When Love Fades

Chapter 33 - New Beginning II

So, you gonna show me around this place, or what?" Naruto asked, setting his drink on the polished bar.

Gaara's lips curved slightly. "Of course. Follow me."

The low tone of Gaara's voice seemed to go right through Naruto, and he was proud that he kept his eyes locked firmly on Gaara's and did not let them slide south over the exposed, leanly muscled torso as they turned back towards the dance floor.

They spent time on the main floor, Gaara speaking only to answer Naruto's questions, allowing Naruto to simply watch the crowd as people came, met, flirted, danced, and in some cases - did much more than dance. Naruto looked up again at the series of light fixtures throughout the club.

"Is the lighting always set the same, or does it vary?" Naruto asked, shifting closer to Gaara could hear his question over the music in the club. He ignored the fact that he was now close enough to smell the subtle scent of the man, forcing his mind to stay focused on the job rather than on the undeniably attractive club owner.

Gaara followed his gaze briefly, but Naruto could feel when the man's eyes returned to him, even though Naruto didn't let himself turn to meet them as he continued to look up at the lights.

"The rhythm of some of the lighting is tied to the music, but the overall light level stays about the same," Gaara's low voice carried somehow through the background noise in the club, reaching Naruto's ear and vibrating through him.

"And the colors?" Naruto asked, keeping his voice all business as he glanced over at the man beside him.

Gaara nodded. "They can be varied. Are there any colors that would work better?"

Naruto shrugged, looking back up at the lights. "Red would be pretty cliché. I think blue would be good. Or just a blend of colors, like you have going now."

"I can arrange for blue."

Gaara led them upstairs to see the parts of the club Naruto had not seen before. Despite his best efforts, Naruto found his gaze grazing over the defined muscles of Gaara's back skimming over the hips and ass that the black leather fit snugly against before resolutely returning to the back of the man's head and firmly staying in place as they went up the curved staircase. This was work, not play, and Naruto was not going to make an ass out of himself just because they guy he was working with was insanely hot.

The second floor was filled with private 'theme rooms'. Most were in use, but Gaara showed Naruto one that appeared to be something straight out of Victorian era England and another that looked like the bedroom of a Japanese Shogun.

There was a large, open room that had several beds, all of which were occupied, with spectators watching from the sides. It had almost the same feel as some of the college parties Naruto had been to, with people hooking up all over the place, so there was nothing really unusual about it except for the fact that there were no women. He supposed it would make sense that the club would cater to people who liked it public as well as people who liked it private. He didn't really find this floor as interesting as he did the first floor, but he understood its purpose.

The ground floor had more stories to tell as he'd watched people coming in, starting to lose themselves in the atmosphere, the hesitancy of meeting someone new in some cases, or the boldness of meeting someone you'd been waiting to see all week. There was a lot more for Naruto to work with there.

Gaara seemed to notice Naruto's relative dismissal of this floor. "Let's go. There's one floor left."

Naruto nodded and followed Gaara down to the main floor, walking past the crowded bar to a heavy wooden door. He had noticed people coming in and out of the heavy door throughout the evening. The people wearing the collars or leashes often pulling large, expensive-looking leather suitcases.