Chapter 11

A lanky man in a trench coat tapped his foot impatiently outside of the coffee shop and glanced once more at his watch. These girls were late. The paparazzo sighed as he adjusted his shades and skimmed through the crowd of people for his sources. An anonymous phone call told him they had something he'd be interested in on Inuyasha. Inuyasha was the hit of the fall. Anything about him, scored millions off the charts and he needed this one break. This picture she claimed she had would pay his rent for three years straight! He scoffed and cursed under his breath as he pulled out a cigarette from his jacket chest pocket and lit it.

He glanced down the streets as he saw two girls walking towards him with anticipation. Score.

"You're late..." he said as he flicked his barely smoked cigarette away.

"Sorry, our boss made us stay overtime."

"Yeah, uh huh, so do you have what I need?" he went straight to the point.

" Yeah, um...Kani, give him the picture." she nudged her friend in the arm and smiled nervously at the impatient guy.

Kani rummaged through her bag and handed it to him.

He snatched it from her and opened the envelope and looked at them disbelievingly. "That's it? Just one picture? Where are the rest of the pictures?" he interrogated.

Kani shrugged. "They were damaged, that was one of three that actually came out...and it was just of some girl and her cat..."

"and the guy..." Tika tittered to her friend and forced a smile at the guy.

"Yeah, and the guy." Kani nodded.

"Where're the negatives?" he asked feeling angered. What a waste of time.

"We gave them to the customer; we couldn't just keep them." Kani scoffed at the stupid question. "Are you going to pay us or not? If not, don't waste our time."

"Fine." the guy sighed. "How much you want?"

Tika and Kani looked at each and tried to discuss privately about the amount. The guy rolled his eyes as he gazed down at the picture. A drag queen was giving Inuyasha a lap dance. This may work.

"Six hundred." they both nodded in unison.

"Six hundred?" the guy cocked an eyebrow. Were they serious? Usually a picture like this went for two thousand, minimum.

"Is that too much?" Kani asked in a honey tone and put her finger to her mouth.

"Uh…yeah. Damn, you ladies drive a hard bargain. You guys are milking me for what I'm worth. Damn...uh...don't go spending it like crazy now." he handed them the money. The girls squealed as they grabbed the money and ran away from him in fear that he'd change his mind.

He shook his head and shoved the picture inside his jacket. He glanced at his watch; he might have enough time to meet his deadline. He got into his car and drove off.

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The employees of Crescent Corp sat at their lounge table and argued back and forth as Koura updated the polls on the whiteboard.

"So far, it seems, the pit has gone up to two million dollars." she giggled.

"Oh my god...I think I'm going to faint." laughed an old woman.

"Wait, we still have two weeks left. The bet isn't over." Koura raised her hands trying to get everyone's attention, but their excitement was hard to overpower.

"Are you kidding me?" Hiten laughed. "Those two are so done. You know they love each other."

"Doesn't matter. We need tangible proof of it." Koura said.

"What? You never said nothing about that!" yelled a guy in the back with spikey hair.

"Ginta, this is a lot of money. We need to be fair to those of the opposing side." Koura said in a soft calm tone.

"Screw that, come on! You know they are sleeping with each other." he announced and everyone around him nodded.

"It's true," one guy confirmed. " She was marked the day after the ball. "he laughed.

"Guys, that isn't our business!" Koura scolded as everyone began to laugh.

"Oh come on, Koura, that's it, we won. If he marked her, then there is your solid proof." Hiten howled along with the rest of the guys. "He has to love her to do that, and she loves him, she told me. Well, she didn't exactly tell me that she loved him but something like that." he shrugged.

"No!" Koura growled. "Trust me, I want to win just as bad and when the two weeks are up, the pit will have reached past its mark, which will be more than enough of what we had put in...but we need to do this right. So much can happen in two weeks. Until then, the rules still apply, no one may manipulate the situation and that is final!" Koura covered the board so that no one could see it except those that were in on the bet.

"Man, if Lord Sesshomaru finds out about this...we may lose our jobs..." said one guy.

"Let's make sure that he doesn't then." Hiten advised. "I do have one question though, Koura..". He looked at her very seriously. " What's going on with Shurran, she seems to have her own agenda. You need to tell her about the rules, what was she coming to the ball as Sesshomaru's escort about? Doesn't anyone find that suspicious?" he frowned.

"Well, you came with Kagome." said another guy.

"Yeah but that was different, she wanted to go but didn't have a date. Sesshomaru wasn't the type to go. I think he only went because Kagome went...but still...something isn't right." he rubbed his chin.

