AN: sorry for the long wait, guys! But I have my new laptop and midterms are over! The final chapter of Sex and Drugs is still in the process of being written. I had to rewrite it because I lost what I had written when my last laptop died. But until then, enjoy this chapter!
Warning: angst and some language
A Whore's Life
Chapter 3: Happy Birthday
Inuyasha gripped the receiver of the phone hard, causing his knuckles to turn white. On the other line of the phone was a man whom he hated above all others. His arrogance and aura of superiority rubbed Inuyasha the wrong way. Not to mention that this man had developed a strong liking to beating him up at every opportunity.
"What do you want, Sesshoumaru. It's my birthday and you're ruining it." Inuyasha ground out through his teeth.
"I'm not calling to provoke you, little brother," Sesshoumaru started calmly. "I'm calling bearing grave news. Your mother has lost her battle with breast cancer and has passed away during the night."
Inuyasha slumped down into the nearest chair, shocked and unable to speak. His mind was blank, denial springing to life.
"Y-You're joking, right? This is just some sick joke you've decided to play, isn't it? Because this is really not funny, Sesshoumaru."
"Your presence is required today for the reading of the will and to make preparations for the funeral. Seeing as you were her only living relative before she passed everything falls onto your shoulders." Sesshoumaru paused, waiting for any indication that his brother was still listening.
After a few moments of silence Inuyasha spoke, "I've always known you to be a bastard, Sesshoumaru, but this time you've gone too far." Inuyasha gave a small, disbelieving laugh.
"Inuyasha, listen to me. Your mother is dead. Pull yourself together and meet me at the lawyers office at noon. Afterwards I will take you to the morgue so you may…see her… if you so wish." Sesshoumaru sighed and hung up the phone.
Inuyasha stared at the receiver expecting Sesshoumaru to admit to his sick joke and laugh in Inuyasha's face. When all he heard was the operator asking him to hang up and try his number again the harsh reality of the situation began to sink in.
His mother was dead. His only living relative that cared.
-------------------------------------------
The following week flew by in a blur. Inuyasha took the entire week off to prepare for the funeral and sign legal document after legal document. There was no time for him to grieve, so when the day of the funeral arrived he felt like he was attending someone else's mother's funeral instead of his own.
The day was pleasant, chilly but sunny with little cloud. It dampened Inuyasha's already sour mood knowing the gods were laughing at him by allowing the weather to be pleasant rather than damp and gloomy like a funeral was supposed to be.
A large crowd, all dressed in black, gathered around the elaborate cherry wood coffin adorned with Lily of the Valley flowers. Soft music played in the background and people talked in whispers.
But when the priest approached and started off with a prayer Inuyasha found his mind refused to focus on the words and began to drift.
A hand rested on his shoulder in support and Inuyasha knew it was Miroku without looking.
The priest continued to speak, and soft sobs and whimpers echoed in Inuyasha's ears. Still, he could hear nothing as events from the past week kept replaying in his mind.
Choosing the final resting place, the coffin, for his mother had been most difficult. It would be the last bed she would ever lie in. He nearly punched the person trying to sell him the coffin just out of spite.
Choosing the clothes she would wear had been far easier. He already knew what she would have wanted to wear, it was her favorite traditional kimono made of silk. The sicko that was to dress his dead mother and apply her make-up strongly objected to his choice, claiming the kimono to be a family heirloom and priceless. He stated quite frankly that the kimono should be hung in a museum rather than dressed on a corpse. Inuyasha did punch the guy for that comment.
In the middle of his thoughts Inuyasha heard the priest call his name. He stepped forward, ignoring the condolences and wet faces as he passed by. He kept his hands in the pockets of his suite and refused to meet anyone's eye.
Inuyasha opened his mouth to recite the speech he had prepared the night before, and then shut it. When he looked around all the expectant faces he decided to toss out the prepared speech and speak whatever came to him.
"I'm not ready to say good-bye, not yet. She was the only one to love me wholly and see through all my temper tantrums and she even hugged me when I was arrested for getting into a bar fight…" He paused and regarded the shocked faces with apathy.
