Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed the first chapter! Here's chapter two of this short story (I predict 4 chapters at the very most) and it will be the lunch date! Of course, this story is under the genre of humor, so there would be funny bits here and there. Or at least, I hope they would be.

Watch them play the flirting game!

Enjoy!

Title: Let us fall in love


For once in goodness-knows-how-many-years, Taisho Sesshoumaru found himself about to go out for lunch during lunch break with the most desirable girl in his company.

He felt slightly nervous, fidgety and tingly all over.

Wait a minute.

Wasn't he supposed to be cool, composed, slick and simply invincible at everything?

Rather, that was what he firmly wanted to believe. Perhaps he really was good at most things – he had been outstanding at sports back in school, excellent at his studies, crowned prom king in every prom he had attended, talented at work…

What about love?

Nah, an irritating little voice drawled lazily in his mind. You're a teeny-weeny baby greenhorn when it comes to the L.O.V.E.

But I've had girlfriends! He mentally argued.

Girlfriends? You call those girls you slept with randomly girlfriends? You're downright pathetic, Sesshoumaru. Granted, you do look pretty good, but you are only good at seducing ladies at pubs. Courting and cherishing a lady is entirely different from that.

Sesshoumaru cursed his inner self for being right.

He was nervous, at the prospect of walking alongside the gorgeous pair of Kate Spade Caitlyn heels and being enveloped in the cloud of Coco Mademoiselle-scented fairy air with the most amazing girl.

The earlier phone conversation with her had been bad enough – he certainly was not counting on her to agree so readily, and in his state of confusion and inexperience, Sesshoumaru had only been able to come up with a tragically pathetic 'alright'.

Alright? ALRIGHT?

Puh-leeze.

Higurashi Kagome was Miss Popularity, for goodness' sake.

It was not at all alright. In fact, it was a downright pathetic reply.

His crush on her was so bad; he could not effectively summon the cool, collected Sesshoumaru in him. How ironical things could get…he was always so confident around the girls he used to go out with, but just when he met one which he really, really liked, he found himself unable to exude the similar charm he possessed. He would be stoic like how he usually was, and perhaps even more stoic than usual due to the pressure he faced.

That would surely scare sweet, lovely Kagome sprinting away from him as quickly as she could manage in her branded-heels-of-the-week.

Damn.

How on earth was he going to win against all that competition? Sure, he had the money that most of them would never ever have, but that was beside the point. She apparently did like labels and branded goods, but she did not seem to be the sort who would date or marry for money. This was why his usual advantage over most men did not help him in the least when it came to Higurashi Kagome. She was simply too popular, with too many choices laid out in front of her. Every breathing male liked her to some extent.

Even ugly old Jaken.

Competition was too strong. But Sesshoumaru decided that he would definitely prevail over all his rivals. Sesshoumaru never, ever lost at anything. Even when he was a toddler, he would fight with Inuyasha over the bucket and the spade at the sandpit, and he would win.

He would always win, wouldn't he?

Smugly, Sesshoumaru concluded that winning was his destiny. (Being humble was obviously not one of his strong points.)

A moment later, subconsciously, he found his own hands moving over the crown of his head, smoothing out any possible tangles or messiness in his hair.

What the hell are you doing, Taisho Sesshoumaru? His inner self cackled wickedly. Did I just catch you arranging your hair like some lovesick teenage school boy on his first date?? You're absolutely pathetic!

Sesshoumaru hurriedly removed his hands away from his head and secured his mask of indifference back on his face. That was how immense the power of Higurashi Kagome was; she was able to haunt one and dominate his actions and thoughts even without being in the vicinity.

Knock, knock.

"Come in." He answered calmly. It must be Jaken with the documents for the meeting later.

"Mr. Taisho?"

Shit.

He could already smell the lingering Coco Mademoiselle floating towards him, like an enchanted baby pink cloud of magic swirled with pearly black, which were the main colors of her outfit.

"Yes?"

She looked confused by his weird reply, unsure as to what she should say to that. Then the beautiful, innocent temptress looked questioningly at him with her mesmerizing doe eyes as she gingerly fingered the string of Mikimoto pearls around her neck.

Damn.

There was just something about Higurashi Kagome that was so captivating, and Sesshoumaru realized what it was. It was her innate ability to appear sweet, elegant yet wickedly naughty at the very same time.

This incidentally happened to be what he looked for in a girl.

A few weeks ago, there was the elegant OL thigh-length chiffon dress, matched with a girlish Louis Vuitton Papillion PM. Her shoes were equally elegant without the wicked touch, being Christian Dior's Dior Folies Suede Pumps. It seemed safe and conservative, until he noticed how she pulled the sleeves down after work to convert the elegant dress into a sexy off-shoulder dress which flaunted her collarbones.

