It was well past nine when Tai finally got to his office. His brief encounter with the beautiful stranger had left him stupefied, and he had stood gaping like an idiot down the empty tracks for several minutes before he snapped to his senses. After returning home for a cup of coffee (in which he insisted Jared pour in a shot of the finest scotch from his own liquor cabinet), he had wandered downstairs in a daze and driven to work. He didn't trust himself to remember what subway stop he would have had to get off at.

After half an hour of being stuck in rush hour traffic, in the bright spring sunlight, during which a runaway bicycle courier had ridden right into the hood of his car, Tai finally pulled into the parking garage at his company's corporate headquarters. After parking haphazardly in his restricted space, he had seized his briefcase and sprinted all the way to the elevators, where he choked in air until he emerged three minutes later at one of the highest floors of his building, heading quickly to his office.

His colleague and close friend Davis Motomiya was waiting for him outside the office, leaning idly against the wall with one leg bent and one foot pressed against his office door, tapping a sheaf of loose papers against the nook of his arm. "Well well, send in the clowns," Davis smirked, noting Tai's ruffled hair and wrinkled clothing. "You were supposed to get here forty five minutes ago. Where've you been?"

"Sorry," Tai muttered, running a hand through his hair distractedly, making it stick up even more messily than it already was. It was an unfortunate habit of his, one that he had tried to rectify many times over the years but had always failed. When he was annoyed or stressed, the hand went to the hair.

"I had a bit of engine trouble," Tai responded. Davis nodded. "Sure. What's this engine's name?"

Tai spluttered incoherently for several seconds. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Davis put on his trademark grin and stretched, raising his hands toward the impeccably clean ceiling. The man was dressed in a pricy black suit, with a light blue dress shirt that was silkier than chocolate. His sleeves were rolled up ever so slightly, and a gold watch glinted on his wrist. His cuffs were tailored sharply and complimented his sleek black shoes. His dark burgundy hair was also covered with a light layer of gel, so it stuck up in short spikes. "Let's see," he said in a mock thoughtful tone, counting off the evidence on his fingers. "The famous Tai Kamiya shows up late for work, on a regular weekday, where his schedule was marginally clearer than normal the previous night. All evidence points to one final conclusion: you hooked up."

Tai flashed his teeth in a grin. "If only life were that kind." He gestured vaguely to the doorway. "If you don't mind, I'd prefer to finish this in a nice air-conditioned room." He stepped in front of Davis, who slid sideways to allow Tai access to the door. Without further adieu he unlocked it, heading into his spacious office, which was full of bright sunlight due to the large glass windows that dominated the back wall opposite the door. Davis followed him inside, shutting the door behind him as Tai sank into a cushioned swivel chair behind a large and pristine mahogany desk.

"You mean to tell me you weren't with a girl last night?" Davis asked, raising his eyebrows. Tai sighed. "That's right."

"I remain sceptical."

"Lucky for me, that's of no consequence."

"So touchy, geez. She must have been a fireball."

"Davis, for the love of God!" Tai exclaimed, blushing.

"All right, sorry," he said, grinning like a loon and waggling his eyebrows. "If the master wants to keep his exotic personal life a secret, then his humble servant can do nothing to pry."

Tai buried his face in his hands, using his elbows to prop his head up on the desk. "Ugh, God. Why am I stuck working with people like you?"

"Because you hired me?" Davis fired back, his grin not wavering in the least.

"Just tell me what the first order of business is so I can get down to work," Tai said irritably, reaching down below his desk and opening a drawer. He rifled through an assortment of bills, monthly rates, and paper scraps with doodles of various stick figures playing soccer that he created when he was going out his mind with boredom, until he found a pencil. He pulled it out and looked at Davis. "Have at it."

"Okay," his younger subordinate said, dropping the papers he was carrying onto Tai's desk with a loud thud. "There you go. I think we should start by going over last quarter's figures."