"I can't say good-bye to the one woman who has loved me unconditionally, not yet. And I can't share to you how much her presence will be missed. She was the most understanding and patient person, even throughout my teenage years I have never once heard her raise her voice or become angry. Every time I got in trouble, each time I got hurt, every time a woman cheated on me, every moment I succeeded and accomplished something… she was always there. She always understood and always gave out a hug and advice, which I almost never followed just to spite her. I can't say good-bye to her, because she'll never leave me. She'll always be my conscience, telling me that ramen is not a breakfast food and to replace the toilet paper roll when the last one runs out of paper…" Inuyasha paused and smiled when he heard a few chuckles. "She'll always be with me."
Inuyasha continued his short speech, reminiscing of times past, of hurtful memories and of fond memories. He spoke without truly knowing what he was saying but kept on speaking anyway until at last when the backs of his eyes started to prickle he said his "I'll see you again someday, mom" and walked back to his position on the right side of the coffin.
Miroku's hand dropped on Inuyasha's shoulder again, and once more Inuyasha tuned everything out and refused to listen to the other speeches.
Time passed and soon final farewells were said as the many grievers began to depart, leaving only Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sesshoumaru behind. Sesshoumaru soon left, without a word, and Miroku departed as well, stating he would wait in the car to drive Inuyasha back to his apartment.
When everyone had left, leaving just Inuyasha behind, he seemed to come to… only then realizing the funeral was over and that it was his turn to finally let go and say good-bye. But he couldn't form the words. His tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth and his brain refused to cooperate. So he just stared at the wood coffin.
After a few moments he let out a loud sniff and stepped forward to place two lily of the valley flowers on top of the coffin then turned around to walk back to the car. "I can't say good-bye to you, mom, not just yet. Time was stolen from us."
He walked through the large and eerily quiet cemetery without looking at the surroundings until he heard a woman clear her throat to his left.
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head, his eyebrows furrowing in anger.
"What are you doing here?" He spat out.
"I came to see you…. I heard about your mother and wanted to make sure you were okay."
Inuyasha snorted in disbelief. "Well I'm fine, so beat it." He continued walking to the car, ignoring the woman as she ran to catch up with and match his long strides.
"I also came by to apologize." She said. When Inuyasha refused to say anything she continued, "I was drunk that night, Inu-baby, I didn't know what I was doing. I was hoping we could talk about this and see if we could work things out between us." Inuyasha stopped walking to listen but didn't look at her. "I'm sorry, Inu-baby. I hope you can forgive me someday."
"Did you practice saying all that bullshit?" Inuyasha snapped.
"What?" She stepped back at his sudden outburst.
"Do you honestly expect me to think you were drunk? Because I have never heard a drunk person talk so coherently before in my entire life."
"Inu-baby, please!"
"Shut it, wench! I am not your baby, and never was. It is just as you said in that bathroom after I caught you cheating on me… I never truly cared for you." He said slowly, the fists at his side began to shake in anger, but he would never lash out at her. He could never hurt a woman physically.
"You don't understand! You have to believe me! He must have given me some kind of drug, or something! All I ever wanted was to be with you!" The woman stepped forward and grasped Inuyasha's suit. He shrugged her off a little harder than he intended.
"Ha! You never wanted to be with me! I knew that from the start! Do you honestly believe me to be that dense? I knew from the beginning you just wanted my money! You wanted to live in comfort and style and have a good screw. And now that my mom is dead and I'm to inherit a lot you come crawling back to me claiming to have been drugged! I'm not stupid!"
"Inuyasha, please! That's not it at all!" She pleaded.
"Get lost, Kikyou, I want nothing to do with you." He said and then walked away leaving her alone in the cemetery.
By the time he reached the car he was seething and bubbling with nearly uncontrolled anger. He spotted a street stand near the car and walked toward it instead. He heard Miroku call out his name from within the car, but ignored him.
"Oi," Inuyasha said loudly in order to get the vendor's attention. "How much for a pack of these?" He said, pointing to a pack of cigarettes. Before waiting he placed some money on the counter and took a pack and a lighter.
Inuyasha quickly lit one and took a long draft while watching a frowning Miroku approach.
