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“Being a cheapskate isn’t becoming for you, Naoya. You’re already splurging for a five star meal in a fancy restaurant; at least hire a translator instead of dragging me along with you.”
“Stop complaining, Satoru. I told you there was no time.” Naoya groused as he and Gojo got out of the limo and walked into the restaurant. “Besides, no one is better at English than you. You can add a little flare to my words and make sure my date goes off well tonight.”
Gojo scoffed as he watched the other man give the receptionist his name and lead them to their table.
“This wouldn’t be necessary if you Zenin weren’t so backwards.”
Naoya glared at the other over his shoulder.
“We are traditionalists. We take pride in preserving our native language. And we do not wish to sully our tongue with foreign languages.”
“Oh, but its ok if I sully my tongue.” Gojo shook his head at the other’s hypocrisy.
“Do you have any idea how awkward this is going to be?” He asked at the waitress maneuvered them between the posh and fancy dressed elites to a private table in an exclusive section of the restaurant.
“You can’t exactly make sultry eyes if I’m sitting between you guys and translating.”
Naoya stopped at a mirror for a second and made sure his hair was on point.
“I have no doubt that you’ll make yourself scarce as soon as I have my date in the bag.” He said. “Which shouldn’t take long considering my charms.”
Gojo rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything.
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his Armani suit and followed their waitress. Mentally he began to brace himself for a long night of insipid flirting and empty giggles of some air headed scamp when they finally arrived at their table.
The tall male froze.
Oh, OH!!
‘What do we have here?’
“Kento!” Naoya exclaimed joyously and approached to lay a kiss on his date’s cheek. “I’m so happy to see you. I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”
The other tolerated the kiss but did not say anything.
The man seated at the table was not what Gojo had been expecting.
The foreigner – Kento - was blond, amber eyed, had a strong jaw and cheekbones so sharp they looked like they could cut glass. His shoulders were broad under the carefully tailored expensive suit which drew the eye to his fit figure, strong arms, tight waist and generous pecs.
There was an air of aptitude around him.
He looked the serious quiet type.
In short he was the opposite of everything Naoya was and Gojo could not understand how the Zenin brat had managed to wrangle a date with such a hottie.
And he was staring at Naoya soberly and with an air of expectation.
Naoya turned to Gojo and glared, reminding Gojo why the asshole had brought him here.
“Oh, right.” He said and stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Gojo Satoru. I’m going to be your translator for the evening. I hope we haven’t made you wait long.”
“Good evening.” The blond replied in fluent English. Gojo suppressed a shudder. God that voice! “Not at all. I only arrived myself.”
The two newcomers sat down and the evening proceeded.
“You look lovely tonight, Nanami-san.” Naoya said. “Good enough to eat.”
Gojo rolled his eyes.
Did Naoya really expect him to translate that?
Not humoring the ass Gojo thought to mince words as much as possible.
“He says you look lovely.”
Nanami blinked.
“Thank you, please inform Naoya that he looks fine as well.”
“We never got talking much last time. What is it that you do, Kento-kun?”
Gojo translated.
“I work in finance in an NGO.”
Before Gojo could translate for Naoya the Zenin was already talking.
“Tell him that he has the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen. And tits that could make a man give thanks.”
Gojo frowned.
“Seriously?!!!”
Naoya frowned.
“Just do it, Satoru-kun. I know what I’m doing.”
‘I really doubt so.’
Not wanting to get slapped Gojo decided to exclude Naoya’s less polite words.
“He says you have the most gorgeous eyes he’s ever seen.”
A quick flash passed on the blond’s face before Gojo could decipher it.
“Thank you, Naoya-san.”
“Last night I saw that you had been admiring the Tikiya piece the other day at the museum. Tell him that the collection belongs to the Zenin. It’s only a small fraction of their wealth. We’re the most prestigious and respected clan in Tokyo. We’ve had our ups and downs but my family has always been at the top echelons.”
Gojo rolled his eyes but translated anyway. It seemed that Naoya forgot that it was the Gojos who usually bailed the Zenin’s asses from bankruptcy every time they made a poor financial decision or were caught breaking the law in shady deals.
“I’m set to inherit father’s seat as CEO when the old man retires. The Zenin conglomerate has many vested investments in pharmaceuticals and biochemicals. We also have dozens of summer houses and farm lands, which will all belong to me when father retires.”