Tai glanced downward at the papers, all of which bore a variety of charts and statistics, before he frowned. "What the hell is this? Who's been post-dating their Friday numbers?"

Davis glanced at the spreadsheet before consulting a clipboard he was carrying, muttering indistinctly as he flipped through sheets. Finally, he stopped and tapped the page. "Nina Koumi. She works on the tenth floor in networking."

"Fire her," Tai said tiredly, running his hand through her hair.

"Bit sudden, don't you think?" Davis asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Possibly. But she's throwing the Net Usage Stats out of whack. Get rid of her and find someone else." Davis made a note on the clipboard. "All right."

"Where the heck is Izzy?" Tai asked irritably, scanning the papers before him. "He can go through this a lot faster than I can."

"He's down at Administration," Davis replied, shrugging. "He's interviewing some new secretary to replace Tina."

Tai looked up at him. He couldn't recall Davis's secretary leaving. "When did you fire Tina?"

"Last week."

"Why?"

Davis blinked at him. "Because you told me to."

"Why don't I remember this?" Tai muttered, rubbing his temples. Davis smiled innocently. "Perhaps you ought to lay off the bottle."

Tai lifted a small box of toothpicks off the desk and threw it at him. Davis dodged sideways, letting it hit the door. "Temper, temper."

Tai muttered darkly under his breath and resumed perusing the spreadsheets. Davis watched him for several minutes, before speaking again.

"If you don't mind my asking, why are you so out of it this morning?" Davis inquired curiously. "And don't give me any crap about engine trouble, either."

Tai remained silent for several seconds, debating whether or not to speak. Then: "I met a girl."

"I kind of imagined," Davis said, nodding. Tai shook his head slowly. "No, it wasn't like that. I just met her this morning. I bumped into her on the subway. She... she was gorgeous, man. I mean seriously, fully, unbelievably gorgeous."

"Yeah?" Davis couldn't keep a note of surprise out of his voice. Tai Kamiya was famous, and by association, women went crazy for him. They would clamour for his attention, simper and beam at his words, and throw themselves at his feet in exchange for a mere smile. He never had trouble talking to them, and more nights than not, there was a different woman in his bed. But he never asked them to sleep with him. They asked him, and depending on his mood, he would either acquiesce to their request or refuse them.

However, although Tai was frequently around women and had slept with more than his fair share, he rarely became involved with any of them. Davis didn't think he had ever had a relationship that had lasted longer than a month, and that was pushing it. In fact, the only time Davis had ever heard Tai mention anything closely related to love was when he vaguely referenced a girl from his high school, Nora or Sora or something or other. Apparently he had dated her for more than a year (Davis's head nearly imploded upon hearing that) but when he asked why they had broken up, Tai evasively changed the subject.

"Yeah," Tai said, nodding his head slowly. His eyes were distant, staring over Davis's shoulder at something only he could see. "I ran into her on the subway. Like, literally. I knocked her stuff all over the ground and when I was helping her pick it up, I touched her hand. And I felt... weird. I couldn't say anything and I just sort of froze up. I haven't felt anything like that since..." he lapsed into thoughtful silence.

Davis was floored.

Tai, when at nightclubs, bars, or public events, was the very epitome of suave and confident. He could make women swoon to his every motion. The idea of him acting nervous, or unsure of himself, around a woman was a huge change.

Wow.

"Since...?" Davis prodded. But Tai merely shook his head and stood up, heading toward the door. "I need some air. I'll ask Izzy to come up and review this with me. Do you know anything about this person he's interviewing?"

"Not much," Davis replied truthfully. "I only saw her from behind. But man," he whistled lowly, "what I saw I liked. I don't ever think I've seen an ass that fine in my life."

Tai chuckled as they walked down the hall to the elevator. "And they say you're a womanizer."

"I only work with what God gave me," Davis grinned, punching the button, and the doors opened immediately.

