A First for Everything
Chapter 22
A hazy, golden eye cracked open slowly to the darkness of the room. It blinked casually, allowing itself to naturally adjust to the low lighting that surrounded him. Eventually, the stunning orb roved over to the edge of his large bed, seeking for the digital clock, lifting his head slightly to obtain a better view. The little clock illuminated the time to him. It was only 7:43 in the evening.
With a grunt, his head sunk back into the silken pillow of his bed, crushing the silver strands that piled beneath him during that action. Physically, he was still tired. After all, he and Kagome had managed to unite two other times before surrendering to sleep. However, mentally he was fresh and ready to rise and analyze what was still left of the day. Sesshomaru did not know if he wanted to arise, for his body still protested, his limbs sore and strained.
Despite his wish to drift back into sleep, a slight shifting at his side prevented him from doing so. Soft flesh pressed against his own muscular form, tender breasts gliding across his chest as the female sought to become more comfortable. The motion kept him awake, making him very aware of the naked body beside him as well as his own naked form. He bit back a growl of desire, mentally cursing himself for becoming aroused once more. Sesshomaru shifted himself as well, seeking to ease the pressure of her body and escape the building temptation that was rising within his body. However, it seemed as if Kagome had other plans.
She slightly moaned in disappointment as he eased his body from hers, a scowl forming on her well structured face as she remained asleep. She shivered briefly from the heat that had been removed from her. Kagome leaned forward, once again placing herself upon Sesshomaru. Reaching up with her arms, she draped them over his waist, her slender fingers falling upon his lower back, lazily tracing patterns into his white skin. This action pushed her closer into Sesshomaru, her body flush against his own. She sighed in happiness, dropping her face to press into the warm expanse of his chest. Her silken hair teased him as the ends brushed across him in various places, softer and finer than any silk available in the world. Kagome rubbed her nose against the flesh, sending a tremor up Sesshomaru's spine as her hands continued to send flares of arousal through his body. She mumbled incoherent words into him, her sweet tones reaching his ears as the slight rumbles played across him. Sighing in defeat, Sesshomaru guided his head closer to hers, brining his arms up to loosely wrap around her nude form, closing his eyes once again.
He rested peacefully for a few moments before his eyes sprung open, wide…and actually showing some emotion. Shock was evident in their size, the intense color deepening slightly as his body became rigid and straight. 'What in the hell am I doing?' he thought to himself. His gaze drifted down, staring at Kagome strangely, as she continued to sleep peacefully.
Since when did the great Sesshomaru, this royal person, this so-called Lord of the Fluff, ever allow himself to remain in bed with a woman and allow her to sleep beside him? Since when did he ever permit them to drape themselves over his body and agree to adorn his limbs over her body? This was not tolerable. If someone would get word of this, it would surely haunt him until his death, particularly if that half-wit of a brother discovered this.
He scowled at the thought. Was he perhaps growing soft with his old age? 'Never,' he thought. '28 is far from being feeble minded and weak. I am still as ruthless as ever.' Pulling back, he lifted his arms from her body, attempting to remove himself from the room. Desire and temptation was one thing, however, he did not want this woman to obtain the impression of feelings. But did he feel anything for her? If he didn't, why did he not immediately realize his actions? And why did he demand her presence and continually only bed her?
"Damn it," he growled softly.
With that action, Kagome groaned as she shifted, finally rolling off of Sesshomaru. All of his thoughts fled as he watched the woman move across his sheets. She raised her arms above her head, stretching her body and arching her back with a content sigh. Her breasts rose and fell, her smooth flesh peaking from the sheets and leaving the sight bare to his gaze. Sesshomaru felt desire begin to grow through him once again as she did so.
Slowly, her eyes opened, the blue eyes blinking in adjustment. She rolled her head to the side, her black hair falling about her and draping over her alabaster skin. As she met Sesshomaru's eyes, surprise was evident, obviously not used to awaking with Sesshomaru by her side and staring at her. However, after a moment, her eyes softened and she smiled lightly.
