Yuya had not expected. When it came right down to it, he had not thought Massu would do it. He started to say something but changed his mind when he spotted Claude coming back to the table.
Claude sat down and turned to Massu, grinning. “How many shares did you let him talk you out of, man?”
Massu tried to diffuse Claude’s assumption without reviving his determination to get Yuya in on the deal. “None for the moment,” he smiled and held Yuya’s hand under the table.
Yuya stared at Massu, realization hitting him hard. None for the moment, Massu had said. He forced a smile and excused himself. He headed for the direction of the washroom, and then turned to look at their table, making sure that Massu won’t see him, he detoured to the foyer and hurried out of the restaurant.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Ryo was surprised when YamaPi appeared at the shop that morning. He helped him pick out roses, lilies and lilacs, wondering who they were for. YamaPi flashed him a big smile when he paid for the flowers and after a brief pause, invited him to dinner. Not knowing what came over him, he accepted the invitation.
He never liked telling strangers about himself but they spent the last hour talking about his life. YamaPi had a way about him that made him tell him things he usually preferred to keep to himself and a few close friends.
He blushed at the way YamaPi was looking at him over his wineglass. He bent his head down and concentrated on his food.
No use beating around the bush, YamaPi thought. He liked the guy, might as well tell him so. “I know this is only our first date but has it crossed your mind that I wouldn’t be asking you out if I didn’t like you?” YamaPi drawled softly, chuckling at the color that crept up to Ryo’s face.
“We’re on a date?” Surprised, Ryo said the first thing that came to his mind and lifted his face to look into YamaPi’s eyes.
“What else would you call it?” YamaPi said. He put down his glass and reached across the table for Ryo’s hand. He started to say something when his phone rang. He flashed Ryo an apologetic smile and reached for his phone in his trouser pocket.
He checked the console to see who was calling and said with a calm voice, “This better be important Massu.”
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err, sorry . . . . . this has gotten too long . . . . . (click here for part 3)