Tai rode the elevator down, getting off at Administration. He strolled down the hallway, Davis following in his wake, as workers in the corridor respectfully moved to let them through. Several of the female employees gazed at the two with admiration: Davis for being as attractive as he was as well as on such friendly terms with Tai, and Tai for being... well, Tai. Davis winked at a female intern as he passed and she blushed immediately, looking quickly away.

Tai turned a corner and could see his friend Izzy inside a conference room, sitting at a small table and talking with a young woman seated across from him who had her back to the window. Tai looked her up and down approvingly. Davis hadn't been lying – the incredibly shortness of the woman's skirt and her firm, taut bottom were definitely inspiring.

"See what I mean," he said, motioning to her and smiling. "Bon appétit."

Tai rolled his eyes.

At that moment, the woman turned and Tai suddenly felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the world.

It was her.

The woman from the subway.

She sat comfortably in the leather chair as though she owned it, as though she was a princess and this was her palace. She didn't look at all anxious, and Tai wondered fleetingly if her nervousness that morning had been less to do with the job that he had originally thought.

But, that was probably wishful thinking.

She was nodding in response to whatever Izzy had said, her golden blonde curls bounding as she did so. Her lips parted and she said something back, a light smile gracing her lips as she spoke earnestly.

Hot damn, she's beautiful...

Mouth dry, he watched as she gently tugged on her skirt, her fingers brush her leg as she did so. Tai felt an electric flare of searing lust course through him, and in that moment he wanted to rush in there, sweep her onto the table, grind himself into her lithe body as she moaned his name and shuddered in his –

'Tai, what the hell is wrong with you?"

His fantasy sharply imploded and he found Davis staring at him, frowning slightly. "Are you drunk?"

"Of course not," he replied, regaining his senses. "I got a slight head rush. Now, I need to speak with Izzy regarding those figures." Without waiting for Davis to reply, he pulled open the door and went inside the conference room.

Izzy's voice drifted out to greet him. "...and that fundamentally concludes the extent of what your duties would involve in this position, Miss Tachikawa," he was saying.

Tachikawa. So that was her name.

"I love how you use such big words," the woman giggled, batting her lashes at Izzy, who blushed ever so slightly. "You sound just like a big dictionary. And please, call me Mimi."

Mimi. Mimi Tachikawa.

"Of course... Mimi," his redheaded friend replied, smiling faintly. He looked up as Tai entered the room and opened his mouth to speak, but Tai quickly put a finger to his lips, causing Izzy to give him a quizzical look, but he didn't otherwise react. "It's been a pleasure meeting you." He stood, stowing a collection of files back into a briefcase which lay on the table.

"Likewise," she said smoothly, standing. Tai walked up behind her, unable to believe his good fortune. Struck by a sudden inspiration, he edged up behind her and placed both hands on the table next to her, leaning in so that his mouth was very close to her ear and he was close enough to breath in the lilac scent of her perfume mixed with the cinnamon of her hair.

"Your perfume is exquisite," he said into her ear.

Her reaction was immediate and explosive. "Get away from me, you pervert!" she snapped, jerking away as though she had been burned and whirling around, eyes burning with haughty anger and lips pursed in a sexy frown. Then, she saw who he was and let out a quiet squeak, clapping her hands over her mouth, which had flown open into a perfect O of surprise.

"I – I didn't – see you –" she stammered through her hands. Tai smirked, leaning back and taking in the woman's appearance, enjoying it even more than he had in the subway.

"That," he replied easily, "is obvious."

The woman – Mimi Tachikawa, his mind whispered – stood frozen in place before him, eyes wide and fearful, fingers still covering her mouth.

"Miss Tachikawa, this is Taichi Kamiya," Izzy said, giving Tai a disapproving glance that clearly stated he thought he was being a jerk.

"I – I know," the woman replied faintly, cheeks a radiant pink.

Tai extended his hand. "It's an honour to meet you, Miss Tachikawa," he said pleasantly, lips quirked in a cocky smile. The woman hesitantly reached out and shook his hand. She let go extremely quickly and began unconsciously smoothing her skirt.