Absolutely, unbearably wicked.

Then there was the dark grey pant suit she wore, matched with a Gucci Pelham shoulder bag. There was really nothing very special with that outfit, until he saw her up close at the pantry. That innocent seductress had worn a creamy off-white lace top underneath that pant suit coat, giving him a very subtle view of the rounded curve of the top of her breasts.

Once again, she had added a touch of naughtiness to what would otherwise be cool and professional.

So this week was the Mikimoto pearls, elegant yet sultry when fingered so slowly.

He continued to look at her, his face set in a frozen, expressionless gaze.

She thought he was just being stoic. But in actual fact, Sesshoumaru just did not know what to do in the face of her potent combination of beauty, elegance, naughtiness, kindness and friendliness.

"I thought we were going out for, umm, lunch? And it is lunch time, so…" She allowed her words to trail. "So…if you are ready, then…"

ARRRRRGH!!!

Kagome wanted to cry out loud. For goodness' sake, why was Taisho Sesshoumaru's face so expressionless? Why was he making it so difficult for her? Was it deliberate? It was making her as nervous as hell and all she wanted to do was to find a hole and crawl into it. She should have known it would be awkward. For all she knew the lunch date call had been a prank by someone else who did not want her to go out with Kouga and-

"I am."

"Oh." She breathed in relief. "OK."

"Shall we go?"

"Sure!" Kagome smiled brightly, almost succeeding in eliciting a smile on Sesshoumaru's face. "But just give me a moment…I left my cell phone on Mr. Inagaki's car. I'd need to go get that first."

Inagaki Miroku again.

Sesshoumaru felt jealousy eat at him like a vile serpent. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to admit that Kagome was most probably having a special relationship with Miroku, who happened to be a married man.

And he, Taisho Sesshoumaru, CEO of Taisho Corporation, all-rounder at virtually everything except for love, was just a lunch partner.

Who, essentially, made use of his authority and demanded to lunch with her.


Fifteen minutes later, Sesshoumaru found himself sitting in a fancy French-Japanese fusion restaurant named Ma Maison at Shibuya 109. He was still feeling a little airy in the head from the uncountable number of admiring stares that Kagome had received on their way to the restaurant. Even the young waiter was trying to sneak glances at her while pretending to be professional.

It felt damn good walking alongside the most beautiful girl in the office, and he secretly decided that she would, at the very least, make a fantastic trophy wife. They looked fantastic together, even when she wore 3.5" heels that would dwarf most Japanese men, for Sesshoumaru still towered over her.

"What would you like to have, Miss Higurashi?" He asked gentlemanly, half-expecting her to order a Caesar salad and nothing else.

"Hmm…" She looked back down at the menu placed in front of her, her face revealing her inner dilemma over which dish she would prefer. "I would like to have the bacon and mushroom omurice, along with a cream of cauliflower."

This was the first time he had gone out with a girl who did not survive on what he dubbed the bunny diet.

"And you, Mr. Taisho?"

"I will go for the Doteni Hamburger." He decided. "Thank you."

The waiter took down their orders and left with a polite bow.

Kagome smiled her trademark alluring smile again. "That's a good choice. The demi glaze sauce that comes along with it has been left to simmer for 28 days before it is served. I've tried it before…it's really delicious."

Not as delicious as you are…Sesshoumaru thought involuntarily as he looked at her.

"Is this your first time here?" She asked, attempting to create conversation which her drop-dead gorgeous but oh-so-serious boss. The cozy cottage-like décor of the shop was making it easier for her with its light, romantic atmosphere.

He nodded.

Her eyes widened.

"First time as in Ma Maison? Or Shibuya 109?"

He looked back at her expressionlessly. "Both."

"Oh." Kagome could not believe her ears. Shibuya 109 had got to be one of the coolest and hippest shopping places in Tokyo…and Mr. Taisho, aka Mr. Big-shot-CEO, had never been to this place before?

He was…well…for the lack of better words…

Uncool.

He cleared his throat politely to snap her out of her reverie. That worked.

"Is that very strange, Miss Higurashi?"

She tried to wipe off the astounded expression off her face and settled for a sincere, polite smile. "No, not at all. You must be a very busy man."

She realized how cute he looked when he had that questioning expression on.

Maybe she would try, just for a teeny-weeny bit, to flirt with him. Even though he most probably had a wife or a girlfriend or something, judging from the nicely-prepared packed lunch he brought to work every day.

Here goes nothing.

"Actually, Mr. Taisho…you can call me Kagome. I mean, this is a casual lunch, not a conference or a meeting."