"I didn't know you smoked." Miroku said, waving away the noxious fumes.
"I don't. Well, I don't normally. Kikyou showed up and it was either punch her or smoke a cigarette. And I don't hit women."
Miroku wrapped an arm around Inuyasha's shoulders and walked him back to the car. Inuyasha dropped the smoldering cigarette to the concrete below and stepped on it.
"Ya know, Inuyasha, we never got a chance to celebrate your birthday. How about we go someplace tonight. Maybe I'll be able to convince Sango to join us. How about it?" Miroku said a bit too cheerily. "I've got a great present for you, but unfortunately I can't give it to you just yet, bud. I'm still negotiating with this sleazy, but cunning…er…salesman… over the price…. So until then, let's go out and celebrate your twenty-sixth!"
"Yeah, happy fucking birthday to me." Inuyasha replied.
-------------------------------------------
It was morning. Thank god, it was morning. The night had been awful. There were just one too many Johns and Kagome didn't think her body could take any more abuse.
For the last two weeks, ever since Kagome declared to The Benefactor that she would be leaving, the number of Johns seemed to have doubled. It was like being the newbie on the block all over again.
Kagome groaned and robed herself before walking down the familiar dirty hallways with all the other girls, the thick wad of cash hidden in her inside robe pocket.
There was already a line when she reached The Benefactor's office and she could smell the disgusting stench of cigar smoked laced in among the smell of sex and sweat.
Next to her Eri and Ayumi chatted amiably, talking about that night and the Johns they received. Kagome noticed that they never talked about their regulars, and wondered if they even had regulars to talk about. Before she was able to voice her question The Benefactor called her into his office. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, masking her hatred of the man.
He leaned back in his chair as she entered, a very large, very malicious grin plastered to his face. Placing the cigar in his mouth he looked her up and down, just like every other morning.
"Close the door, Higurashi." He said. She complied without so much as a word and then turned to face the hated man once more. She heard the noisy talking outside the office change to excited whispers; The Benefactor never closed his door unless there was something very important or serious going on.
"Someone's taken an interest in you, Higurashi." He started, his eyes wandering everywhere but her face. She said nothing and quelled the urge to cross her arms across her chest. She stuck her chin out defiantly.
"Stubborn as ever I see. I suppose you've noticed the increase in Johns lately. You certainly smell like it, you reek worse than a dead pig."
He was trying to goad her. He was trying to provoke her into getting angry with him. It was working.
"I lowered the price on your pretty face to teach you that you're no better than the rest of the whores in my house. I've been getting quite a lot of feedback. I'm considering keeping it this way." His cold eyes gleamed with amusement. "In fact, I've thought about lowering it even more and increasing your Johns to about ten to fifteen a night."
"You wouldn't dare!" Kagome snapped. She stepped forward and slapped both hands down onto his wooden desk. Her robe slid, exposing her shoulder. The Benefactor stared at the exposed flesh completely unabashed.
"You don't want the extra money?" He said calmly, drawing on his cigar and blowing the smoke in her face. She turned her head as her eyes began to water.
"You want out, Higurashi? You want to be free of this place? To no longer stink like a constantly rutting animal?"
Kagome's eyes narrowed. There was a catch. There was always a catch with this man.
"What's going on in that sick head of yours? What's the catch?"
"Ah, as perceptive as always. I knew from the moment you walked in this office for the first time you were too smart for this place… and I wondered how long it would take you to figure it out."
"What's the catch, Onigumo!" Kagome yelled.
The Benefactor's eyes narrowed as he stood. With a quick jerk of his hand Kagome fell backwards, sprawled on the floor clutching her cheek where she had been backhanded. Her eyes stung with the tears she refused to let fall. She would not show any weakness to this man.
"You do not yell at me, whore! You do not call me by name! I am in charge and you will obey without question!" The Benefactor roared.
Outside the office there were audible gasps and excited murmurs. Kagome ignored them and swore under her breath as she tasted salty blood on her lower lip. It was already beginning to swell.
