![](https://cdn.scribblehub.com/seriesimg/mid/mid_noimagefound.jpg)
Kaiba and his staff arrived at the apartment at 5am. It was still dark, but the penthouse photography location was buzzing with activity.
Ichikawa met them, and introduced them to Kawai the designer, and Kawai the principal photographer. They all toured the set and discussed the concept of the ad campaign.
“Hey, old man!” A blonde youth suddenly appeared and draped himself around Kaiba. “This the guy who’s gonna Alpha my omega? Good call!”
“Unhand me you oaf!” Kaiba struggled to free himself.
“Jou!” The designer slapped the young man’s hands. “Stop playing around! This is our client!”
“Client?” Jou released Kaiba and gave him an appraising look. “Damn! I’ll do this more often if you’re gonna be here.”
“Kaiba-san, please forgive my grandson.” The photographer forced Jou to bow. “He has difficulty controlling his enthusiasm.”
Kaiba straightened his clothes and struggled to calm himself. “I trust he will not be on set when you begin shooting?”
“Jou is our model for this project,” the photographer pointed out.
“Him?” Kaiba did an appraisal of his own. Young, handsome, fit, yes. But the youth was also dishevelled as if he’d woken only moments before. And far too sexually alluring for anything but the omega portion. “This is not the image -”
“I assure you, Kaiba-san,” the designer smiled reassuringly, “he is a professional. He is very familiar with my collection, and he will suit your purpose quite well.”
“I have reservations.” Why was this ‘Jou’ smiling like that? “I want to see him in the proper attire before I approve this.”
“Of course.” She took Jou’s arm rather forcefully. “We will return shortly.”
“Grandma!” The model struggled as he was being dragged away by the designer. “It was a joke! The guy can take a joke, right?”
“Kaiba-san, have a seat for a moment.” The photographer gestured to a couch. “I have some samples of Jou’s recent work that may explain why we are insisting upon him for this project.”
Kaiba sat. The man was entirely wrong. An oversexed omega if ever there was one.
But the book of photos Kawai handed Kaiba told a different story. The model pictured was a young executive. The kind of American corporate raider that devoured Fortune 500 companies. Or a British aristocrat with ties to the monarchy. It could not be the same man. The photos were suave, polished, powerful, masterful. The kind of man even other Alpha fall for.
The next set of photos was more casual. An average college student. A group of friends. One as an office intern. As a grinning waiter serving a coffee mug of roses to a surprised young woman.
Kaiba flipped the page and found himself arrested by a pair of honey brown eyes.
“Kaiba-sama, you’re staring,” Roland whispered. “Is something wrong?”
Something was very wrong. Kaiba couldn’t think. Was it possible for humans to have eyes that color? That piercing? Should the room be this hot?
“Kaiba-sama?” Roland flipped the page. “This model does appear quite versatile, doesn’t he?”
The new picture was Jou in his omega glory, on a beach, nude, looking at the camera playfully. Kaiba resisted loosening his tie, but the back of his neck itched.
“My.” Roland cleared his throat. “Kawai-sama, this beach photo. This is a recreation, isn’t it?”
“Ah. Yes. His father, Nouchi, did the original.”
“Nouchi-chan is Jou-chan’s father?” Roland sounded impressed. “That is quite the pedigree.”
“Who is Nouchi?” Kaiba closed the portfolio, and tried to compose himself.
“He was one of the top models in Japan. Although, now that I think of it, he must have retired when you were a child.”
“Oh? So I imagine he was popular when you were in your prime,” Kaiba snarked.
Roland gave him a sidelong look but there was a sudden flurry of activity around them.
Ichikawa appeared and bowed. “Kaiba-sama, forgive me, but they are ready to begin. If you could please move off the set -”
“Yes, of course.” Kaiba stood. “They are trying to catch the sunrise. Where should we -?”
“Over here, sir.”
Once everyone was positioned, Jou entered and the camera began snapping.
He wore dress pants and a shirt. He tied his tie and buttoned his cufflinks while checking his email and researching stocks on a KaibaTech portable. The sunlight touched him like Amaterasu greeting Ra.
Breathtaking.
When the shooting was done, Jou’s eyes met Kaiba’s from across the room.
Suddenly, Jou was moving toward him.