Koura frowned at him and thought it to be suspicious too. But she knew Shurran, would she be so desperate to have done that? She then remembered the amount of money Shurran invested. She had said it was all she had; she was probably taking drastic measures into making sure she'd win. That kind of money would make a person kill their own kin. She deeply regretted now having to have ever made this bet.

"This meeting is now adjourned." she said softly before falling into deep thought.

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Kagome opened her eyes and turned her head as she woke up from her nap. She grunted as she got poked by a marker on her bed. She fell asleep drawing on her scrap book and left out markers with the top off. They had leaked through her blankets and she cursed as she took all the markers and threw them off her bed. Forcing herself out of bed, she dragged herself to her mirror and gasped at the ink marks all over her face. Purple and red streaks, cluster of blue across her forehead.

"This is just great..." she sighed as she exited her room.

The apartment was quiet, and she wondered what time it was. She hated taking naps, it always set her off course with her day. She wondered if it was the next day or just really late at night. She turned to go into the bathroom but slammed into Sesshomaru's chest as he exited the bathroom. Why do they keep doing that?

"Ow?" she rubbed her nose.

"I apologize...I.." he stopped and looked at her and then squinted with a smirk. "New art project?"

"Ugh...don't even ask..." she scoffed as she pushed him out of the way and closed the door.

Sesshomaru partially grinned as he grabbed his laptop and sauntered to the living room. He sat down on the couch and fixed his sweats, picking off one of the cat's hairs off of his white undershirt. The lock of the bathroom unclicked, and Kagome exited turning off the bathroom light.

"What time is it?" she yawned as she wiped her face with a towel.

Sesshomaru glanced at time on his desktop as he was typing and looked up at her.

"Nearly midnight..."

Kagome ambled toward the couch, sitting beside him. Her vanilla-berry scent wafted over to him making it hard to concentrate. As he continued to type, he would intermittently look over at her when she wasn't paying attention and would settle his gaze on the lips he kissed the other night, the breasts he suckled on. The way she moaned into his ears. Did they really have to put a stop to that? This wasn't going to be easy. A frustrated growl escaped his chest.

"You say something?" Kagome looked back at him and he shook his head.

"Mm? No, I did not." he cleared his throat and went back to typing.

"I'm getting something to drink, do you want something?" she asked as she stood up. Sesshomaru shook his head and kept his eyes on the screen.

"Okay..." she said as she passed him to go to the kitchen.

His senses caught her lovely aroma emanating from her, some sort of body moisturizer. He tightened his jaw trying to focus on his work. It smelled sort of fruity, tropical almost. He sat up straight when she came back with a drink in her hand. Was it strawberries, he thought. It could be Apple or perhaps, both?

"You have to be kidding me." he whispered to himself as he closed his laptop and set it down.

"What's the matter?" Kagome asked obliviously as she sipped her soda.

"Nothing. " he said as he went toward the living room window and opened it. He jumped over the ledge onto the fire escape and pulled out a cigarette. He stared at his shaky fingers as he tried to light his cigarette and began to smoke. His whole body was shaking with desire.

"Calm yourself." he said to himself. He needed to relax. He took long drags of his cigarette and stared out into the street. He got lost in his thoughts for a short moment until he felt Kagome behind him.

He closed his eyes in agitation. No, Kagome, stay back, he mentally said.

"Hey..." Kagome tapped him on the back. "Are you alright, you seem very weird...like something's bothering you, maybe?"

"I'm fine..." he said flatly.

"Oh, ok...so, what are you thinking about?" she asked, her tone cheerful as she lifted her knee over the ledge to join him.

"Nothing." he said flatly once again, hoping she'd get a hint from his short answers.

"Okay. Are we-"

Sesshomaru turned to her and snapped. " Look, can you not see that I wish to be left alone!" he raised his voice startling her.

She stared at him with a hurtful expression as she opened her mouth to speak but thought otherwise as she dropped her knee down and turned around. He instantly regretted his reaction and followed her inside.

"I didn't mean—"

"Save it!" she cried and turned around once he reached her. "You want to be left alone, fine! I'll leave you alone, but you could have said it nicer! Why do you have to be so mean!"

Sesshomaru stared down at her as she continued to fume but all he could think about was tearing her clothes off. He gritted his teeth trying to refrain himself as he glanced at her full lips and hypnotizing gray eyes.