"I'm feeling generous and giving you an opportunity to redeem yourself as well as rid yourself as a common whore in this house." The Benefactor reverted back to his normal, slimy, malicious self and slinked back into his chair. He crossed his legs and regarded Kagome with interest and slight contempt.
"You? Generous?" Kagome wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand, smearing it across her face.
"There is a former client with a very wealthy friend. He wishes to give his wealthy friend an unforgettable birthday. He asked for the best in this house and assured me a great sum of money. I showed him all the girls' pictures and he selected you." The Benefactor paused to light another cigar.
"After some… negotiating… we came to a price and you will show this wealthy friend a good time for one entire night." The Benefactor waited patiently for Kagome's response.
"So where's the catch?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicious. "There has to be more than just bedding a former client's wealthy friend for a night."
The Benefactor grinned. "You, Higurashi, have a knack for getting regulars. No other whore in the house has regulars but you." He paused. "I'm willing to strike a compromise. You will be granted freedom from this house under two conditions. The first is that you make this wealthy friend want to become a regular of yours and thus a regular of this house. The second condition is that when this wealthy friend has become a regular of this house you will become my whore and my whore alone. I will see you every night and during the day you are as free as a bird."
"That's what you call freedom?" Kagome's anger spiked again. "I will never sleep with you!"
"What is worse, whore? Sleeping with just two men on a regular basis or screwing ten to fifteen every night for a living?"
Kagome was trapped any way she looked at it. If she refused his offer she would be forced to sleep with twice the men she normally slept with. She would be The Benefactor's slave, doing his bidding… unable to leave. On the other hand, if she were to accept his offer she would only have to put up with The Benefactor and this wealthy friend at night and be free to do as she pleased otherwise. But in the end she would still be trapped… under The Benefactor's constant surveillance. She didn't know what the lesser of two evils was.
"I'll agree, so long as I still get to keep the wages earned from the wealthy friend. And I want Saturday nights off for myself." Kagome said.
"You have no right to make negotiations, girl. I should flat-out refuse. But this wealthy friend is… very wealthy… and there is also no guarantee you'll make him a regular. But, if you do, then you get Saturdays off and your wages."
Kagome smiled and let out the breath she had been holding. She took out the money earned from the previous evening and gave it to him. He smirked, took it, and made a shooing motion... clearly meaning her to leave.
"What about my money?" She asked.
"What money? In our deal we never agreed that I would pay you until you did your thing with the wealthy friend."
"What kind of backhanded trickery is that!" She screeched. He only smirked in reply. "Fine! We also never agreed that I would work until then, either!" She turned and stomped out of the office and into the crowd of shocked girls.
Her three friends caught up with her quickly and started bombarding her with questions about the deal they had heard.
"I am so jealous, Kagome! The Benefactor never makes deals like that! And you won't have to work until then! And you'll be free!"
"Don't be silly, Yuka. I won't be free. The Benefactor would never allow me to be free. I'll be caged, like a bird. You heard him; I'll be his whore to do with as he pleases. He has no intention of letting me leave." Kagome replied quietly.
-------------------------------------------
A week had passed since the funeral and Inuyasha was ready to strangle anyone and everyone that came within ten feet of him offering their condolences. He had never been so annoyed in his entire life. Why wouldn't these people just leave him alone?
"Cheer up, Inuyasha! They're just doing and saying what they think is best!" Miroku said.
"Yeah, well I wish they wouldn't! It's ticking me off!" Inuyasha noticed that his shoe was untied and bent down to redo the laces. "So where the hell are you taking me, bouzo?" He didn't like the smile that had been plastered to Miroku's face ever since they left his apartment.
"I told you. I'm taking you to your belated birthday present." Miroku smiled. "I've booked a room in the nicest hotel around and arranged for you to get a massage by a very pretty lady."
"Massages are for chicks, bouzo, why would I want one of those?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes when he discovered he accidentally tied his index finger in with the laces. He untied them and started to redo them.
"Because, Inuyasha, you've been so stressed out and irritable it's becoming very difficult to be around you. I've spent far too much money on this hotel suite and masseuse for you to just reject the birthday present, go back to your apartment and wallow in your own self-pity."
"Keh!"
