Title: Murphy's Law

Author: Priestess Skye

Word count: 910

Genre: Romance, fluff

Rating: PG

Note: This is in special thanks to Youkai Yume who is allowing me to use her 'Everyday Love' series as picture prompts. Check them out at youkaiyume . deviantart . com (minus the spaces). This particular one is from Everyday Love 2 – Grooming

Of all the bloody days of the week where everything went right, today had to be the one day where everything went to hell and back. The wedding cake she had spent hours making this morning was knocked over by the two groomsmen who came to pick it up and she was required to make and decorate another one from scratch. Unfortunately it wasn't a typical design either and as such, she was late getting home. And like all things that are interrelated and connect to one another, late home from work also meant she was late getting ready for a business dinner with Sesshoumaru.

"Crap," she muttered as she broke a nail sliding the zipper up on her new dress. It figured that she'd get something new and it would attack her. However, she couldn't resist it when she saw it on the rack. Sleeveless black silk that was sleek in its design, it was the perfect dinner cocktail dress that gave her an air of sophistication she was sure she didn't possess. Sesshoumaru's co-workers had yet to meet her and she needed to play the part of a prominent business man's significant other, not a baker from down the street. She wasn't sure if she could play the role all that well but for him she would give one hundred percent of her effort.

Her make-up box was wide open on her dresser top and five different bottles of perfume sat next to it. She didn't even look at either of them as she slipped her foot into the sheer hose she had bought for the occasion. She hated hosiery, but tonight had to be just perfect. Mentally recalling where she put her new shoes and purse, she went in search of something she could put in her hair to tame it down. There was no time to spend trying to control it, unlike if she had been home when she intended.

"Crap!" she shouted as she heard the door to her apartment open up and shut. Sesshoumaru had arrived. "I'm in here!" she called as she searched for her earrings. The key she had given to him last month had certainly come in handy.

"You're not ready," he stated as he shifted off his jacket and placed it on the bed.

"No, sorry, ran late at work. I'm still trying to figure out how to control his mop on my head." She dug through her make-up looking for the perfect shade of eye shadow to go with her dress, completely missing the look of appraisal he offered her as he took in her dress.

"This is new," he commented, playing with the satin ribbon that cinched the waist. "It suits you." And she knew that was about as close to him saying she was beautiful as she was going to get, and upon reflection she was okay with that. "I do have something though that will help with your hair," he murmured as he stood behind her, standing close enough so she could feel the heat of his body. "Where's your hairbrush?"

Her eyebrows shot up in worry and curiosity. On one hand he had his own head of hair, which was longer than her and always so luxuriously soft. However, on the other, styling hair for a female was so different than working with your own if you were a male. She moved a few articles on her desk to expose several different types of brushes and watched as he picked up the flat one. This was trust she thought. For a man, it was an ultimate sign of his trust if he let his girl shave him. For a woman, it was when she let him play with her hair just before going out to something important. She hoped he realized it. "What do you have?" she asked as he gathered her hair in one hand and began to brush. The feel of his fingers on her scalp at times was absolutely divine. He stopped for a moment to pull a box from the inside of his jacket pocket and opened it, revealing an ornate pink and gold floral hairpin. "Oh," she breathed. "It's exquisite."

"It's yours."

She turned to let him continue, not wanting him to see the blush in her cheeks and her eyes misting. Some girls got flowers before their dates. She received a hairpin. She had received gifts from him before. She still kept the white puppy he had won nearby, but this was something else. He didn't give jewellery knowing she couldn't wear it at work, but this was special. She felt a slight tug on her hair as he set the brush down and looking in the mirror she watched him twist it and bend it to his will before feeding the pin through, and smiled as it stayed in a tight bun. With her own fingers she fluffed her bangs and watched as they framed her face. "Perfect," she beamed at him, meeting his eyes through the mirror.

He learned forward and pressed his lips to her collarbone before speaking. "Indeed."