“How about you talk about other things besides what a trust fund baby you are, Naoya? Let the guy know you might actually have a personality and interests outside being a grade A dick?”
Naoya’s eyes widened as if Gojo had just reminded him of something.
“Oh do tell him I have a big dick as well. No complaints from any previous lovers.”
“Jesus Christ.”
Gojo passed the word onto Nanami who did not seem at all taken in.
The blond merely listened on in polite silence and barely added much in reply.
Gojo could tell that the man was anything but enthralled with the Zenin.
So the evening passed with Naoya talking at Kento through Gojo rather than to him and the blond replying in monosyllable words.
They’d just finished dinner and were partaking in wine when Gojo couldn’t hold his tongue anymore.
He turned to Nanami.
“Pardon my question. But can I ask how did you and Naoya meet?”
Nanami sipped from his wine and answered soberly.
“I was at a ball in the Tokyo Royal Exhibit celebrating an opening of a museum collection donated by several families. I was walking around when we collided with one another and he got wine all over my suit. He apologized and promised to pay for the dry cleaning, and then begged to take me out for dinner as compensation.”
He also explained that at the time he had been there with his NGO representatives (they come from Denmark) and the Project Manager who was fluent in Japanese and had done the translating between them.
“Oh, did he?” He turned to look at Naoya who missed the entire exchange due to it being in English.
Gojo’s smile turned sour.
Satoru was 100% sure that the accident was no accident at all.
He’d bet the entire contents of the Gojo estate vaults that Naoya had intentionally run into Nanami and ruined his suit for the sole purpose of securing a date under the pretense of ‘making it up’ to him.
“Alright, now just between us, pinky-swear; You’re not really into Naoya, are you?”
Kento’s face was a polite and expressionless facade.
“Not at all. And I would have been satisfied with just the promise of dry cleaning and not accepted the date invitation if I could, but my boss had been with me at the time and he insisted I come. I believe he hoped I would secure some financial backing for our NGO.”
Gojo snorted.
“Fat chance. The Zenin are a stingy lot. They’re always filing for bankruptcy and have all their assets tied up in debt.”
Naoya leaned forward looking heatedly at Kento but his words were for Gojo.
“What did he say?”
Gojo ignored him.
“Are you two close friends?” Kento asked.
Gojo scoffed.
“Absolutely not. But our families are occasional business partners and we went to the same school together. That unfortunately put me in the same circles as him. Otherwise I’d never hang out with a dick like him willingly.”
A look passed Kento’s face.
“And have you been translating everything he’s been saying with utmost accuracy?”
Satoru smirked and shot back.
“Do you really not know Japanese?”
Nanami’s lip curled ever minutely.
“It would have been easier to feign ignorance and avoid this whole date thing.”
Gojo bit his lip to suppress the laugh.
“So you know he’s an ass.”
“It goes without saying. Which begs the question on why you agreed to come this evening and act as translator.”
“He forced me to come. He was too cheap to hire an interpreter.” But then with a sly smile. “But I’m glad I came if it meant meeting such a goddamn hottie like you.” His face was turned towards the blond and away from Naoya, and so the Zenin could not see the heated look Gojo was giving his date.
“Are you?” Nanami replied with amusement as he felt Gojo’s thigh press against his own under the table.
“Aha.” Gojo said. “What do you say we ditch this guy and you let me take you out on a night on the town?”
The small smile was all the permission that Gojo needed.
The male stood up.
“Sorry Naoya, but I think your date has an emergency. He said something about work.”
Naoya jumped up almost making his seat tip over.
“Oh, well, Nanami-san let me give you a lif-”
“He asked me to go with him to translate.” Gojo interrupted with a large smile on his lips as he escorted the blond out. “Don’t worry, Naoya-kun, I’ll take extra good care of Kento-kun.”
And so the Satoru placed a hand on Nanami’s lower back and left a flabbergasted Naoya behind to pick up the bill.
“That was very uncouth of you.” Nanami said humorously in perfect Japanese once they were outside.
“And just on an unrelated note, my dick is bigger than Naoya’s.”
Nanami snorted but said nothing as Gojo walked him to his waiting limo.
THE END