"Hey, mister!"
Inuyasha turned his head to the side at the precise moment a little boy tugged on his raven locks sharply.
"Oi! Don't do that, runt! That hurts!"
"Do you need help tying your shoes? I can teach you! I just learned!" The little boy beamed and tugged on Inuyasha's hair again.
"Get lost, runt!" Inuyasha said, annoyed.
"I wanna help!" The boy said animatedly before giving Inuyasha a light shove that sent him falling on his backside. The little boy then sat at Inuyasha's feet and started to tie his laces.
"I said get lost, runt! Where the hell is your mom?" Inuyasha yelled.
"Right here, you inconsiderate jerk!" A portly woman's purse smacked against the side of Inuyasha's head and he swore colorfully as he saw stars. "Don't use that language in front of my little boy!" She smacked him on the other side of his head, picked up the little boy and walked away.
"Ah! I think my ear is bleeding! Stupid woman!" Inuyasha rubbed both ears and glared at Miroku who was trying hard not to laugh.
Inuyasha stood up and had every intention of just walking off and leaving Miroku behind if it were not for the fact his shoes had been tied together rather than separately. He waved his arms wildly around to regain balance before falling face first into the concrete. Miroku cracked up and nearly doubled over in laughter.
"Kuso! Damn kids! I'm never getting one of those!" Inuyasha declared grumpily.
"Inuyasha you can't get kids like a doll at a toy store."
"Whatever! All they do is whine, throw tantrums, eat, and poop. What good are they for anyway?"
"Hmm, that sounds strangely familiar, Inuyasha. Are you sure you're-" Miroku started.
"Can it, bouzo! Let's just get this over with!" Inuyasha said before stalking off.
Miroku rubbed his temples in small circles and prayed to god that Inuyasha's birthday present was as good as her boss said she was. He had to admit, he was a little jealous.
Inuyasha and Miroku arrived at the hotel and entered, staring at the general splendor all around them. It was elaborately decorated and people of class walked in and out the front doors without glancing at the two out-of-place friends. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably.
"Jeez, Miroku, you could have told me to find a tie or something… everyone is wearing a friggin suit or ball gown."
Miroku ignored his comment and headed toward the reception desk. The employee behind the desk looked at them and downright sneered. "May I help you… sirs?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"My friend has a reservation for this evening. It should be under Aomori Miroku and it should be prepaid."
"Very well, everything seems to be in order. Here is your key card. Your room is on the sixth floor, suite number six fifty-eight. Your company should arrive by nine this evening. Shall I send anything up to your room, sir?" The employee handed the key card to Inuyasha who looked at Miroku.
"My… company?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He means the masseuse, that's all." Miroku replied before shoving Inuyasha towards the elevator. "Anyway, I've gotta run. You enjoy your night and go ahead and pig out on the snickers candy bars in the fridge and order room service! I hear there's a hot tub, too! Enjoy yourself, pal!" Miroku shoved the perplexed Inuyasha in the elevator and nearly ran away.
"Uh…wha…?"
When Inuyasha finally found his suite on the sixth floor (Who knew the sixth floor was so huge?), he paused in front of the door. Something just didn't seem right and he hesitated before sliding the key card in the lock.
The room had to be awful for Miroku to run away like that. Or maybe the masseuse was really some sixty-five year old hag with sagging boobs and a voice like Jimmy Hendrix. The thought made Inuyasha grin.
He opened the door and allowed his jaw to hang open. For once the lech had done something right!
"Holy shit!"
The room was huge with a living room complete with a large screen TV, computer with internet access, and leather couches, a kitchen with a full refrigerator and cappuccino maker, and a bedroom with a king size bed, another large flat panel screen TV. Inuyasha briefly glanced in the bathroom and wondered how they had made a Jacuzzi the size of the king size bed.
Inuyasha grinned and vowed to not send a Christmas card containing the photo of Miroku in jail to his parents. Overall, Inuyasha thought, this was by far the best birthday gift Miroku had given him yet… far better than his twenty-first birthday when he took Inuyasha to a strip club blind folded and left him in the care of Betty, the stripper with implants so large they were bigger than his head.