"No," He replied, witnessing how her alluring smile sublimed off her pretty features in an instant. Disappointment was starting to creep into her face.

"How could I address you as Kagome when you are addressing me as Mr. Taisho?"

So he knew how to flirt as well! Kagome might as well have discovered gravity. With elation in her heart, she broke into a bright grin that reminded him of fields of buttercups with summer sunshine shining down upon them.

"Sesshoumaru." She called out his name, mindful to add a little, just a little, pinch of fondness.

Sesshoumaru never expected his name to be able to sound so sensual and so endearing from a woman's lips.

"Kagome." He addressed her in return, deliberately making it sound lower in a more seductive hint.

She nodded in a satisfied smile and raised her glass of water to her lips, taking a tentative sip.

"So, Sesshoumaru, I have never seen you going out for lunch before."

"I bring my own lunch to work." He replied, a little too quickly to reveal his defensiveness of the topic.

"I've seen you eating those sometimes at the dining hall." She said. "They look really good. Did you make them yourself?"

He shook his head.

She felt a little twinge of dread as she asked with what she hoped to be a nonchalant face. Would it be a little too early to bring this topic into the conversation?

"Your wife or girlfriend made them?"

He caught sight of jealousy in her expressive eyes, even though the rest of her face hid it well. The Coco Mademoiselle scent even died down a little. Sesshoumaru decided smugly that he would prolong the suspense just for a little while.

He shrugged. "What do you think?"

The nerve of him! Kagome was beyond shocked. She had never been out with a guy who played mind games with her. Most of the guys she had gone out with were simply too eager to please and it became unbearably boring after half an hour.

He played mind games, but still, he was forgiven for being almost god-like in his sexiness when he shrugged.

For a moment she forgot the man sitting across the table was her boss. "How would I know?" She replied haughtily, pretending not to care in the least. The 3.5" Kate Spade Caitlyn clicked against the tiled flooring.

Sesshoumaru suppressed a laugh. Taisho Corporation's Miss Popularity looked extremely delectable when she was feigning disinterest.

He decided to put her out of her misery.

"No. I don't have a girlfriend, not to mention a wife."

"I see." She had a ghost of a smile lingering on her lips, and Sesshoumaru noted that with smug satisfaction. She apparently liked the idea of him being single and available.

"What about you, Kagome?"

It was her turn to play. "Who do you think I am close too?"

"I have no idea. Almost all the men at the office seem to be rather attracted to you." He shrugged.

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows rose questioningly. "Almost?" Kagome asked innocently, before her eyes caught his and she held his gaze sensually. "Are you the exception, Sesshoumaru?"

"That would be for you to guess, dear Kagome."

"I would think so." She flirted subtly and blatantly at the very same time.

"You'd never know." He replied smoothly. "My guess, however, is that you share a pretty close relationship with one of the males in the office."

This comment from him took her by surprise. She did not even know there was someone whom she was particularly close to.

"Who's that?"

Sesshoumaru was amazed at how she could keep a straight face and appear genuinely confused. "Inagaki Miroku." He might as well have spat that name out.

"Mr. Inagaki?"

He thought I am in love with Miroku? Kagome thought incredulously.

And for the very first time in his highly-disciplined, righteous and gentlemanly life, Sesshoumaru found himself acting like a hypocrite. Totally, hopelessly, out of character, but he felt he had to save Kagome from ending up as the third party in someone else's marriage.

Or perhaps the reason was not half as noble. He just wanted her for himself, even if he had to badmouth Miroku.

"Don't you know he is married?" Sesshoumaru pointed out a little bitchier than he should have sounded.

Kagome frowned, her pretty features reflecting greater confusion.

"I know that." She answered him in a matter-of-factly manner. "I believe I know that better than anyone else in the office. What's wrong with that?"

"Then don't you think you should stop seeing him?" Sesshoumaru continued, trying to keep emotions out of his face. He obviously succeeded, because Kagome appeared even more confused. "You should be going out with someone who is not attached, and who can buy you even more of the fancy things you like."

And that's me, he silently added.

Kagome suddenly looked as if some ground-shaking truth dawned upon her, before she doubled over in her seat, her face turning cherry with the effort to hold back hysterical laughter.

"Why are you-"

Sesshoumaru did not get to finish his sentence, for the waiter interrupted.

"Here's the minestrone soup for the gentleman, and the cream of cauliflower for the lady."

He continued looking questioningly at Kagome, slightly annoyed and curious, while she coughed lightly to stop the laughter from erupting from within.


To be continued…

A/N: And the flirting war goes on! Please let me know if you guys liked this! And thank you to all those who reviewed/will be reviewing. You guys are the best! Your feedback and reviews always make me write faster.