"Good morning," she said.
"It is far from morning, woman," Sesshomaru retorted tonelessly. "It is nearly 8 at night. I feel that qualifies as evening."
Kagome's smile immediately curved into a frown, her bright eyes flashing over once with fire. "Well, don't we have to be technical? I just got up, Fluffy. It is still the morning to me, regardless of the actual time."
Sesshomaru growled before he pounced upon her. Kagome found herself pinned beneath Sesshomaru's lean body, his hands holding hers above her head as her body pressed against his. He leaned his head down to hers, the silver strands cascading in a domino effect to frame his face…and block her vision from anything but his scowling face. She blinked up at him, confused and shocked. Her body shuttered as he moved slightly against her. What was he up to?
"Fluffy?" he questioned darkly. "I would refrain from calling me such a thing unless you desire to be punished."
Kagome scoffed at the man above her, pulling her hands, trying to remove them from his grasp. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," she said sarcastically, still attempting to get away from him. "It was a joke. You don't have to get so bent out of shape. No wonder why no one wants to be around you."
Sesshomaru snarled at the woman, his eyes flashing dangerously. He swooped down the remaining distance between their bodies, sculpting his body onto hers as his mouth crushed hers. Kagome immediately gave up her fight, surrendering to the demanding pressure of Sesshomaru's lips. She opened her mouth, granting him all the access that he wanted. Their tongue's met as the kiss continued, making Kagome moan out at the sensations it was creating. Sesshomaru nudged open her legs as he continued to lick and nip at her lips and tongue. As they spread for him, Sesshomaru slid his leg in between them. His leg moved up until his knee met the soft folds of her womanhood. Erotically, he rubbed her folds with his knee, making Kagome wither and buck against him in response.
Suddenly, Sesshomaru released her mouth and still his leg. He leaned up from her, smirking as he saw Kagome's flushed and panting figure. Her lips were parted, her eyes glazed with moans of disappointment tearing from her. She frowned slightly, trying to rise towards him. However, his hands still held her down. She moved her hips, attempting to recreate the friction at her sex. But Sesshomaru pulled his knee back, breaking the contact.
"It seems that someone does wish to be around me. Ne, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked huskily in low baritones.
Kagome gasped, blinking as her eyes began to loose their misty, lustful quality. Rolling her eyes at the man above her, she pulled at his hands once again. He allowed her hands to be freed from his grasp. Kagome instantly pushed at his bare chest, grunting while she used enough force to move his larger body. Sesshomaru allowed his body to fall backwards, letting the soft mattress support himself. Kagome rolled off of the bed, stretching as she rose.
"Hmpf," she said as she began to reach for his clothes. "Not when you're being an asshole."
A pale eyebrow rose as he turned his head to the side to glance at the woman. He watched her as she shimmied on her undergarments. He found himself fascinated by her movements. He licked his lips before rolling to his side and propping himself up on his elbow.
'How odd,' he thought as he continued to watch her change. 'I do believe that this is the first time I watched a woman rise from my bed. It is the first time I had conversed with them after waking as well.' However, for some reason, it was not as strange to him as he thought. He felt at ease as he watched her, not annoyed or disgusted as he had felt after sleeping with all of the other females he had experienced. Why was this one so different?
"Cleanse yourself before we go to dinner," Sesshomaru suddenly spoke up calmly, surprising even himself with the comment.
Kagome halted her actions, her head turning around to peer at the man oddly. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before stuttering out, "N-Nani?"
"Clean yourself. You will not appear dirty in public," he repeated, pushing himself off of the bed and making his way to his closet.
"Dinner? Public?" she asked, still confused. "What are you talking about?"
Sesshomaru snorted and pursed his lips. "Are you not hungry?"