Inuyasha immediately went to the fridge, took a snickers bar, plopped down on the feather bed and turned on the TV. He glanced at the clock and thought about the masseuse that was supposed to arrive in about two hours.
-------------------------------------------
Kagome had spent the entire day getting ready. Too much was at stake to have something simple like bad breath ruin her chances at a chained freedom. She took every precaution, and even walked to the expensive hotel fully knowing The Benefactor would giver her wrong directions in attempt to see her fail. He didn't disappoint. His directions would have sent her to the other side of town.
Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi stayed awake during the day to help her get ready. They managed to find a thrift shop and purchased a decent looking, but revealing dress so Kagome wouldn't have to wear the whore clothes supplied by The Benefactor.
Her shoes were a pair of black stilettos. They were scuffed, but they were cheap. Her three friends even went out to buy some nice smelling soap, but couldn't afford the perfume.
Kagome was very grateful to them. They had pulled all their money for the week together to buy these things in order to give Kagome a fighting chance.
So there she was, standing in the lobby of the most exquisite hotel she had ever seen and she felt immediately out-of-place and inadequate. Whoever this wealthy friend was… he must be very wealthy.
Kagome walked to the desk with as much dignity as she possibly had, but was well aware of the white stain on the hem of her black stress and the scuff on her stilettos. At least her hair looked nice.
"Excuse me," She said. The employee looked up and gave her a disapproving frown. "I-I'm expected. A guest of…" She paused to look at the name on the card The Benefactor had given her. "I'm a guest of Aomori Miroku."
The look of disapproval only increased as he handed her a slip of paper with the suite number and floor. Kagome said thank you through gritted teeth and walked away, completely ignored.
"One day, when I'm no longer under The Benefactor's leash I'll come back wearing something nice and show you I'm no one to be ignored or treated like dirt." She vowed before entering the elevator.
No matter how nice she thought she looked in comparison to what she usually looked like, she was afraid that this wealthy friend wouldn't see that. She was afraid that her chances at a leashed freedom were already dashed to ribbons based on the attire seen on everyone all around her.
-------------------------------------------
Inuyasha yawned and looked at the clock. The masseuse was late and he was getting annoyed. It wasn't because he wanted the massage; it was because he wanted to see how Miroku screwed up. If the room was nice, then the masseuse had to be less than nice. There was no way his friend could get both of them right.
Inuyasha turned off the TV and heard a knock on the door a second later. "About damn time!" He said aloud.
He made his way to the door and let it fly open with a scowl on his face, expecting to see a middle aged woman in white with a no-nonsense attitude.
He blinked a few times and stared at the young woman in shock before shaking his head in disbelief.
She was stunning.
"Aomori Miroku?" The young woman read from a card and then looked him in the eye.
He shook his head and then frowned. Something was up. Something had to be wrong. There was no way Miroku could get a great room and beautiful girl.
She fidgeted and apologized before turning away.
"Oi, where d'ya think you're going? Miroku is my friend. He booked this room for me."
The young woman stopped and turned, her hair bounced and settled on her shoulder. His breath caught when she smiled at him mischievously.
"My name is Higurashi Kagome, your company for this evening." Her voice was like sugar, sweet and sinful at the same time.
Inuyasha opened the door wider and stepped aside so she could enter. He noticed she didn't carry any oils or towels, or cart and wondered why. Something was definitely up.
Inuyasha eyed the young woman carefully as she removed her coat to reveal smooth, pale shoulders. She draped it on the leather sofa and turned around to face him. He swallowed hard; her dress was just a little too low cut for comfort and there was just the perfect amount of cleavage showing. He tried swallowing again only to find his throat oddly dry.
"So, how do you like it, sugar? What's your fantasy?" She walked toward him. He was glued to the spot. She eyed him like a hungry tiger. Something was definitely up.
"Er…wha?" He said, sounding completely intelligent. She smiled and traced a finger along his jawline.
"What's your fantasy, sugar? I'm yours for the entire night, here to do your bidding. What makes you hot?"
Reality came crashing down on Inuyasha like a ton of bricks.
