Chapter 2
Rahne watched as he stared at the sketch, his eyes narrowed slightly. He turned the page, she jumped as he slammed the book closed. Looking at his face she took a step back, if looks could kill she was a dead woman. Then his eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, then return to normal "Impossible." One whispered word in that silky voice and a hard stare at her. Quickly trying to find somewhere, anywhere to look she checked the time on her watch. 8:15 flashed brightly on the digital face.
"Oh God! Please tell me I brought it." She spun forgetting the man behind her as she frantically began to search through her bag. "No, no, no, DAMN IT!" Taking a deep breath she forced herself to calm down. "Rahne," she told herself "Calm down. Rahne put it in there last night. Look again, not so frantically."
"Would you cease speaking of yourself in the third person, woman. As English is your native tongue, I would think you could refrain while speaking it."
She didn't bother to turn just continued searched more diligently through the bag. "Sorry. Old habit. Thank God." She lifted the protective sleeve, like a trophy. Her other hand rested on her knee and she realized something. "Oh, shit."
"Now what?" Sesshomaru, infuriated as he was by the woman's habit of speaking in the third person, was curious as to what could possibly be wrong now.
"I have a meeting in," She looked at her watch, which happily showed her 8:17 "forty three minutes at Western Lands Offices with the Executive Vise President and I'm in JEANS! It took me thirty minutes by cab to get here and it would take twenty more for me to get to the offices."
"Why would you have a meeting with him?" She turned to face him her eyes shooting daggers at him. For some reason he was amused. No one but Rin, Leena and his sister-in-law had ever dared show any anger directed towards him. Each one of the women had shown him that not only were they not scared but willing to confront him when angered.
"Because you jerk, I'm trying to land the job of painting a mural in the reception area. Now I'm not going to make it."
"Yes, you will." He said calmly, the corners of his lips lifting almost imperceptibly. She infuriated him, yet he wanted to help her. 'Why?' he questioned himself then called his grandson "Shinta?"
"Sir?" A young voice came from the back of the house.
"Call your Uncle, tell him, his nine o'clock appointment has been moved to noon and our lunch is canceled. We will speak tomorrow, it was after all nothing of great consequence."
"Yes sir."
"Oh shit." her whispered voice reached his sensitive ears.
His smile grew as he watched realization sink in. "I never introduced myself, I am..."
"Kenji Yasha? CEO and President of Western Lands Inc?" Her chin dropped to her chest and her hair created a curtain blocking her face from his sight.
"At your service, Miss Tyler I believe it was." The hair moved indicating a nod. "My car will be arriving in a moment, may I give you a ride to your hotel. I believe my brother has all the artist staying at the Hilton?"
"Thank you, no. It is enough that you are moving the appointment back. I do apologize for my rudeness, outside and just a moment ago. If you will excuse me, I need to go hail a cab." She bowed, and lifted her bag to her shoulder, "May I have my sketch book please?" She indicated the book he was holding. She stretched out her hand and felt the weight of the book placed there. "Thank you." She managed to maintain her dignity enough to walk out of the small house, as soon as she shut the door behind her she ran, down the stairs.