Kagome jerked her head upwards. "Well, yes…"
"Then we shall attend dinner. Go freshen yourself," Sesshomaru commanded before disappearing into the depths of his closet.
She sat quietly, her eyes diverted to the soft, white fabric of the tablecloth. In her uneasiness, she smoothed away the barely visible wrinkles of her clothing. Sighing, she brought her hand up to tuck her loose hair behind her ear. Quickly, she darted her eyes towards her dinning partner before turning back towards the table. Why was this so different? She has been in his presence before. 'Hell, he's seen me naked for Kami's sake!' she thought. So why did she feel as if this was something more?
"Do not act as if you do not know me, Kagome," a deep voice sounded, drawing her attention.
She glanced to her dinning partner once more, noticing that he had raised a thin eyebrow to her behavior. The beginnings of a smirk traced his sensual lips as he stared at her. He was the epitome of calmness, unaffected by her presence and others. It did not seem that anything was unusual to him, so therefore she was just over reacting. Right? She quickly recovered, snorting lightly, and raising her own eyebrow in a silent challenge.
"Perhaps I do not know you, Sesshomaru," Kagome replied.
"Your logic is far from reasonable. It is quite obvious that you know me. If you did not, why would you be seated here?" he answered calmly.
'Did he just set himself up?' "Perhaps this is a blind date, set up by friends. We would not know each other, ne? Or perhaps this is a business meeting. After all, I did not know Inuyasha at our first meeting, nor do I think that you know all of your business engagements at events," Kagome shot back confidently, smirking. 'This is too easy.'
Sesshomaru frowned. She did have a point. It had been foolish of himself to say such a thing. However, Kagome did not have to know his mistake.
"This could be true. However, we are both aware of our previous experience and encounters. This would only seem as a first date to outsiders," Sesshomaru covered, inwardly gloating at his clever response.
'Date? Did he say date!' Kagome thought. Her mind reeled in thought, trying to distinguish what Sesshomaru had really meant by his words. Was it possible that he was no longer going to use her? Or was he really using her in the first place? Didn't Inuyasha say that he slept with a girl once and then got rid of her? So that would mean that he was breaking his rule. In other words, were they actually having some sort of relationship, as off as it was?
Kagome took a deep breath, blinking once before responding. "So you are aware of what we did? And here I thought that you were just using me for the mind-blowing sex," Kagome said teasingly. "Does that mean to think about it?"
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. She was hitting a tender spot that he did not wish to discuss. Damn this woman. She was clever, and at this moment, he did not care for her witty intellect. Smoothly, Sesshomaru leaned onto the table, lowering his gaze as he did so. His intense eyes met Kagome's, locking for yet another time that day. 'This seems to be occurring more often,' Sesshomaru dwelled. 'Why is it that I cannot seem to break her trance like all of the others?'
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. How far would you go to discover that answer?" he asked smoothly and seductively.
'Very far.' "I would go no where," she answered in a huff, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Kagome did not even notice that she had begun to relax during their playful banter.
Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair once again, satisfied with the results. It was merely too easy to work this woman into a state of agitation…or in this case, denial. Elegantly, his hand reached out, grasping the slender wine glass between his fingers. It slowly rose to his lips, the red liquid swirling delicately as it moved according to his touch. His eyes stared directly at Kagome's face, watching the strings of emotions fly across her face.
"If you insist, Kagome," Sesshomaru responded before taking a sip of the luxurious wine.
They were currently sitting in the private and fairly secluded section of the restaurant, Cassio. Although the restaurant was not one of his usual five stars, it was still of excellent quality. He preferred this setting when he was out of informal occasions, and not posed with the task of entertaining and impressing important and wealthy clients and women. Another reason why he had chosen this location was due to the fact that there were fewer chances of the paparazzi arriving at this restaurant. He did not have to want to face them. After all, this was the first time that he had ever brought a woman to a place such as this. 'I hope that this woman sincerely recognizes how privileged she is at this moment,' Sesshomaru thought with a snort.
