A First for Everything
Chapter 15
Stretching, Kagome sighed in contentment. Silk sheets cloaked her nude body, caressing her skin like a lover's touch. Rolling over onto her stomach, she smiled to herself as she dug her face into the softness of the pillow. 'Just a few more minutes,' she thought as she prepared to surrender herself back into the land of dreams. Her body relaxed as a strange, yet familiar, scent reached her senses. 'Strange,' she thought groggily to herself. 'I don't remember my sheets being so soft…or my bed being that big.'
Kagome lay quietly for a few moments, the words that she had just said floating over her mind. Once realization set in, Kagome shot up like lightening, her eyes wide and body tense. The sheet fell away from her body, leaving her bare chest exposed. Slowly, her head turned around to take in her surroundings. Black sheets surrounded her, followed by sophisticated and lavish furnishings of a bedroom that was most defiantly not hers.
"Oh damn," she muttered. "Am I still at…?"
Bolting out of bed, she cursed to herself as her body protested. Soreness overtook her limbs, leaving her a stark reminder of what had exactly happened the night before her. The beautiful evening gown that she had worn she littered on the floor in a heap, surrounded by her undergarments and high heeled shoes. Scowling, she shook her head, her disheveled raven locks sweeping across her back with the motion. Standing still for a moment, she smirked evilly as an idea formed in her head. Sesshomaru had seduced her, more than once. It was only fair that she "borrowed" some of his clean clothes for her to wear home.
Moving over to his closet, he gasped as she flicked the little light switch near by. 'He has more clothes that I do!' her mind shrieked. In a slight daze, she slowly moved amongst the racks of hangers and displays of ties and shoes. 'Damn, I want a closet like this,' she thought. As she gingerly picked something out to wear, she couldn't help but think to herself. Why hadn't he kicked her out when he awoke? Or even when they had finished? And why did he insist upon going back to his home? Usually, it happened at the place she was currently staying. After all, it would be easier for him to leave if he woke up before her. Sighing, she scrunched her nose. Why did Sesshomaru insist upon being so confusing?
Walking down the winding halls cautiously, Kagome did not have any idea as to where she was heading. Passage ways and doors swarmed by her, confusing her. She wished that she had paid more attention to where she was heading last night, instead of placing her attention in Sesshomaru's pale neck. Draped over her arm was her gown. She held her shoes in her hand, meaning to place them on later after her quiet get away. Unfortunately, she felt as she would never get out of the maze she was trapped in. 'I feel like a mouse searching for cheese,' she thought sarcastically.
The faint aroma of food caught her nose, making her stomach growl in hunger. Frowning slightly, she paused, not sure of what she should do. 'If I go towards the smell, I will probably find my way to the door,' she reasoned. 'But then again, I might run into someone.' Fidgeting in her indecision, she ran her free hand through her hair, smoothing it out. Finally, she began to walk again, deciding that it would be worth the risk to head towards the smell.
After walking for what seemed hours, Kagome stumbled upon a large set of deep, mahogany doors. The scent of food was stronger now. She knew that she had to be close. 'But what is exactly on the other side?' she thought. Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders before heaving open the doors.
Once opening the doors, Kagome gasped at what she saw before them, but not before whispering, "Shit," to herself.
Before her was a large, elegant kitchen, decorated in cool steel and shining black features. Off to the side was a small, sleek table. At it sat the one that she was trying to avoid, Sesshomaru Tashio. He sat stone still, his eyes carefully gazing over the paper that was spread before him. His chest was bare, leaving his chiseled muscles as candy for her eyes. Silken black pants adorned his legs loosely, contrasting beautifully with his hair and skin. A cup of coffee was placed before him, still steaming from heat. As always, Sesshomaru looked impeccable.
"It's about time that you decided to get up," he stated boringly.
He looked up from the paper, his bored, golden eyes gazing into her. As he glanced over her form, he raised an eyebrow with interest. Not only was she wearing his clothing, but she was also carrying her items from the previous night. What was she trying to do? Where was she trying to go?"
"It seems as though you failed in your attempt of a hasty get away," Sesshomaru smirked.
"Well, perhaps I wouldn't have if your house wasn't so complicated," she snapped back.
"It isn't complicated, Kagome," he replied, straightening his back some.
"Perhaps you are forgetting that this is my first time in this house. I don't know how you would expect me to automatically know how to navigate through a damn mansion."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he frowned. "And perhaps if you were not so insistent upon worshipping my neck last evening, you would know how to navigate the halls," he answered shortly.