"All I wanted to ask was if we were going to work...and all you had to do wa-" her words were cut short when Sesshomaru gripped the sides of her arm, pushed her onto the couch and mounted over her. He grabbed a fistful of her hair as he pressed his lips firmly against hers, parting it open with his tongue. Kagome's eyes widened, stunned for only a second before she relaxed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He nipped at her bottom lip, breathing heavily into her mouth as he slipped his hand under her shirt. She pushed him off of her and mounted over him, removing her camisole. He sat up, unclipped her bra and cupped her breast as he put it into his mouth. She rocked her hips against his erection provoking him to remove her shorts and underwear with urgency. She bent down to lower his pants and didn't hesitate putting his swollen member into her mouth, sucking so hard that he drew his head back and stifled a deep moan. Hearing him moan turned her on, it was so vulnerable of him. She quickened her suction, jerking her head back and forth then slowing it down, teasing the tip of his shaft with her tongue that he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her up and she immediately mounted her core over him. They both moaned as she thrusted back and forth. He squeezed her breasts as he met her thrusts with his and marveled at her beautiful body as she dropped her head back moaning uncontrollably. Her increased wetness seeped onto his pelvis and he knew she was close to climaxing by the way she tightened which was perfect since he couldn't hold out any longer himself. He climaxed a second after she did, his fingers burying deep into her outer thighs, his orgasm so potent that it exhausted every ounce of energy he had. She dropped onto his chest, his hand caressing her soft back as he panted alongside her. His climax continued to draw out, making him jerk as he nibbled on her shoulder and cupped her buttocks.

"So…was this a mistake again?" Kagome asked, not being able to help it. It wasn't as if she wanted to kill the moment with reality, but it would lessen the blow if he mentioned it again. He glanced sympathetically at her, grinned then licked his lips as he wrapped his arm across her back and pulled her closer to him. He buried his face into her neck and gnawed her skin. "I don't know about you, but I'm really liking these mistakes. We should continue to make them."

He chuckled into her neck, kissed her then looked into her eyes. "I agree."

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They slept in his bed last night. After showering, he surprised himself by pulling her into his room for the night. He needed her next to him. The way she felt in his arms was soothing. He was shocked when he kissed her last night, pulled her down to the couch to make love but he couldn't hold back. He yearned for her touch, her lips and her laugh. Her laugh was probably his favorite. It was so pure, so genuine. He was up for twenty minutes now, mulling through his thoughts as he brushed his fingers down her arm, pressing his lips gently against her shoulder as he breathed her in. He nestled closer to her body, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissed her neck again.

Kagome didn't open her eyes but awoke with a smile as she felt his warm soft lips on her neck. She was so confused. He said they couldn't continue doing this yet they ended up sleeping together again. Her face flushed thinking about last night. Her core throbbed for him feeling his naked body behind her. She curved her backside into his groin making him press his member against her. He instantly became hard and she smirked. Inching her butt back again, he breathed heavily into her neck.

"You shouldn't keep doing that…" he whispered into her ear, his hands brushed across her breasts down her stomach.

She smiled, adjusted herself again, purposely rubbing her butt against his erection. "doing what?"

He dragged his hand down her torso and dipped them between her thighs, prying them apart just enough to push his fingers through her sweltering wet core. Oh, she was driving him mad. He lifted her thigh, positioning himself closer and thrusted himself inside her. He started with a slow pulsing rhythm, enjoying the sounds of her moans and shocked her with a few hard thrusts in between that sent her screaming. He reached his hand over her hips and fingered her opening as he shoved his appendage back and forth, his shaft glistening from her wetness. She expelled whimpers, obscenities and moans in one breath as he drove into her relentlessly while rubbing her center with his fingers in a hasten fashion. She dug her nails into his hands, piercing through his skin as she exploded into a powerful climax. He continued to thrust as she writhed beside him and finished inside her, stifling his moans as he pressed his lips onto her back and held onto her tightly. Loosening his grip on her thighs, he let out a deep shaky breath and without intending to, found himself comparing the sex with Kikyo.

Their sex was never like this. It didn't even come close to mimicking even a fraction of the passion. It was always so bland. She usually just lied there, and he had difficulties keeping an erection with her. For the longest time he thought it was him but then realized halfway through the relationship that she didn't spark his desires. Now here he was with Kagome, still hard after climaxing and could possibly go again. Something about her made him hunger for her, he lusted for her in a way that was insatiable, but it wasn't just lust. It was the touch. They way she touched him physically and emotionally, he never imagined it could happen for him.

A knock sounded at the door and they both looked toward the hallway.

"Are…you expecting company?" he rasped.

"Not that I can recall." She said, her voice low as if whoever it was could hear them outside.

"You wash up. I'll go answer it." He said and she groaned as he pulled away from her. The knock persisted making her rush out of bed and spring for the bathroom. Sesshomaru slipped into his sweats and a white t shirt and trudged toward the door to answer.