"Mr. Kamiya is the CEO here at NEC," Izzy continued, still giving him the look. The woman nodded in embarrassment, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "And this young man is Davis Motomiya, IT procurement manager."

"How do you do, ma'am?" Davis said calmly, taking her hand and planting a light kiss on it before the woman could protest. He saw the woman turn an ever darker shade of pink, and suddenly Tai felt a sharp stab of irritation toward his old friend.

"Davis, I'm afraid I need to send you to back down to data management," Tai said quickly. "If you could bring the updated figures to my desk by tomorrow."

"Sure thing, boss," Davis drawled, grinning at him and sending him a knowing wink. "See you later, Izzy. Ma'am, I'll look forward to seeing you again." With that, he strolled leisurely out of the room.

Tai turned back to Izzy, who was still looking at him in quiet amusement, and the woman – Mimi – who was standing awkwardly next to him. "Anyways," Izzy said, breaking the silence. "I still have several people to meet with regarding the position, but I'll be sure to give you a call if anything comes –"

"Forget that," Tai interrupted, receiving surprised glances from both of them. "I don't need to see the other candidates. I think Miss Tachikawa has more than enough to handle this position, don't you?" he let his gaze roam across her light shirt and the way it fit snugly over her breasts. She flushed, looking simultaneously embarrassed and scandalized.

"I... guess," Izzy said cautiously.

"Excellent," Tai said briskly, clapping his hands. "In that case, you're hired. Izzy, my office, please. I have several things to discuss with you."

"Of course," his friend replied. He turned and smiled at their newest hire. "I hope to see you soon, Mimi." He turned and was gone.

As the door shut behind him, Tai leaned against the back of one of the table chairs and crossed one ankle in front of the other, looking her up and down. "So."

The words spilled out of her in a rush. "I'm sorry about my outburst, Mr. Kamiya –"

He waved his hand carelessly, causing her to stop midsentence. "I'm surprised I ran into you again," he said instead.

"Thank you for hiring me," she replied quietly.

He smiled lightly. "Just keeping my word. I said I would hire you on the spot." He glanced down at her skirt. "And if it's any consolation, you can hardly see the stain."

She giggled, both relieved and uneasy. "Thank you."

"I'd like you to start as soon as possible," he said. "Tomorrow, preferably. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Mr. Kamiya," she nodded earnestly. He smirked. "You'll be working under my colleague Davis in data management. It won't be anything difficult, probably just filing and a bit of correspondence."

She nodded again.

"I'll go over this in more detail with you later," Tai said. "Perhaps you'd allow me to take you out for that cup of coffee? We could discuss things further."

"Oh! Sure," the woman nodded again, smiling. "I'd like that."

"Perfect. How's twelve sound?"

x x x x

"Would you care to tell me exactly what that was all about?" Izzy asked when they were back in Tai's office. The young man grinned, leaning back in his swivel chair and rotating back and forth.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tai, you practically stripped her naked just by looking at her."

"Did I? I don't recall being so brazen."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "That's because you haven't pulled your head out of your ass long enough to notice."

Tai feigned a look of bewilderment and hurt. "Ouch, Izzy. I don't know where these unprovoked attacks are coming from, but don't forget that I can fire you if they become too much for my fragile self esteem to cope with."

"Positively hilarious," Izzy said dryly. "I appreciate the obvious time and effort you've put into your threats, Tai, but we both know that without me you'd be in a straightjacket before the week was out."

Tai grinned, knowing his friend was absolutely right. Izzy had a flair for all things technological, and his vast knowledge about computers and his organizational skills made him an invaluable asset to the company. There was no way Tai could have kept sane without Izzy to look after his business proceedings.

"Fair point," he conceded. "In any case, it was perfectly harmless. I just met her earlier and I figured I had to do the polite thing and acknowledge that."

