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Title: "Second Glance"
Rating: PG-13
Author: Hummie
E-mail: suedepony@aol.com
Chapter Two

DISCLAIMERS/AN(s): All standard disclaimers apply. Italics indicate thoughts or emphasis. Double parentheses indicate flashbacks.

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She was beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Her luscious lips were shaped in a captivating and devastatingly sexy 'O'. It made him think of other things… Demando smiled at the petite blonde. "Hi," he said in English. "Is this seat taken?" He gestured to the empty seat beside her.
Usagi smiled, mildly amused. She drank in the appearance of the man before her. As she had noted before, he had sexy, platinum-colored hair and a muscular build that was accentuated by a light grey Armani suit. That particular suit had come out in his latest fall line, if she remembered correctly. He had a strong jaw, sensuous lips, and dare say, a playboy smile. Ah, but his best feature were his clear blue eyes. They were so light and deep; she almost drowned in them.
"Hi," she replied a bit slowly in English, humoring him. She looked down at the floor in embarrassment. She was acting like a silly teenager. She of all people should not still be blushing. She was a cultured woman of the world, a runway model, and daughter of one of the most sought after designers for four years running. Have confidence, girl! She stole a peek at him. Damn. His incredible good looks were too much to handle. So, he thinks I'm American? I suppose so. I mean, my blue eyes and blonde hair aren't very Japanese looking.
He cleared his throat, and she watched as he gestured to the seat once more. Usagi gently bit her lip and wondered what she wanted to do about the situation. She had never been comfortable with the thought of being in a romantic relationship. She had never pursued guys for that particular reason. By looking at Usagi, you wouldn't take her to have a low level of self-confidence. She was, after all, a runway model for various companies and designers, including her father. Usagi supposed that was the answer to why she never went after guys. She was always exposed to those insolent jerks that attended the shows, only wanting her for her beauty or for sex.
Men.
They made her feel uneasy. Until this day, she only trusted her father, but… this guy was different. He hadn't disturbed her by his presence at all. And God was he sexy.
"I know for a fact," she began huskily, "that it's not occupied." Usagi smiled in a slightly flirtatious manner. She watched the man pause for a moment, distracted by her obvious charm. He ran a hand through his platinum-colored hair and sat down. He was holding a single, black suitcase and laid it upon the seat next to him.
"Sorry for not answering for a while back there. I'm sort of spaced out from the flight," she confessed. Usagi was totally drained from jet lag. Not more than two days ago did she fly from New York to San Francisco, forcing her mess up her internal clock by four hours, but now she had to go by whatever time zone Japan was in. Hell, she didn't even know what time it was here. Usagi almost growled and gave herself a mental shake. That's not all I'm knocked out by, she thought uneasily as she watched him smile at her.
"Oh, that's okay. I'm a bit spaced out myself." Demando grinned reassuringly and cast a side-glance at the gorgeous young woman. A becoming flush played about her cheeks; it was irresistible. He bit his lip in frustration. His hormones were getting the best of him. He moved to speak when the blonde suddenly licked her lips and proffered a hand.
"I'm Tsukino Kasumi. My friends call me Kasumiko. And you are?" Usagi silently berated herself. When he had paused to nibble on his lip, she was a little more attentive to that little act than she should have been.
"I'm Kageno Demando," he said, taking her delicate hand in his. He reveled at how small and soft it was.
Usagi felt a chill run up and down her spine. She was almost positive that she had met this man before. But that's impossible. I cannot seem to place him anywhere.
"Ahh…" he said, bringing her back to reality. "You have a Japanese name. I took you for an American…"
She giggled before answering. "Gomen nasai, Kageno-san. I am Japanese. I just thought it was pretty funny when you took me for a North American."
"That's fine, Tsukino-san," he laughed. "I guess it's better to stick to the scientific rule of 'Assume nothing.' And please, call me Demando."
"Only if you refer to me as Kasumiko." Usagi giggled once again. Damn. She had to learn how to control herself in his presence. She had been around many attractive and devastatingly sexy guys before, but Demando was the only one who could get her to act like an adolescent. She was totally out of character for the time being.
"As you wish, Kasumiko-san," he sighed. The sight of her caused something to tug at the back of his mind. The shade of her eyes… Somehow, those incredible, cerulean eyes pulled up a memory of him chasing a little dog. Demando quickly shook himself out of it. Why would the shade of her eyes make him think of a dog?