The curious and stunned faces that met his when he opened the door were picture worthy. Sango, Miroku, Koga and Hojo stared at Sesshomaru with mouths agape as he stepped aside to let them in.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything..." Koga winked, studying Sesshomaru's attire. "Did you just wake up?"

"Kagome is in the shower." He said, not bothering to answer Koga's question. After five minutes, everyone settled into the kitchen, Kagome got out of the bathroom and changed into a sweater and shorts before joining them in the kitchen. Sesshomaru left them to shower and change.

"Seriously, did you guys just wake up?" Sango asked.

"We…got home late last night. Work has been…crazy." She said, noticing Koga and Sango weren't buying her lie. "So…what brings you guys here?" she said, making her way to the counter to make espressos. "Anyone want coffee?"

"Well, we just stopped at Dean & Deluca's and decided to bring you guys lunch." Sango said, unpacking boxes and containers onto the table.

"It's a little early for lunch, isn't it?" said Kagome.

" Kagome, it's like almost 2pm."

"Seriously?" Kagome glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Oh wow."

"Mmhm." Koga said, standing beside her, shooting her a suspicious look. "How late did you stay up?"

"Pretty late." Kagome scowled as she fixed two cups of espresso. Normally, Sesshomaru took an hour in the shower but since they had company, he was showered and dressed in a cream sweater over a pair of denims within ten minutes. God, could he look any hotter? Kagome's gaze followed him as he entered the kitchen. She handed him an espresso and he sat at the end of the table.

"What were you doing to be thrown off by time?" Koga asked, looking at Sesshomaru's hands. "How'd you get those cuts, they look fresh."

Kagome felt her face become hot as she nervously looked at him but he was calm about it as he sipped his espresso and shrugged.

"The cat." He said, casually looking at Kagome with an expressionless face but she could see the hint of playfulness in his eyes. Her cheeks started to burn.

"You guys have a cat?" Miroku asked. "Ugh, keep it away from me. I hate cats."

"No, she's sweet." Kagome cleared her throat and searched around the floor for Kirara. "She's probably under my bed."

"You guys are not working today, are you?" Sango licked her fingers as she opened one jar of dipping sauce that came with the sandwiches.

Kagome opened the cupboard, taking out plates and looked at Sesshomaru who shook his head.

"I guess not." Kagome said as they all sat down. Sango went to the cupboards and grabbed cups and fished through the drawers for knives, spoons and forks.

Koga continued to leer annoyingly at Sesshomaru then Kagome.

"Hey, you know what would be a fun topic to talk about?" Koga looked at everyone. " Marking." he nodded with an evil grin.

Sesshomaru glanced sideways at him, sipping his espresso slowly. Kagome bit her lip and kept her eyes on her espresso cup.

"What's marking?" Sango asked.

"Well, you see, it's when a demon falls-"

Koga felt something hit his leg under the table. Looking underneath, it could only be Sesshomaru. When he looked up at him, he noticed his gaze become serious, flickering a warning flame at him.

"So anyway," said Sango, sitting down. "Koga, tell everyone about yesterday."

"Oh yeah, " Koga interrupted. "I met Ayame's parents, they absolutely loved me but I mean, who could blame them, huh?" Koga raised his arms.

"Oh really?" Kagome took a seat by Sesshomaru and sipped her espresso. "was it awkward?"

" At first…um, you see, they started asking what I do for a living and I…well, I kind of panicked."

"Oh my god, what did you tell them?" Kagome said, unwrapping a turkey and cheese sandwich.

" I kind of said...that I work for some sort prestigious corporation that is ironically ran by a young man with white hair and—"

"Koga!" Kagome scolded him from across the table. Sesshomaru looked at him incredulously as he tilted his head to the side.

Koga raised his hands defensively. "Dude, like I said, I panicked...ok? I did what you told me, I said words I didn't even know the meaning to. I probably made some up, and I was crashing, Kags! You hear me? Crashing! Once he started talking about Dow and Nas-tic." Koga tried to form out the word.

"Nasdaq…" Sesshomaru corrected him.

Everyone looked at him dumbfoundedly.

"It's an exchange where you buy and sell stock." Sesshomaru said, looking around the table perplexedly. Kagome admired him discreetly. It was still so surreal that just thirty minutes ago, they were having sex. Ok, stop thinking about it, she told herself before she turned herself on and become beet red in front of everyone.

"Right…that." Koga rolled his eyes and continued. " so, he then he was like, 'what do you do for a living?' " he mocked, scrunching his face and lifting his nose in the air. "Before I could answer that I worked construction, he was like...' because I'd like the best for my little girl, see.'" he looked at them all. " How could I tell him what I did after that?"

