The Corporate Catch

By: Sandreline

Hello everyone! I cannot begin to express my adoration for all of you. Thank you so much for your wonderful words of encouragement and support! This story would not be what it was without you spurring me on!

Chapter 11: Rolling

Shippo's emerald eyes watched from the hallway as the ebony haired woman in the conference room worked. Kagome was bent over two open personnel files, her eyes focused with a slight crinkle of concentration in her brow. In her left hand she held one copy of a check with the payment order, and with her pointer finger in her right hand she was running down the list of bank numbers to confirm the amount delivered.

He had not been lying when he said she reminded him of his mother. His parents were murdered several hundred years ago, when he was still a kit. Lord Sesshomaru, under alliance, took him in and raised him. Kagome had a very pleasing scent; moreover, unlike other humans it was completely natural. She seemed like the motherly type. He knew right away that she was different, and special.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that your constant staring means you have a crush on her."

The fox demon turned his attention to his secretary. "I just can't figure it out, Souten."

The lightening demon rolled her eyes. "And what are you going to do when Lord Sesshomaru finds out that you are snooping in his personal life?"

A smirk stretched Shippo's lips. "How is he going to find out?"

Souten frowned. "Do you really think that Mr. Attention-to-Detail is not going to find out? He knows everything."

Shippo gave a wink. "I have a few tricks up my sleeves that have worked in the past."

Souten rolled her eyes. "I am going to be a widow within the fortnight." She mumbled as she turned to walk past him.

Shippo playfully slapped his Mate's ass, causing her to glare at him over her shoulder, but he was already slipping into the conference room to join the priestess.

"Hello, Kagome." Shippo greeted warmly.

The ebony haired woman looked up at him, her blue eyes focusing on something other than invoices and graphs for the first time in several hours. "Hello, Shippo."

"How is it going?" He asked while he pulled out the chair next to her for himself.

Kagome let out a sigh. "If you had not told me so much was missing, I would say that all the money is accounted for." She answered. "I have been in contact with our representative at the bank, and she is going over everything on her end. So far, she has confirmed that all the invoices that I have sent over so far have been correct."

Shippo tried his best to not fidget in his seat. That was not part of the plan. "Who are you speaking with?"

Kagome leaned over to grab the memo pad that she had beside the phone. Flipping back to the first page, Shippo saw that the name and number of the bank as well as their contact was circled with a black pen several dozen times. "Hana Yuse."

Played right into that one. "That is not our claims contact."

"Really?" Kagome asked, genuinely confused. "That is what Accounting said, and the bank operator confirmed. She oversees our entire account."

Shippo smiled. "Normally, yes she would. However, since this is a case of fraud, our case has been given to the banks specialist." Taking the pad and pen from her, he wrote down the information of a friend of his, who knew the plan and knew to play along on pain-of-death. "Here."

Kagome gave him such a relieved and grateful smile that the fox felt a wave of guilt wash over him. "Thank you, Shippo."

"I do not believe I am paying the two of you to chit chat." Sesshomaru's cold voice caused shivers of doom to roll down the fox's back, and startled Kagome who had not sensed his approach.

"Just checking on the progress, Lord Sesshomaru." Shippo smiled nervously. "I have a meeting to go to, I'll see you later Kagome!"

Kagome had never seen a demon leave so fast.

She turned her attention to the silver haired Adonis that had taken Shippo's seat beside her. "What have you found?"

"A whole lot of nothing." Kagome sighed in frustration. "I have been working with the bank to track what happened to the additional funds, but whoever is taking the money is doing a fabulous job of covering their tracks. Shippo just gave me the number to the contact for the fraudulent claim."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. She had been speaking with the actual bank? This would have to be corrected. "I will ensure that next time he remembers to do so before."

"It is not really his fault," Kagome quickly defended. "If anything when I contacted the bank about this, they should have sent me to them instead of our usual representative."

He made a mental note to contact the London bank and inform them that there were, in fact, no missing funds. Though there was something inside of him that disliked how eager she was to defend the fox that she had apparently become friends with in so little time. "He is Mated."

Kagome looked up from the file before her to look at him. "Who is?"

"Shippo."

Kagome frowned. "Alright… why are you telling me this?"

"So you may cease your infatuation with him."

Kagome's mouth dropped open. "What infatuation?"

"You seem to care for him." Lord Sesshomaru answered with his voice completely monotone.

"He is a nice individual; that doesn't mean I am infatuated with him!" Kagome snapped.

"Hn."

"Argh!" Kagome rumbled out as she stood up, slamming the file down on the table before grabbing her purse.

"Where do you think you are going?" Sesshomaru asked. "There is work to be done."

"Mandatory coffee break!" Kagome growled before slamming the door behind her. What she would give to have a subjugation necklace on the demon lord!

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I wanted to apologize for this filler episode.

I am so sorry for the long wait on an update, I got super busy. My sister's wedding is in two weeks, and there is so much to do! J

I hope you all enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!

~Sandreline

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