He watched her; her every movement was etched into his mind. She was observing him quietly again. Her magnetism was surprising. He had never been in the presence of such a gorgeous woman. Demando's perfect, light blue eyes followed her cautiously. She had killer legs, silky locks, a generous bust, a small waist, and slender hips. God, she was a knockout for sure. He could almost imagine his fingers running through her hair as he kissed her softly on her strawberry-colored lips. Kasumiko crying out as he… Demando turned a bright shade of scarlet. He couldn't allow himself to think such things. He had just met her for crying out loud.
"So, how is it that a beautiful young woman, such as yourself, is sitting alone in a near-deserted airport?" Demando was glad that the airport was half deserted. If not, he might not have been able to spot his sunflower so easily-- not that she wasn't noticeable, he added hastily. That was quite the opposite.
"A little presumptuous, aren't we?" She smiled. God, her smile was so sweet. "Actually, I'm traveling with my friend, Haruka." She nodded in the direction of a tall blonde figure that was talking into a tiny cellular phone. The woman had stylish, short blonde hair and appeared to be 5'11. She was sporting a well-cut, cream-colored pantsuit. She could have been mistaken for a man, but her ample chest proved otherwise. She was only a little distance away and one could hear her talking fiercely into her white cellular phone. Haruka's dark blue eyes flashed and she started to curse at whomever she was talking to.
"I see, so you're not alone," he murmured just loud enough for Usagi to hear. He then turned to her and pulled out the charm. "But I'm glad because it's not safe for pretty girls to be alone."
Usagi blushed. It was her going to be the first compliment among many.
"I, myself, am waiting for my cousin to pick me up." Demando rolled his eyes in annoyance. "He forgot to come and retrieve me when I arrived."
Usagi's eyes widened. "Oh, that's terrible! How long have you been waiting?"
"Close to two hours."

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Mamoru cursed loudly and narrowed his midnight blue eyes in disdain. His car just had to get a flat tire now, didn't it? The freaking night when he was to pick up Demando. Damnit, and his cousin had already been waiting there for an hour before he called!
It was a cool night, but he didn't feel like wearing his jacket. It was a mess anyway. He hadn't exactly anticipated Keito to follow him out of the restaurant and dump her wine all over his back. He sighed and rolled up his sleeves in an attempt to fix the tire, realizing too late that he had taken out the spare to fit some of his old girlfriend's crap in there. She was supposed to move in with him. He sighed. Keito had been too clingy and fake and… She was not the one he was looking for. He cursed again when a car passed by him, spraying murky water onto his flawless, black dress pants.
Just his luck.
He ran his agitated hands through his tousled hair and screamed in frustration. Good for nothing Porsche. Mamoru kicked the insolent car for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes and called for the car service to get there pronto.
Demando must be so pissed! he thought with dread.
He felt ashamed. Not only had he failed his mother, now he was failing his only cousin. He growled at no one in particular; he was still holding his cell phone in his left hand. He went through his phone's past incoming calls and found the only one he was unfamiliar with. He took a chance and called it.
"Moshi moshi. Kageno desu."
Mamoru sighed in hesitant relief and ran an agitated hand through his jet-black locks. "Cousin, I'm so sorry. You're going to think I'm lying, but I'm not!" Mamoru blabbered incoherently. "My dumb car got a flat and I'm on the highway waiting for my service to come and fix it. I don't know when I can get there. Shit, I feel terrible for doing this to you, Demando." Mamoru let out a sigh of rage. "Gomen nasai."

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"Who was that, Demando-san?" Kasumi inquired. She had been a bit surprised when Demando had started muttering under his breath after receiving a call on his cellular phone. Something or someone had obviously distressed him.
"My cousin," replied Demando with repressed agitation. "He can't pick me up. I should have anticipated his stupidity and just taken a taxi. It would have saved me the two hours of waiting."
Kasumi raised her delicately arched brow and said, "But then we would not have been able to meet." She paused to give him one of her most devastating smiles. "And let me tell you, I'm a little grateful to your cousin for being so tardy." She gazed shyly into his eyes before looking at her perfectly manicured nails. It was hard to look at him and not start blushing. He must have been the most attractive man she had ever met in all of her twenty-three years.