"What the fuck is going on! Who the hell are you?" He yelled. The young woman seemed taken aback, her eyes wide.
"Who do you think I am? I'm your company for the evening, the company your friend hired!" She yelled back.
"Oh shit! You're a prostitute! Oh, when I get my hands on that lech's throat I'm going to squeeze until there's no air left to squeeze out! He told me he hired a freaking masseuse!"
Suddenly things made sense. And Inuyasha was ticked off more than ever.
"A masseuse! Oh hell no! That is not what I was hired for!"
"Listen, princess, I'm not sleeping with a prostitute so you can just walk your cute ass right back out that door!"
"Uh uh! I was hired for this entire evening and I can't leave now! There must be something that you want!"
"Yeah! I want you to leave! As much as I like sex, princess, I'm not desperate enough to get it from a prostitute and risk getting herpes or HIV, so beat it!" Inuyasha yelled.
"I am completely clean and have never gotten any disease from anyone!"
"Yeah, so you say! Listen, if I have to throw you out I will. There is no way I'm sleeping with a prostitute! The very idea makes me sick!"
To Inuyasha's astonishment the young woman dropped her head to stare at the floor and her body visibly shook. When she spoke it was with a forced calmness, but Inuyasha could see the seething anger just below the surface.
"What makes you think doing what I do doesn't make me sick? Have you any idea what I've gone through? Have you any idea that what happens tonight will either grant me freedom from the whorehouse or chain me there forever? I didn't choose this life, you know!"
"Why the hell should I care?" He argued back. She raised her head and met his eyes. He became entranced by the angry beauty, her eyes a chocolate brown laced with blue and green near the pupil. Inuyasha became tongue-tied and couldn't finish his sentence.
"Fine! It's not like I wanted to sleep with you anyway!" She almost made it towards the door when Inuyasha jumped out and grabbed her arm without even knowing why.
"Where are you going?" He asked forcefully.
"Back to the whorehouse, asshole, where do you think I'm going?" She spat. "Now let go."
For some reason Inuyasha liked seeing the fiery young woman angry. For some reason it felt really good to have someone yell back at him and not cower from him when he was angry. For some reason, he didn't want that feeling to go away. And that feeling scared him shitless.
Miroku paid you to stay here for the night. I refuse to sleep with you, but I'm not going to send you crawling back to screw a bunch of other guys either. I'm not that cruel." Her eyes softened and he found himself staring into them once more, not entirely knowing why.
"Thank you, but I wasn't paid to stay here tonight. The Benefactor was paid, not me. I don't get a dime. There's no reason for me to stay." She tugged her arm free from his grip and left the suite, letting the door close behind her.
Inuyasha stared at the door for a moment and then pounded his head against the plastic a few times for good measure, "What the hell is wrong with me!" He asked no one.
"A lot. But nothing a little Prozac and a polo mallet can't cure…" Inuyasha stopped pounding his head against the door and stared through the peep hole and saw the young woman leaning against the door. She didn't leave after all.
So he opened the door and since she was leaning against the door she fell flat on her back and stared up at him wide-eyed, her hair spread all over the carpeting.
Inuyasha looked at her in amusement and offered her a hand in order to help her to her feet. She took it and Inuyasha reveled in the feel of her delicate, soft, and small hand.
"What did you say was wrong with me?" He grinned.
His grin grew even wider when she flushed and pouted. "A lot. But nothing a little Prozac and a polo mallet can't cure." She mumbled.
"That's what I thought you said." Inuyasha replied laughing. He closed the door and headed for the refrigerator. He fished out a snickers bar and a couple sodas before tossing the candy bar to the unsuspecting girl. She fumbled and dropped the candy.
"You're pretty damn clumsy." He said, enjoying the way her face flushed in embarrassment.
"You're pretty damn rude." She replied as she bent over to pick up the candy bar.
"That's what people tell me." Inuyasha walked over to her and handed her the can of soda, which she took gratefully. She murmured her thanks and began to eat. "You're staying here tonight. I'm still not going to sleep with you, but I'm not going to feed you to the hungry perverted wolves on thirty-second and fifth."