Kagome smiled wickedly at Sesshomaru, causing his triumphant mental victory to temporarily pause. What was she up to? She gracefully tipped her head to the side, her bright eyes playing stealthily upon Sesshomaru's senses. 'Damn it,' he thought to himself.
"Insist, Sesshomaru? Do I really do that? I was under the impression that you were the one with the insisting, while I merely provided the consent," Kagome easily and silkily replied, her mouth breaking into a wide grin with her remark.
The glass of wine, still continently located in Sesshomaru's hand, quickly rose to his mouth, allowing him to take a long sip of the beverage. He had not been expecting that one. She was certainly becoming craftier. He would have to watch himself from now one. Kagome caught on quickly to his little games and words – she would be a formidable opponent one day.
"Is that so," Sesshomaru answered carelessly. "If I remember correctly, you were the one that approached me first."
"True," Kagome responded, still smiling. "But, if you remember correctly, you were the one to make the first sexual advances, and the first to touch." She laughed lightly, unable to contain herself at Sesshomaru's hard look. Quickly, she continued onward. "But really, do we have to talk about this all the time? There must be something else to discuss. Perhaps you could tell me about the progress of my publishing, and what comes next."
Sesshomaru quickly downed his wine, roughly placing the glass back upon the table. "I suppose so," he mumbled out, unhappy that she had once again made a valid point that he could not refute. 'Damn her,' he thought. At the musical sound of Kagome's laughter, he barked out roughly, "Waiter, bring me another glass immediately."
A young man sat quietly by the entrance of a popular restaurant. He played absentmindedly with the camera that hung around his neck. It was a dull, uneventful night. He did not know why he chose to sit by this place – it seemed obvious that nothing of interest was going to happen any time soon. A sigh escaped his lips. He had wanted this to be his chance to prove himself. This was supposed to be his big break, capturing a moment that would surely prove himself to the others of his industry. His hand reached up to his head, scratching the back of his head lazily.
"This sucks," he muttered out loud.
It was then that a young couple emerged from the doors, smiling and walking confidently. The man had his arm wrapped loosely around the woman's waist. As the woman walked beside him, she placed her small, pale hand delicately upon the man's arm, seemingly securing his touch. Then the tall, elegant man leaned down, whispering words into the woman's ears. She raised an eyebrow at the sentence, stifling a laugh and shaking her head.
The young photographer smiled to himself. Yes, this was the moment he had been waiting for. He recognized the man instantly. He was a very important and influential man. But who was the woman? She looked familiar as well, but he could not instantly recall her name. He raked his brain, searching for connections and clues that would give away her identity. After a moment, his eyes lit up with glee, his mouth breaking into a wide smile. Oh yes, he did remember her. This was very good, very good indeed.
Laughing to himself, he raised the camera, adjusting the settings before snapping away as the couple continued to walk and talk, unaware to his presence. He followed the couple with the camera until both disappeared into the limousine that was waiting for them.
Rising from his spot, he instantly took off, eager to get back to his office and develop the photos. "This is way too good to be true," he said as he moved. "Wait until the others get a hold of this!"
TBC…
A/N: Ahh, another chapter done! I'm sorry that this took so long, but midterms were kicking me in the ass! But on sad news, I think that there will only be about 3-4 more chapters of this story. I do not want to draw out this story for too long, for I feel that it would make it seem unnatural and plagued with bad luck. Perhaps I will write a sequel, if I get a good idea or have enough support for one. But do not fear, I think you will enjoy the end of the story…I am already getting eager to write it!
Thank you to everyone that nominated this story for the annual awards on A Single Spark!…6 different categories! I never thought that anyone would like this story so much!
Also, I posted a link for the unedited chapters of the story in my profile. Hopefully this will solve everyone's problems with the links in the chapters. But, if there is still a problem, feel free to email me.
Let me know how you like this chapter!