The alarm clock rang in Kyouya Ootori's ear. He stirred, sitting then standing up abruptly and accidentally hitting his head on something. He frowned at the clock and the thing his head had hit. That thing was the brim of the double-decker bed. He had slept on the lower deck. He blinked thrice then looked at the time on the clock by his side. It was 4 a.m. He hated mornings. He was never a morning person. Why did he become a doctor?

Hmmph! That was because his brothers had no interest in the medical research center. Although, he was a doctor, he was more of a figure head than a practicing doctor. So why was he here like an ER doctor? It was because he hated to go home. Home meant his family house. It had only his strict and harsh father and servants. His siblings were all married, had family of their own and a home to go to. He had an apartment, but again it was just an empty shell.

He had it for weekend trysts with his regular pricey bed warmer. It was his means of releasing stress, besides the regular exercising routine in the gym. Hmm, he might as well call his apartment a love nest. He was a CEO and his bedroom was in the doctors' sleeping quarters. His kitchen was the cafeteria. His bathroom was the doctors' bath and lavatory. His CEO room was his private residence and wardrobe. All these spaces gave him little relief. Instead these spaces really made him a claustrophobic.

He had to get out of these cramped spaces. He wore his white shirt with no tie and white doctor's coat, slipped on the socks on his feet and wore his black leather shoes. His head hurt a little. Then he shrugged the pain off mentally. He stood and walked towards the door, turned the knob then walked out of the room. He plopped a sugar free gum into his mouth and chewed it. At least his breath would be fresh. He slipped on his glasses as he walked to the lift.

Level 5 west wing had lesser people. The west wing housed rich patients. He felt calm as he walked along the corridor of the west wing. It was safer for him to take this route to reach his office. The medical research center was vast with several medical and trauma buildings. The gastrointestinal and cancer research and treatment had a building of its own. It was on the north side of the main medical center which was for normal ailments conducted by general practitioners.

The west side was allotted for neurology and cardiovascular research and treatment. Further to the south, close to the forest and away from the other medical buildings, the micro-bio virology and forensic sciences building was set up with state of the art equipment and safety devices to curb unwarranted incidences. The east side had a building which was more for ailments of the ear, eyes, throat and bones, also acute skin allergies / diseases or cosmetology treatment and research.

He had other ideas in mind that needed to be formed into projected plans for further expansion. He stopped when he saw the west wing's lifts. He pressed the UP button on the wall. He waited for two or so minutes then the lift door slid open. He met the person whom had avoided him ever since he confessed to her that he liked her on the roof top of the pediatric building. It could be accorded as sexual harassment. But she didn't file for one. He raised an eyebrow.

Could it be that she too liked him? And liked him to being sexually assertive like that? He narrowed his eyes in wariness. She widened her eyes in trepidation. He sighed as he entered into the lift. Only the two of them in the lift meant for twenty and large enough for a single bed with a patient to be wheeled in. Yet to them it became compact as if it was meant for two. Dr. Haruhi Fujioka put her hands into her white doctor's coat pockets. In doing so, her stethoscope fell to the floor.

She pressed her lips together and lowered herself to retrieve it. Instinctively, he too bent down to pick the fallen item up. But she had already retrieved it. She looked up and tip of her nose brushed his lips. She gasped and out of shock lost her balance. But his hand gripped her arm to steady her before she fell on her bum. He pulled her to him, his hand still on her arm. He could hear her swallowing her saliva. His lips twitched in amusement. She bit her lower lip and tried to step away from him.

"Running away," he whispered in her ear, "won't solve anything, you know."

"I'm not," she said huskily, "I'm just stepping back. There's a difference you know."

"Of course," he smiled lazily, "breathing space,"

But his hand slipped from her upper arm to her back. He brought her nearer until he could feel her ragged breath on his throat. She turned her head to the left unwilling to meet his stormy eyes or beckoning lips. Instead she looked at the level panel hoping the lift would reach its destination fast. She felt his hand under her chin turning her head up to meet his eyes. Why must they be alone in this lift? It made no difference whether the lift was crowded or not, she felt they were the only ones in it.

"How could you call this a breathing space?" she frowned slightly at him, breathing hard out of anxiety.

"Breathing problems?" his dark eyes glinted, "I could always give you mouth to mouth…"

Calm down, she gave herself a mental reprimand, stop hyperventilating! But, her eyes widened in panic, "No, no… that won't be necessary… no, I'm good."

"Really..?" he drawled.

"Uh-huh," she nodded, what to do, she thought frantically.