"Very true," he said in agreement. Demando grinned, his blue eyes flashing. He had noticed her cheeks begin to blush. She was so sweet and innocent. The urge to take her in his arms was overwhelming. He suddenly sighed. "Ah, but you forget, dear Kasumiko, I still don't have a ride."
Kasumi eyed him carefully. She couldn't decide whether or not to give him a ride. She didn't want to give him any false encouragement. He might ask her out, and it would end as it always did. The guy would try to take advantage of her because she was blonde and supposedly air-headed. Kasumi bit her lip; but she HAD felt something that she had never felt before. There were tiny butterflies squirming about in her stomach every time he smiled at her.
"Why don't we just give you a ride then?"
Demando looked up to see the tall woman with the short, blonde hair. He stood up immediately. "I don't believe that we've met," he began as he bowed. "I am Kageno Demando."
Demando stood a good three inches taller Haruka. He looked into her eyes with a sincerity that most lacked. Haruka eyed him cautiously, but was surprised when she decided that she liked him. Likewise, Haruka bowed. "I am Ten'ou Haruka. I work with Usag… er… Kasumiko. And it would be no problem if we gave you a ride." She grinned fiendishly. "I just got off the phone with our limo service. They should be here in about five minutes. Let's just say that they'll never be late to pick us up again."
Demando grinned. "Thank you."
Haruka merely nodded and gave a quick glance at Usagi before she walked away toward the ladies' room. Usagi was blushing faintly, but Haruka knew how to read her like a book. Usagi actually felt something for this light-haired man. Haruka grinned. Finally, I've been worried about her for a while.
As Haruka said, the limo was there in no time. The driver was bowing profusely and apologizing over and over again. Haruka just rolled her eyes and held up a hand. This was becoming ridiculous. Usagi and Haruka dropped Demando off at one of the many prestigious Azabu apartments, actually not too far from where they would be residing.
Usagi had given Demando her phone number-- a big surprise to Haruka. Haruka knew that her little Koneko-chan liked the man, but she had never really given out her number so readily.
"So," she began, "I see that you're a bit hung up on this Kageno figure."
Usagi's eyes widened slightly, but held her demeanor steadily. "I… don't know what you're talking about," she denied. Sure, maybe she couldn't get the image of his strong body and soft lips out of her mind. Yes, perhaps she couldn't stop thinking about the way he said her name. But… there was nothing between them.
Haruka merely raised one of her brows in question. "So, you're telling me that you so readily give out your number to every guy you come across?" she challenged. Haruka knew she had won. Usagi began to blush and looked down at her shoes.
"I guess you got me there," she finally admitted to her best friend. She then cast her cloudy blue eyes upon Haruka's darker ones. "Haru-chan, I feel so confused. You know that I never really pursue guys. You know what I think about them. I… feel so differently about Demando. I just don't know what to do. Please, give me some advice!"
Haruka sighed. "Kasumi-chan, you know well enough that I will support any decision you make. This fellow seems to be worthy of you for once. The many guys who try to go after you aren't worth your time. I actually approve of this platinum-haired guy."
Usagi smiled, but didn't say anything more. They kept silent on the rest of the way to the apartment they would be sharing.

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"Ouch! If you cannot fit me properly, then stop!" cried Usagi with annoyance.
The last thing she needed was for some new, besotted fool to prick her over and over again. Usagi was getting fitted for her father's new winter line. He had decided to try his hand at women's lingerie and men's underclothes. Usagi was sporting a red corset that had been trimmed with white fur, giving the appearance of one of Santa's helpers. Thankfully, she would not be donning a g-string like a couple of the models being fitted in the same room. Instead she was wearing red bikini-style briefs, also having a white fur trim. Her slim, white stomach could be seen. At the show, she would be wearing a small jewel in her navel. Usagi almost growled. The ignorant fool was still on his knees before her, trying to fit a delicate, floor-length robe upon her. It was made of the most delicate, gossamer-type fabric and was see through. Usagi had no problem sporting such a sexy outfit for her father, but this fitter was just too much!
"I'm sorry, but I meant it when I told you to stop if you don't know what the hell you're doing!" she said through bared teeth. The guy had just pricked her again. "Get away from me! I'd rather wait and get fitted properly by my father."