"And I must say, you did so in a highly professional and not at all creepy fashion," Izzy smirked. Tai laughed. "Be that as it may. I'm meeting her for lunch soon to go over the details of the job."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Izzy asked, raising his eyebrows.

Tai frowned. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you're you," his personal advisor retorted. "Everyone knows how you are with women, and she's definitely going to get the wrong idea if you start taking her out for drinks."

"I'm not going to frighten her off, Izzy, don't worry."

"Good. Just try to keep it in check. Now, let's go over the spreadsheets for next month's system transition..."

x x x x

He went out for lunch at a quarter to twelve and made his way to the small café where he had arranged to meet Mimi. He entered and chose a seat near the window, where he stretched out luxuriously on the cushioned booth and began to scan the street for a glimpse of her. At precisely two minutes to twelve, he saw her crossing the street in her high-heeled shoes, heading for the café.

He smiled inwardly as he watched her stride purposefully down the street, pink handbag swinging from her arm, designer sunglasses perched on her nose. Here was one who certainly didn't stress over what other people thought of her.

She pulled open the door and walked inside, looking around the room for him. He raised his hand and waved slightly in her direction. He saw her eyes light up as she saw him, and she nodded slightly as she made her way across the crowded café and toward him.

"Glad you could make it," he said as she sat down opposite him. She smiled. "Hello again, Mr. Kamiya."

He smirked. "Would you care for something to drink?"

"Yes, please," she said. He raised an arm and signalled a waitress across the room, who came over so quickly it was as though she were tied to a string.

"Yes?" the girl asked, smiling brightly at Tai and leaning over the table.

"Coffee black," Tai said easily, nodding in greeting and ignoring the waitress' promiscuous attitude. "And a blueberry scone. And for yourself, Miss Tachikawa?"

She turned slightly red but otherwise didn't react. "Double espresso please, with extra cinnamon. And a banana nut muffin."

The waitress beamed and retreated.

"You look amazing," Tai said after the waitress had left. Two pink dots appeared in Mimi's cheeks. "I'm dressed the same as I was this morning."

"And my statement applies for then too," he said, smiling. She squirmed in her seat. "Tell me a little about yourself," he continued, leaning back in his seat and draping one arm loosely across the cushioned booth. "How long have you been in the city?"

"Only a couple of months," she replied, grateful for the change of topic. "I used to live here as a child, but then I moved to New York. I went to university there until I realized I didn't enjoy the career I was pursuing and came over here to start over."

"What career was that?"

"I worked as a newspaper columnist."

"And that didn't turn out well?"

"I got bored with it," she replied truthfully. "It was too hectic and I got tired of following people around everywhere just for a story. Also, I had some personal issues there as well, and in the long run it just made more sense for me to come back home."

He did nothing but smile at her. She looked up and met his eyes, then quickly looked away. He sat back and waited for it, not speaking, and soon enough she glanced his way again, looking wary and apprehensive. "Is there some reason you keep staring at me?"

He didn't reply at once. Instead, he leaned back and scrutinized her, the faint smile still present on his face.

"We've met before, did you know that?" he asked. She nodded. "Well... yes. In the subway."

"No. Before that."

She blinked. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that's possible."

"Why's that?" he prodded.

"I really think I would have remembered meeting you."

"Is that so?" he grinned widely. "Might I ask why?"

"Because you're so – well, I mean, you're too –" she blushed and let her voice fade away. "When did we meet?"

Tai smiled at her obvious discomfort. "Elementary school." He wondered why it had taken him so long to remember. "After school on Fridays the boys soccer team would always go and practice in the field. And groups of girls would always watch us from the playground. Do you remember ever doing that?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Yes..."

He grinned, continued. "One day a certain little boy accidentally kicked the ball too hard and broke a window. Naturally, before any teachers could catch him, he ran away. And that day, there was only one girl at the playground at the time, and she let the panicked boy hide in the slide with her. Do you remember that?"