Her heart was rapidly beating against her ribcage. She could hardly breathe well. How could she when they were so near? This position they were in made her think of that time they were on the rooftop of the pediatric building. She was nearly ravished by him. He even grabbed her hand and pressed it on his erected manhood. Oh, God… and she liked it! She could feel his heat and she felt hot all over. She could feel him breathing in her scent.

He was touching her yet he wasn't. Her hip grazed his manhood. He seemed to turn to stone but she could hear his sharp intake of breath. She blushed and looked down to stare at his chest. She dare not look at him in the eye fearing what she might see in them. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. Blood flowed to his precious not-so little buddy making it hard. She realized his hands were by his sides curled into fists.

"That action was very stimulating," he whispered into her ear, "I might take you for real,"

"Wha..?" She looked at him with horror etched on her face, "What d-do y-you mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean," he then pressed his lips behind her ear lobe.

She jerked her head sideways, "W-what a-are you d-doing?"

"Getting to know your body reactions…" He stopped the sentence in mid-air and smiled slyly at her.

"This.. this is.. inappropriate behavior…" Her ears felt hot, she felt feverish. She shivered. She felt awkward. Damn it, she hated him for doing it.

"Your weak spot," He chuckled softly, "I'll remember it."

Her anxiety made her stammer, "I… I… you… you…" was all she could muster.

She was sure he heard her heart beating furiously. She could hear his beating slightly erratically. She felt her hand move. A forefinger traced the outline of his coat lapel stopping on the V of his two buttons unbuttoned shirt. Her finger faltered. He captured her hand with his and brought it to his lips. He kissed her hand. Her mouth was slightly opened in response. He looked at her slightly opened mouth. He lowered his head and was about to give her a thorough kiss when suddenly the lift door slid open.

They immediately broke apart. Kyouya went to the right of the lift. His back leaning against the lift wall behind him, while Haruhi looked at the lighted level panel, level 9. She blew a soft relieve sigh, this was the pharmaceutical floor. She had some matters to look into there. Two nurses entered into the lift. They nodded at both doctors. Haruhi gave a small smile at them and walked out of the lift. She turned her head slightly casting a quick glance at him. She gulped.

He was staring at her with those darker than black eyes of his. Like a predator. His eyes glinted of… what? She shuddered to think of what his eyes were telling her. She walked briskly away from the lift and headed for the restroom first. No one was there. She put her hands under the Auto Aqua tap and water flowed out of the tap. She splashed water on her face three times. What was that look about? It was dangerously intimate. Everything was intimate.

She wiped her face and hands with the soft paper napkin from the napkin dispenser. Her hands trembled and she clasped her hands tightly to her chest. She looked at the mirror. She looked flushed. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply and exhaled through her mouth slowly. She did that three times. She had to calm her nerves. Her nerves were all over the place. She had to gather her scattered wits. Oh! That incorrigible man…

Her lips were set in a firm line when she opened her eyes. She almost cried out of shock. He was looking at her from the mirror. It was a reflection. She turned around and saw him standing five paces behind her with his arms folded on his chest. He was definitely in the restroom. He was watching her. The intensity in his eyes remained as it was in the lift. Her hand instinctively went to her chest. She felt sudden dread and also joy. Why must she feel joy meeting him? What was wrong with her?

"That's a posture for hope," He spoke softly, eyeing her reaction.

"What are you doing here?" She said frantically, "This is the ladies restroom."

He unfolded his arms and began walking slowly towards her. All she could think of was of a predator and prey. As he took a step forward, she took a step back. Then he grabbed her hand and whisked her into one of the cubicles. He closed the door of the cubicle. She opened her mouth in protest but felt his forefinger on her lips. She clamped her mouth shut. Her breasts were slightly pressed against his chest.

She blushed as she could not take a step back. Her back was pressed against the wall of the cubicle. He made no move away a bit. They were in an even more intimate position. There were four cubicles. None of the cubicles had gaps beneath. Each cubicle had a ventilating fan. They heard ladies voices. There were two of them. They were gossiping about someone.

"Dr. Ootori is such an eye candy," said a woman, as she washed her hands.

"I agree," said her friend. "But he's taken."

"Who?" The woman queried her friend.

"I think he's after a doctor in the pediatrics department."

"Huh?" The woman said, "I wonder who that lady doctor is?

"I heard from Nurse Ase that Dr. Ootori is always taking peeks of the lady doctor while she's on her daily rounds checking up on her little patients without her noticing."

Haruhi blinked and glanced at Kyouya. Of course, she knew he was watching her. How could she not? She felt his presence even though he made himself scarce. She had 'Kyouya-senpai sensor' ever since her stupid fumble which broke a bloody expensive vase when they were in school and she had to work as a 'male' host due to her plain, honest to goodness commoner look to pay off her enormous debt. He was happiest deducting from her service, credit and favor points which could be converted into money.