She laughed and Inuyasha discovered he liked the sound almost as much as he liked getting her angry. Almost.
"I haven't worked thirty-second and fifth in over a year."
Inuyasha walked over to the leather couches, sat down and turned on the TV. He motioned her to follow, which she did reluctantly. She sat on the opposite side of the couch, furthest from him, and flushed.
"Two questions. If you're a prostitute and you've been one for at least a year then why are you so skittish and sitting on the opposite end of the couch? And who is The Benefactor?" He asked while resting his legs on the coffee table.
"The Benefactor is my pimp. He's the sleaziest person you could possibly ever meet. And I'm not skittish!" Inuyasha grinned as she flushed a darker shade of pink.
"You so are skittish. You're blushing like a little schoolgirl. Admit it!" He liked poking fun of her. He wanted to see how far he could get before getting her angry. He discovered that it didn't take much.
"I'm not blushing! I'm just… hot! It's warm in here!" He could see through her lie, and apparently she knew it. "Okay fine! I'm skittish because all of my clients are about twice my age, fat, bald, and ugly! And it's not like I go around making pleasantries with them either!" She pouted and made a "hmph"-ing noise.
"Ah, so I'm making you skittish because I'm young, good-looking, and still have hair?" He bit his lip to keep from laughing as her eyes grew wide and she blushed once more.
"No! That's not what I meant at all! I just meant that you're not my usual client!" she said angrily.
"But I'm not your client, princess. I'm just the good-looking, young, dark haired man sitting next to you." He let out a soft snort of laughter at her enraged but still blushing face. She really was stunning when she was angry.
"Stop making fun of me!" She glared at him angrily and noticed how he was nearly doubled over and shaking, trying not to laugh.
Inuyasha was smacked with a pillow and he soon heard the sound of stilettos make their way to the suite door.
"Oi! Come back! I'll stop making fun of you! Come on back and pick out a movie, any movie you want. I'll let you order room service since you seem half-starved and way too skinny."
The woman paused and turned around. "Room service? Really?"
Inuyasha grinned. "Absolutely. Anything and everything you want off the menu."
He watched as she took off her shoes and headed back over. He found the menu and allowed her to look through it. She was almost drooling. It made him angry seeing how hungry this poor girl was.
"What'd you say your name was again?" He asked as she flipped the page.
"Kagome." She replied automatically. "I don't think I ever got your name. But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"It's Inuyasha." He said still frowning noticing the way her eyes seemed to eat the words on the menu. "Here," Inuyasha handed her a pencil. "circle anything and everything you want. Don't be shy and forget about the price. Circle anything even if it's far more than you can eat. I'll order it and you can go ahead and jump in the swimming pool in the bathroom."
"Swimming pool?" She asked surprised.
"It's a Jacuzzi, but it's bigger than the bed, so that's a swimming pool in my mind. Go ahead, go swimming and indulge yourself. I'll order your food."
Kagome smiled at him, circled what she wanted and bounded off in search of the bathroom.
Inuyasha found himself angry. Kagome seemed like such a nice girl and far too smart to get involved in prostitution. She was too thin, in his opinion, and by the look on her face as she read the menu she hadn't had a decent meal in a long time.
When the food arrived Inuyasha knocked on the bathroom door and she emerged wearing a white bathrobe. He decided then and there she looked as good in white and she did black.
They had ordered enough food for two families and ate a good portion of it. They bickered and Inuyasha sniggered every time he embarrassed her or made her angry. Each time he sniggered he discovered a potato or carrot or grains of rice in his hair from Kagome flinging it at him.
Inuyasha allowed Kagome to choose a movie and was surprised when she didn't pick a chick flick from among the hundred movies to choose from. But halfway through the movie she fell asleep and Inuyasha carried her to the bedroom, tucking her in and all.
He fell asleep on the leather couch wondering just what had driven this young woman, this Kagome, to prostitution and how he could help her get out of it.
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AN: wow, that turned out to be a loooong chapter! By far the longest I've ever written. It didn't turn out as I had planned, but hopefully it got the point across. :) I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will have to wait until I've finished writing the last chapter of Sex and Drugs.