She turned radish red then and clapped her hands to her mouth. "Oh, my God!"

He laughed loudly. "And in the midst of our entanglement and pathetic attempt at hiding together, you kissed me."

She burst out laughing.

It was the first time he had heard her laugh. It was an intoxicating sound. Her voice was soft and melodic, and her dulcet tones shone like music in his ears. "Oh God, I remember..."

"Kids just wanna have fun," he quipped smartly.

"This is so embarrassing..." she murmured, but she was unable to stifle another giggle. "If I'd known that boy was going to make me re-enact Romeo and Juliet in a big red slide, I would have given him up to the authorities." He grinned, barely looking up as the disgruntled waitress returned with their requested items. Mimi immediately reached out for her espresso, but he beat her to it and pulled it out of her reach. "Ah, ah, ah."

She stared coolly at him. "May I please have my drink back, Mr. Kamiya?" she asked, eyelashes fluttering.

Tai shook his head slowly. "Not until you manage to convince me that I made the right choice in hiring you."

She sighed in exasperation. "Because I'm pretty in pink, I shower every day, and I sleep topless in the summertime. Happy?"

His mouth dropped open in astonishment and she stared at him boldly, unafraid. He slowly closed his mouth and grinned ever so slightly.

Looks like she's got some fire in her. Interesting. I do so love a girl who's not afraid to talk back.

"My, my, Miss Tachikawa," he said, raising his eyebrows in amusement. "You've quite the mouth on you."

"And I'm not afraid to use it," she said, smiling sweetly.

He sighed in mock defeat and held his hand out, the steaming espresso nestled in his fingers. "Would you like this back, Miss Tachikawa?"

"It's Mimi, Mr. Kamiya."

"It's Tai, Mimi."

They both grinned.

She reached out and took her coffee back, her fingers lightly brushing his as she did so. He felt that electric sensation again and unconsciously half-closed his eyes. He moved his fingers minutely so that they pressed against hers, and she grew very still, eyes wide and staring at their hands, which were hesitantly sliding together like two lovers exploring each other for the first time. Her touch was cool and soft, like a balm on his skin, which was suddenly radiating heat.

He swallowed hard. She noticed this and pulled away, cheeks slowly turning red as she did so. She raised the espresso and hastily drank. He mirrored her, watching her over the rim of his cup, still flabbergasted at what had happened. Why did he react so strongly to the simplest things when it came to this woman?

They stayed for half an hour, talking the entire time. He came to realize that she was somewhat superficial, and seemed to adore most things related to fashion and the more expensive the better. Her slight vanity and naive attitude did nothing to deter him, however. He liked a challenge.

When both their coffees were done and their plates were littered with nothing but crumbs, Tai looked at his watch and sighed heavily. For some reason, he was not at all eager to call their meeting to a close, and would have much preferred to spend the day talking with Mimi. However, he had to get back to the office, and Mimi no doubt had plans of her own.

"I should... probably go," he said quietly.

She nodded back a little too quickly. "Oh. Yes, of course."

He stood up and held out his arm to her. "May I walk you outside, Miss Tachikawa?" She blushed prettily and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. His stomach tingled gently, as though he had eaten live butterflies instead of a blueberry scone. He tossed several bills onto the table, and then walked her to the door and out into the street.

"Well, I'm this way," she said, motioning in a direction.

"I'm this way," he echoed, indicating the opposite.

They both stared at each other for several seconds, neither one moving, simply looking at each other. Then, Mimi shifted her feet, and Tai felt himself grow hot in the face. "I – I'll see you around," he managed, fiddling with his hands.

"Goodbye, Tai," she murmured, before turning aside and wandering away down the street. His heart leapt into his throat as he watched her sashay away, hips swinging with a delicate yet self-assured sense of sexiness. She was beautiful.

And God, he loved the way she said his name.

And knowing this combination, knowing himself, he was headed for a major catastrophe.