The fitter scurried away from the gorgeous blonde. Usagi could not believe that she had put up with the idiot for so long. He had already fit her for two other outfits, all lingerie. According to the schedule, she would be donning five different sets of lingerie, two casual wears, and three sets of evening dresses. It was going to be a long show. Her father had commissioned twenty different male and female models to sport his winter collection. This is what made the public love his style. Unlike the many designers who only came out with ten or fifteen pieces, Kenji would come out with at least fifty different designs. Usagi grinned. She was just waiting for the day when her father would start designing shoes and handbags. God, even jewelry.
"Miss," said a young woman who was probably only a year younger than her, "your father is requesting that you join him in his office."
Usagi smiled softly and thanked the woman. She walked toward her father's office in her red corset and clear, five-inch stilettos. When she arrived at her father's door, she asked his secretary if she could go right in. When the secretary gave her the go-head, Usagi opened the door and asked, "Did you want to see me, Papa?"
Demando had been rendered speechless. He could not, would not believe his eyes. He blinked rapidly. Maybe he was imagining things. After all, he couldn't stop thinking about the gorgeous woman he had met only two days ago. He took a deep breath. No, it was his Kasumiko in the flesh. And boy, when he said flesh, he meant flesh. She was wearing the sexiest piece of lingerie he had ever seen. A red corset exhibited her slim waist perfectly and enhanced her already full bust. Her hair fell all about her in unending waves of silkiness. God, her legs were long. How could someone even stand when they wore those stiletto shoes?
Kenji laughed out loud when he saw the reaction of the men in the room. "Gentlemen," he began good-naturedly, "by your reaction, I do believe that my winter line will be a complete success." Kenji didn't mind that his Pumpkin was wearing close to nothing. It didn't really matter because she looked beautiful. He purposely designed all of his daughter's clothing to look incredible on her. God, his little girl was now a grown woman.
Demando finally fell out of his trance and stood. His other two associates followed suit. Usagi bowed slightly, not wanting to show more than she already did, and smiled at the two flustered men and… This is when her breath caught in her throat. To her right was the one and only, Kageno Demando.
"Kasumiko," her father said, "these are the men who will be handling our account in England. Please meet William Stahr, Kinomoto Jin, and Kageno Demando." Each of the men bowed when their names were said. Demando kept his eyes firmly placed on Kasumi. Damnit, she was doing that sexy-blush thing again. If she didn't stop soon, he'd have to leave the office so he could go home and take a nice, long, cold shower.
A very cold shower.
Kasumi smiled and waved for them to sit down again. She walked over to the only empty seat-- which was next to Demando. God, he looked good. He was wearing a black pinstriped suit. He donned a white monochrome tie that was the same color of his shirt. They brought out the light sea-green hue in his eyes. Usagi couldn't understand how she was still able to breathe. Yes, she was breathing and she was also able to smell the sexy cologne that Demando had on. If she had been in a romance novel, she would have fainted dead away by now. But she wasn't, although she was dressed for one. That thought made her smile.
The meeting went about without a hitch. Afterwards, Usagi told her father of the insolent fitter and he agreed to fit her himself. Demando had long been gone, which disappointed Usagi to no end. Although he did say goodbye and he did give her the smile that she had dubbed as his 'Don't-forget-I'm-sexy-and-amazing-in-bed' smile. She had really wanted to talk to him-- get to know him better. Maybe go out. Have a good time. She sighed inwardly and left her father's office, but not before giving him a hug.
Before Usagi could take two steps out of her father's office, a voice called out her name. She stopped, confused. That was when she saw Demando. Those butterflies in her stomach appeared once more and were at full speed. Damn, she wished that they would stop fluttering wildly about in her stomach.
"Kasumiko, I sort of waited until you came out of the office," Demando admitted. "I was wondering if you would like to have coffee with me sometime soon." He bit his lip. No way was she going to agree. God, how could he not have realized that Tsukino Kasumi was Tsukino Kenji's daughter?! They held the same surname for Christ-sakes! Oh well, he never ever thought to connect business with pleasure. Demando waited half-patiently for her reply, all the while clenching and unclenching his hands into fists. He could not believe this. He was acting like he was fourteen again, still shy to ask out a gorgeous girl.
"Demando-kun, I'd love to." Usagi smiled. There. She did it. She said yes. She was going to go out with him. Nothing special, just coffee-- although she secretly hated coffee. God, who cared? She was going to go out with him!
They set a time and date. She watched silently as he entered the elevator to go to the main floor. She blushed as he gave her his playboy smile once more before the doors could close.

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The end of chapter two.