The one area where she could take a breather was the pediatric building's rooftop. She loved to be there on the rooftop of the pediatric building because it calmed her nerves to watch the skylines and sky and feel the breeze on her skin. Her private area which was the roof top had also become his, the day he stepped on the ledge all dressed in a trench coat with his back at her and prancing about like a suicidal drunken maniac.

Or so she thought him to be one. She didn't know until he revealed himself. Imagine her shock to know that he was the CEO of the hospital she was working at. He was her boss. That was then. This was now. He looked at her, his face was serious. Was he angry? Was he embarrassed? Then the glint in his eyes confirmed that he was neither angry nor was he embarrassed. He was enjoying the position they were in and the gossip as well.

"Ohhh," the woman snapped her fingers, "is that the workaholic, plain looking doctor?"

Haruhi frowned slightly, plain? Then she eased her knitted brows because he was looking at her with an eyebrow raised. Yes, she was plain. So what? She raised a chin defiantly and gasped as he gave her lips a little affectionate peck. She was taken by surprise that she jerked and her maiden mount lightly touched his manhood. She flushed a deeper red. His eyes narrowed, feeling a little uneasy. Out of nervousness, she moistened her dry lips with her tongue. His eyes glittered at that mere action.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment as if trying to quell whatever that was stirring his senses. With a sigh, he opened his eyes, then whispered in her ear, "Stay put,"

"But…" she whispered back.

He put a forefinger on her lips, and whispered, "Go when it's clear."

He unlocked the cubicle door and slipped out. She heard the two women squealed in shock.

"Doctor Ootori..!" The friend of the woman squealed in fright.

"Oh, pardon me, ladies," He apologized, "I'm in the wrong restroom."

He washed his hands and wiped his wet hands with the paper napkin from the napkin dispenser. Then he exited. She could hear the ladies talking uneasily.

"What are we going to do?" the friend asked the woman, panic stricken. "Surely he'd heard everything."

"Would be still have a job tomorrow?" the woman lamented to her friend, "Ohh, of all the places, why did he have to be in here?"

"The thing is," said her friend, "why enter here when the men's room is just next to the ladies?"

"Don't speculate anymore!" scolded the woman to her friend, "Let's go."

Haruhi stayed absolutely silent and breathed slowly. She listened for any more ladies coming into the restroom. There wasn't a sound of a giggle only the dense silence greeted her ears. She closely flexed her fingers, and slowly unlocked the cubicle door. She tiptoed out of the cubicle and sighed in relieve. The things she had to endure at the hands of fate. She straightened her skirt, shirt, hair and doctor's coat. She needn't pat her cheeks to put color on her face.

Her face was flushed as she was embarrassed enough as it was by the whole thing. Darn it! He even had time to steal a kiss in that cubicle. But, she was beginning to like this kind of thing more and more. Was she mad as he was? For sure, she was or else she wouldn't be in this state of yearning for more outrageous short romps! Did that mean she …. Did she? Could it be that she was beginning to have feelings for him. That couldn't be right.

He was after all her senpai throughout high school and in medical school too. She thought him to be cold and calculating. But what had she witnessed? He was rather playful with her. She didn't know he had such a playful streak in him. He was serious by nature. Had he hit his head on something hard and was now experiencing amnesia? No, that was a ridiculous thought. Come to think of it, he was playful back then too. He got his kicks being a debt collector. Just thinking of it made her blood boil.

She disliked him then because he was fastidious yet she also liked him because he was sturdy. Now, what did that feelings become? Her heart answered with steady excitable beats. She gasped, she place her hand on her chest. Was she? She placed a palm on her cheek. She slowly dropped her hands to her sides. She must be… she had this feeling for some time now but she didn't know what it was. She walked dazedly towards the pharmaceutical department.

She was about to enter the department when she caught sight of him. He was watching her from a pillar. She paused, then giving him a shy smile and did something out of character. She looked left and right first then graced him by giving him a flying kiss. His eyes widened in surprise that he just stared at her. She quickly turned her head but not before witnessing and realizing what the glint in his eyes meant. It made her blush and breathless that she had to make a quick escape.

She hurriedly entered the pharmaceutical department. He smiled, as he walked away turning left to the west corridor towards his office. He was foolish to think that spaces however small were constricting. They were not. His eyes glinted in expression of endless promised pleasures for the one who was in his heart and that only she had his heart.

THE END

A/N: If you have read from my previous fics, A SLIGHT CASE OF MADNESS and KARMIC ENCOUNTER than you'd understand this story better. Haruhi and Kyouya are OOC but mostly my works are subjective and the anime / manga chars tend to stray a bit.