(Emi has made a deal with Brandon) Brandon Arrives; A Full and Frank Discussion on Who Gets Bred And Why.

Emi grinned in satisfaction as Tyler presented the Pass to their boss and bent Yumi over. She was just about to begin a final victory finger fuck when a sound startled her.

BANG!

Emi turned in shock at the sound that had come from the direction of the ante-chamber

BANG!

Emi rushed outside to ante-chamber that contained the elevators and divided the Japanese Boardroom from Keiko’s office. Through the tinted glass of the entrance door, she could see Ethan take a couple of swings of a hammer to the glass of the door which reverberated solidly. The door was built to resist such brute **** and for a moment Emi was relieved somewhat, until Ethan shrugged nonplussed and turned his attention to the plaster board around the electrical lock. Emi couldn’t exactly see how successful he was being but something about the satisfied look on his face told her he was making headway.

She could make out Sayaka hovering behind him. “Shit, shit, shit!” Emi swore.

She glanced up at the elevator and breathed a slight sigh of relief; thankful she had already begun calling the elevator a minute before, but then her brow wrinkled in concern as she saw that both of the double elevators were ascending. Someone else was coming up as well!

GF….1... 2... 3...

She took the time to rush back to Keiko’s office and grab the senior Product Engineer’s yellow sweater that Keiko had left on a coat stand. Then Emi darted out again to the ante-chamber and elevator lobby. She dialled Brandon, who after a moment picked up.

“Brandon, are you…?”

“I’m on sub-basement 1 at the moment, coming down now,” he said quickly.

“Great. Be right outside the elevators sub-basement 2!!” Emi hung up without further preamble.

4….

Abruptly the banging stopped. Emi could just about make out frantic conversation from behind the frosted front door. The electronic display connected to the lock flickered and then displayed a blank blue screen. Emi realised that Ethan must be fiddling with the electronic locking mechanism.

5…6.

The elevator dinged its arrival, just as with an audible click the locking mechanism of the restricted door was released; unknown to Emi, overridden by a heavy magnet Ethan and Sayaka had acquired.

Emi darted into the elevator, slamming her palm against the button for sub-basement 2. As the doors sealed shut, a blink of unceremonious reprieve, the other elevator disgorged its predatory occupants. Emi briefly locked eyes with Naomi Kanta. Through the closing gap the Brand Manager’s look was sharp and accusatory, one last glare before the stainless-steel barricade cut off their visual communion.

Emi did not feel too much relief just yet. She knew Naomi and Grant would be right back into their elevator and straight after her. She estimated that she had perhaps a five or six second head start at most.

Down, down, down she went. The elevator hummed to a stop at sub-basement 2, and Emi darted out into the dim parking lot, rapidly scanning for the yellow car. She did not have to search hard, Brandon’s car pulled up thirty yards ahead of her. Adrenaline coursed through the Japanese woman’s veins as she sprinted towards it.

Behind her a DING, she risked a glance and saw Grant, naked but for sneakers, stepping out of the elevator.

Emi’s feet moved; the rubber soles of the pool sandals loud as they slapped against the car park tarmac surface. She cursed she didn’t have better footwear. Her muscles were burning after a morning spent running, (and wrestling) as she crossed across the tarmac, closing the gap between her and the outcome of her calculated gamble.

She was within a couple of yards of the VW Golf, its side passenger door popped open, she glanced behind her and nearly shrieked when she saw a naked Grant was virtually on top of her, perspiration beading his broad chest.

With a **** lunge, Emi threw herself into the backseat of the car, tumbling chaotically onto the cushioned surface. She barely had a moment to orient herself before Brandon stomped on the gas pedal, the vehicle jolting forward ten yards with a screech of tires against the smooth concrete before braking again.

"Close the door!" Brandon barked over the roar of the engine.

Twisting her body awkwardly, turned. She saw Grant had not given up but was sprinting towards the car. Emi stretched a trembling arm toward the still ajar door and slammed it shut with an echoing thud. A moment later the car locks clicked into place.

Suddenly Grant appeared at the car window, brandishing the Breeding Pass and shouting through the glass. Emi felt a surge of panic and compulsion and as she grasped the car door handle…she was promptly thrown back against the passenger seats as Brandon not waiting for confirmations or seatbelts accelerated off.

Emi scrambled up and popped her head over the passenger seats and looked out the back window. Behind them, Grant had come to a stop, his hands on his knees as he acknowledged the end of the chase with a frustrated exhale. He watched as the yellow VW Golf became nothing more than a retreating dot in the vast expanse of the underground parking.

Emi collapsed back into the seat, her chest heaving with the exertion of the chase. She could feel every muscle protest as she finally allowed herself a moment of reprieve, her mind a whirl of what-ifs and the tantalizing taste of escape.

"Made it," she managed to gasp out, a nervous laugh bubbling from her lips.

Brandon spared a glance at her through the rearview mirror, a grin fighting its way onto his face. "Yeah, you did," he said, taking a sudden sharp turn that pressed Emi against the door, a silent reminder that they weren't quite out of the woods yet.

Emi, looked over and noticed for the first time that Aina was in the front passenger seat.

As the car sped towards the exit of the sub-basement, Emi's thoughts spiralled through the day's madness, a thread of euphoria weaving through the panic and exhaustion. What had started as an initial gambit to knock Sayaka off her perch had become a **** bid for Emi’s own career's survival and to keep her womb unimpregnated. It seemed that though the cost was yet to be tallied, she had come out relatively unscathed

A minute or two later they burst out into the sunlight, the bright rays a stark contrast to the gloom of the parking lot.

