Stripped Bare (kakashiXsakura)

chapter 12

"Hana my dear, you've created quite the stir among my customers lately,"

Sakura looked up from where she was helping take upturned chairs off tabletops in preparation for the club's opening in about an hour.

"Is that so?" she said idly, trying not to be annoyed at the fact that the club owner merely stood there with his arms crossed , watching her work without lifting a finger to assist. This was his club after all, and yet he seemed to think that he could leave all the work to others and still keep the majority of the profits. His actions were doing nothing to change her opinion of him, which had only gotten worse since she first met him.

"Yes," Dajaku said, sounding quite pleased with himself as if he had handpicked the woman in front of him to be his newest dancer. "I have people asking about you almost every night. I think it's your pink hair that piques their curiosity."

"Hmm," she replied irritably, trying to block him out and proceed with her task. Unlike some purple haired divas, she didn't consider herself above doing a little manual labor to help out around the place, especially since Juu was currently busying himself with fixing a toilet in the men's bathroom that no longer flushed. He had been worried he wouldn't have everything ready in time but Sakura assured him she would have the chairs pulled down from where they had been stacked the night before. She had done it for the big burly bouncer because he was kind to her, if not a little clueless. Dajaku on the other hand seemed to think she was doing him a personal favor as his employee, which was not at all the case. On top of that, his not so subtle arrogance and the way he seemed to avoid anything physically taxing lest it wrinkle his pristine silk shirt was seriously rubbing her the wrong way.

"You know, you get dozens of requests every night for lapdances and yet you turn most of them down. You could make a lot more money if—"

Sakura spun around and slammed her palms on the nearest wooden table, regarding him evenly with hard emerald eyes. She had been trying to ignore him but his wheedling and prying to try and get her to make him more money was getting under her skin.

"Let's get one thing straight here," she said coolly, no longer able to tolerate him quietly. "You hired me because you and your club were in trouble. Even if I have to act like just another one of your meal tickets, you would do well to remember that I am not."

Silver eyes darted around nervously and he began to fidget. The weasel was so smooth and slick until he was threatened, and then his cowardice showed through.

"Keep it down," he grumbled. "Someone will hear you."

Sakura already knew there was nobody in hearing range except the two of them. She didn't sense anyone else who could be in hearing range.

"Let me make this clear," she said, ignoring his muttered request. "I interact with your slimy patrons only because I have to in order to gain information about possible suspects. I will only interrogate people I deem to be suspicious and don't see the need to further exploit myself just so you can make a little extra cash off my efforts."

Dajaku ran a sweating palm over his head as if to slick back the few stray hairs growing there. He was clearly unhappy with her decision but didn't have the balls to press her harder, or maybe he was just smart enough to know better.

"I just thought you'd like the extra cash," he grumbled, before making a hasty retreat to his office and slamming the door none too gently. He knew he had lost yet another round with the kunoichi but he didn't take the defeat well. He would probably stay in there sulking until the club opened.

Sakura flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned back to her task. She would have to finish quickly so she could go get ready since she was in the first group of girls to take the stage tonight.