Kagome's blue eyes flashed in anger. 'Egotistical bastard!' She took a step forward, raising her hand to point a finger at the half-naked man. "Listen to me…"
"Sit," he interrupted, turning his attention back to the paper.
"Absolutely not," Kagome said calmly, although one could hear the checked rage hiding in her voice. She turned around, beginning to make her way out of the kitchen. "I have no desire to be around a person that insists upon being a jackass."
"I assume that it never crossed your mind that you often provoke these so-called offenses?" Sesshomaru asked carefully, one amber eye carefully catching her from under his hooded lids.
Kagome tensed immediately, stopping dead in her tracks. She had never considered this aspect before. Her mind went over all of the conversations that they had had, replaying all of the smart remarks that had been claimed. Sesshomaru was right. She had instigated some of the remarks. But it did not right the fact that he was also to blame for an equal amount of anger.
She turned her head slightly, her eyes carefully sizing up her opponent. "Do you always have to be so smug?" Kagome criticized. "Maybe I did instigate some of the problems. But that doesn't change the fact that you retaliated. And if my memory serves right, you instigated an equal amount of arguments."
Sesshomaru's head quickly snapped up and his narrowed eyes gauging the woman before him. 'Damnit,' he thought. This woman was more intelligent than her realized. She was a worthy opponent, and thought quickly on her feet. A smirk tugged on his lips. She was proving more promising with each passing moment. He would not bring up the point that her flares of anger only proved that his points were correct and that many of her comments only trapped herself for ridicule.
"Sit," he ordered, dancing around her comment.
Kagome turned around, her head cocked to the side. A smile played on her lips. "Avoiding the subject? I take it that you don't like losing an argument," she taunted.
"Your assumption would be correct. However, there will be no winner in this battle. Sit, we have business to discuss," Sesshomaru retorted disinterestedly.
Kagome shifted uneasily. She really did not want to sit with Sesshomaru. She was worried of what would happen if she did. Kagome knew that her power to deny him was growing weaker. For the life of her, she did not want Sesshomaru to realize this. He would never let her live it down and she did not want to fuel his arrogant ego. Kagome's eyes glanced back at the door, the expressive orbs displaying her hesitation.
Sensing her doubt, Sesshomaru stood up from his spot, drawing Kagome's attention away from the door. She turned back to him suddenly. Her eyes widened, and mouth went dry. She licked her lips unconsciously as she watched Sesshomaru move. She could feel her heart speed up in pace. Sesshomaru's muscles rippled as he walked; his sleek skin playing tricks on her mind. His hair swayed slightly with the movement, creating a cloak like illusion. Sesshomaru's molten eyes were steady and firm, preventing her from even moving an inch. Even when he was intimidating, the powerful man was nothing short of beautiful.
He said nothing as he came up to her side. Instead, he held her gaze as he carefully took her dress from her arm and draped it over his own. Next, he reached out and plucked the high heeled shoes from her fingers. Kagome could not feel Sesshomaru do so. His gaze held her still, making her forget about everything else around them. It was only when he turned around, walking back to the table with her belongings that Kagome snapped back to attention.
"Hey!" she called out in surprise.
"Sit before I am forced to carry you to the table," Sesshomaru replied, slight annoyance prevailing in his tone.
Kagome blushed slightly at his comment. She grumbled to herself as she walked over to the small table, carefully sitting down in an empty chair. Sesshomaru hung her dress on another chair, placing her shoes onto the seat. Once satisfied that she would remain seated, Sesshomaru began to walk to the sleek stove, where a small skillet was waiting.
"Why are you wearing my clothing?" Sesshomaru asked calmly as he pulled two dishes out of cabinets that she never knew were present. He began to spoon out the contents from the skillet onto the plates.
"Because I needed something to wear," Kagome replied, rolling her eyes at the man.
Sesshomaru snorted slightly as he turned back around, carrying the plates to the table. "You look good in them," he stated, smirking slightly.
Frowning, Kagome huffed. "I thought we were going to talk about business," Kagome said angrily.
Nodding his head, Sesshomaru placed a plate before her before sitting down across from her with his own. "Yes. I hope that omelets are acceptable."
"You cook?" Kagome asked in shock. Her eyes were wide, staring at the plate in disbelief.
"I thought that we were going to discuss business," Sesshomaru mocked arrogantly.
"I was merely waiting for you to start," Kagome said, flashing Sesshomaru s sickening mock smile before taking a fork to the omelet. "Fluff Master," she muttered under her breath.
"I beg your pardon?" Sesshomaru asked, raising an eyebrow at Kagome.
"Nothing. Please, by all means begin."
"I do believe you should show your superior some more respect, woman," Sesshomaru replied lowly.