The trio had been silent inside the underground car park but as Brandon navigated through the surface level retail-parking lot. Aina turned her head and gave Emi an impassive look before saying, "so, where are you planning to Breed Emi?" Aina asked, “you can let me out by the mall if you’re planning on fucking her in public.”

Emi’s heart jumped. Did Brandon and Aina have their own thing going on, perhaps Aina was willing to overlook Brandon’s earlier indiscretion of taking advantage of his long-time crush if he bred Emi…

Brandon didn’t immediately answer Aina, preoccupied with letting a couple of pedestrians cross in front of him. Then he glanced at Emi in the rearview mirror, she looked back at him with a mix of hope and uncertainty, her breath still ragged from the sprint.

"I’m not going to breed Emi," he said neutrally, “I’m giving her a lift back into the city like you.”

Emi exhaled slowly, unaware she had even been holding her breath. A wave of relief washing over her. Her gamble had paid off—She settled into the seat, her breath finally slowing to a normal pace, the reality of her victory setting in.

Aina looked confused, cocking her head slightly and her eyebrows knitting together suspiciously. "But why? Why not?"

Brandon's smile widened as he exited the mall's property, signalling a turn onto the main road. "We made a deal," he replied with a wink at Emi through the mirror.

“You made a deal?” Aina said quietly, before exploding, “YOU MADE A DEAL?!”

“That’s right a deal…” Brandon stammered, surprised at Aina’s anger.

Aina's face flushed a deep shade of red, her eyes narrowing as she tried to grapple with the reality unfolding before her. She turned sharply toward Brandon, her voice dripping with incredulity, "Where’s my fucking deal Brandon? Getting knocked up was that part of my deal?” she hissed, the hurt clear in her tone.

Brandon gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. "Look, Aina, it was different circumstances, and a deal's a deal. She's getting a lift into the city—end of story," he said, his voice firm but betraying more than a hint of defensiveness, “I mean what? Do you want me to breed her?”

“I just want to know why?” said Aina her voice laced with a venom that belied her usually sweet demeanour, “tell me that; why does she get a deal and I get fucked?”

Emi, meanwhile, sank lower in the backseat, struggling to supress a grin as she observed the unfolding drama.

There was a tense silence as Brandon searched for the right words, but it was Emi who broke the stillness. She sat up in the back seat, her voice dry and her expression almost carrying a smirk. "Brandon won't say it, Aina, but I will. You put him in the friend zone.”

Aina turned in her seat to face Emi, a flash of surprise on her face at the sudden confrontation. "Excuse me?" Aina retorted, her voice rising an octave. "The friend zone is not a bad thing. It's not my fault if someone develops feelings and I don't reciprocate."

Emi shook her head, "it's not about the friend zone itself, Aina. It’s that you've been stringing Brandon along, manipulating his feelings to your advantage. You sweet-talked him into doing your work, covering for you, all while dangling hope that maybe, someday, things could change between you two. When he saw the opportunity that things could change, he took it. "

Aina’s composure began to crack, her practiced smile faltering as she met Emi's unwavering gaze. "I have done no such thing," Aina protested weakly, but the conviction wasn’t there. Everyone in the car had witnessed her interactions with Brandon, the subtle flattery, the gentle touches that meant nothing, the whispered thanks that kept him hoping.

Brandon remained silent, but there was a note of relieved gratitude in his eyes. He didn't need to say anything; Emi had laid bare the unspoken truth. "The way you've acted isn't lost on anyone, Aina," she began, locking eyes with Aina in the rearview mirror. "Remember as we came up to the quarterly reviews, when you just happened to change your jogging schedule to the mornings. Leaning over Brandon's desk, a bit too close, your hand resting on his arm, wearing that tight outfit? He always seemed to pick up your workload just in time. It seemed innocent but was perfectly choreographed to keep him on the line."

“That was a schedule set by my personal trainer,” Aina said weakly. Emi ignored her protest.

"And let's not ignore the coffee workshops," Emi continued, a knowing look in her eyes. "The top you wore last time, the flirtatious stories you shared, the moments you touched Brandon’s leg. And the moment you got what you wanted, you pulled back, feigning surprise if he ever hoped for something more. It's more than just keeping someone in the friend zone, Aina. That was manipulation, and deep down, you know it."

Aina opened her mouth to object, but no words came out. She was shocked that anyone had noticed or remembered these things

"Myself and Brandon made a straightforward deal, Aina. No manipulation, no mind games. That's the difference. That’s why you’re pregnant and I’m not." Emi continued, her voice softening slightly, seeing the conflict in Aina's eyes.

From the driver's seat, Brandon was silent, Emi saw the relief in his posture, a vindication finally voiced.

The car’s interior was filled with an uncomfortable silence, save for the hum of traffic outside. Aina looked away, the implications of Emi's insight hitting home. The reality was setting in, that she had primed Brandon, kept him coiled like a spring. She hadn’t really been thinking of the consequences because she had thought that in two months she wouldn’t have had to deal with the consequences.

The rest of the leg of the journey was completed in silence. Brandon dropped Aina off at the metro station she needed. He bid her farewell and said he’d call and she gave a half-hearted response before leaving. Aina, and the pregnancy was an issue for Monday.