"And we are not in the office, are we? Besides, I think you made it quite clear that you do not pay attention to our titles," Kagome mocked, taking a big bite of the food. "mmm.." she muttered as she tasted the food. 'This is actually pretty good,' she thought.
Sesshomaru pursed his lips in a thin line. This woman was instigating him again, forcing him to take the bait that she was offering. She was certainly becoming more aggressive and daring in her remarks. It seemed that she thought that it would not cause her any problems. Perhaps she has forgotten the warning that she was given.
"It would be wise if you turned away from the path you are treading on," Sesshomaru warned; his voice dropping low as he leaned slightly over the table for affect. "I do not believe you would fair well in a minefield."
Kagome's eyes went wide as his voice crashed over her. Her body trembled slightly. She swallowed heavily, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. She knew that he was not joking and she was not sure if she could handle the warfare that would ensue. She would back down from this one. After all, he had made it perfectly clear that he held the power to crush her future.
"Alright," she said softly, averting her eyes from his gaze. "What did you want to talk about?"
'Smart girl,' he thought as he leaned back from the table. He ran a hand through his silken hair before running his eyes over Kagome's rigid form. He was not aware that Kagome was raging inside, torn between hating his arrogant, lethal attitude and fearing him. He was also not aware that his conflicting attitude torn at her. But then again, Sesshomaru did not understand why he was so unwavering about having Kagome's submission. Just as strange were the haunting emotions that he felt whenever he saw the woman around another man.
"The opportunity has arisen for you to conduct an interview with Mr. Tamikia about your upcoming novel. Would you like to take it," Sesshomaru asked, carefully watching the beautiful woman for her reaction.
Kagome blinked for a moment, the news hitting her like a ton of books. Slowly, the information began to sink in, causing her eyes to fractionally widen with each passing moment. Her lush mouth fell open slightly in shock. Then, her lips curved into a large smile as her blue eyes shone with happiness. 'Why won't she look at me that way?' Sesshomaru thought for a fleeting second. 'Most women give me such attention in a heartbeat. Confusing wench.'
"Really?" Kagome asked excitedly, not able to contain her joy.
"Yes, really," Sesshomaru responded.
Kagome let out a screech of happiness, dropping her fork in the process. She sprang forward from her chair, pouncing upon Sesshomaru. Kagome thanked him breathlessly as she hugged him, her breath dancing across his skin. She had forgotten all about their previous argument and seemingly forgot about her wish to resist from touching the stoic man. Sesshomaru's lips curved into a smile as he loosely wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist.
scence change
A sharp knock on Kagome's front door caused the raven haired woman to furrow her brows in confusion. 'Who could that be? Sango would have called before she came over,' she thought. Setting down the coffee pot that she was holding, Kagome made her way over to the door. Whoever was on the other side must have been impatient for they began pounding on the door once again.
Frowning, Kagome called out, "I'm coming!"
Swinging open the door, Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. She stood looking at a young, silvered haired man. His gold eyes displayed concern. He stood tensely, fidgeting nervously under her gaze.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.
"Can I come in? I need to talk to you," Inuyasha relied.
Nodding her head, Kagome opened the door, allowing the man to walk into her room. After he walked in, Kagome shut the door behind him. She was still confused, having no idea what he wanted to talk about. 'Could it be about what he said last night?' Kagome asked herself. Inuyasha stood in her living room, unsure as to where to go. His back was to her but he turned his head slightly so he could watch her out of the corner of his eye.
"Want some coffee?" Kagome asked softly.
Nodding his head, Inuyasha followed the woman into her small, warm kitchen. Inuyasha sat down at the small table, leaning back. He watched her grab two cups out of the cabinet and pour the black substance in.
"Cream and sugar?" she asked.
"No," Inuyasha muttered.
Kagome walked over to him with the cups, placing one before him before taking a seat across from Inuyasha. Thoughts of a similar experience with another silver haired man crossed her mind. As much as they didn't like it, the brothers were more similar than they let on.
"So what's up?" Kagome asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Did you make it back home alright?" Inuyasha asked, carefully raising his gold eyes to look at her.
"If I didn't, would I be here right now?" Kagome asked sarcastically. "What about yourself? You were pretty drunk last night."
"Feh. I'm fine, Kags," Inuyasha said gruffly.
Smirking, Kagome shook her head. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"
"No…"
"Well, then what is it?"
Inuyasha looked at Kagome intently, studying her reactions. "Kagome," he began slowly, almost hesitantly, "What are your feelings for my brother?"
A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I can't believe that this story hit 300 reviews! Everyone that reads this story is awesome! Keep letting me know if I am doing a good job!