"So, you felt the need to lie?" Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow.

Koga darted his gaze at all of them and looked down at his plate. " Uh...not really lie, per se..."

Kagome frowned. "Koga, a lie is a lie, that's it. You don't work at Crescent Corp, lies will soon catch up to you, trust me. People will always find out!" she snapped. Sesshomaru frowned as he looked at her and everyone else did as well. They knew she wasn't talking about Koga's dilemma.

"I know that, Kagome..." Koga rasped. "but I was kind of hoping that...maybe...if there was an opening...I could..." he rounded his eyes at Sesshomaru, pouting.

Sesshomaru scoffed as he set his espresso down and rubbed his eyes. " What is it that you can do?"

"Absolutely nothing!" he said proudly but then his smile faded. " Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to look like a loser in that guy's eyes. Ok, I care for this girl and I don't want something as petty as money to separate us..." he shook his head. "I'm a fast learner though."

" Koga, you aren't a loser." Sango and Kagome said in unison.

" I told you before, Koga, you have nothing to prove to them." Kagome sighed. "All that matters is how Ayame feels about you."

"You don't understand, Kagome...look forget it..." Koga shook his head and broke a piece of his sandwich off.

Sesshomaru watched Koga for a moment. What Koga was saying was the truth and he out of everyone there knew that. He knew how people like that worked, because...he is one...or was. He knew that even if Koga were worthy of going out with his girlfriend, he'd always be looked down by her family by the size of his checkbook.

"Come by on Friday at 1pm." he surprised everyone by saying. Kagome looked at him, a smile forming on her face.

"What?" Koga tittered. "Seriously, aw man, I'll be there at 12:59."

"So, Kagome, have you given thought to what I told you earlier this week, about that guy at my job?" Sango said. Kagome shot a scowl at Sango. Sesshomaru's gaze moved from Koga to her, a hint of suspicion crossing his impassive features.

"Uh..." Kagome started before Koga started coughing.

" W-water..." he wheezed. "What's in this sandwich? Too spicy."

"Here.." Sango handed him some water. Miroku laughed as he patted Koga hard on the back.

"Are you alright!" he shouted in Koga's ear as he patted harder. Koga turned over and punched him in the shoulder.

" Ow..." Miroku laughed as he almost fell back. "Dude, I'm just seeing if you're alright...and you gotta hit me. Jeez, let's see the next time you're choking, I'm just gonna stare at you."

Kagome laughed and was glad that Koga helped changed the subject smoothly. What was Sango thinking about bringing up a topic like that in front of everyone. She looked at Sesshomaru whose face was stern but he glanced at her with a slight scowl. Her smile faded not knowing what to say.

Sango stood up and held her stomach, pushing through Miroku and Hojo's chair to get around. "Ugh, this sandwich isn't sitting well."

"I told you, hun. Stay away from the spice...but noooo, you wanna be all tough..." Miroku teased as Sango sprinted towards the bathroom.

"Shut up." she shouted behind her.

" I love you!" he shouted in a joking manner as he stuffed a piece of sandwich into his mouth and started coughing.

"Oh my god..." Koga mocked. "Are you alright? Huh? Huh?" he started smacking his back in retaliation. They started to play fight at the table while the rest of them ate quietly.

Sango came back after a few minutes. " Koga, stop beating up my boyfriend."

"You ok?" Kagome mouthed wordlessly at her.

" Yeah, don't worry…the spice is so freaking strong, you should try it, it'll put some hair on your chest." she said.

"Because that is a goal of mine." Kagome joked; sneaking looks at Sesshomaru who looked annoyed.

"Yeah, it's true..." Miroku coughed. " Did you see Sango's chest?"

Sango refrained from hitting him and just smiled. Her smile faded when she realized she had forgotten something and went into her bag. " Oh yeah, check this out, Kagome, did you see the paper?" Sango handed her the newspaper.

Kagome frowned and shook her head. " No, what happened?" she saw the front page and dropped her mouth.

"Oh my god..." she murmured under her breath, making Sesshomaru lean over to see what she was looking at. On the front page was the picture of him and the drag queens.

"Who'd a thought Inuyasha leads this double life, like what's happening to him? Drag queens, what's next?"

Kagome and Sesshomaru looked up from the paper and met each other's eyes.

"I need to have a word with you..." he said as he stood up and walked out of the kitchen. Kagome looked at her friends and stood up.

"Excuse us for a moment..." she left the kitchen. She saw him down the hallway and followed him into his room. She flinched when he slammed the door.

Sango, Miroku and Hojo flinched hearing the door slam and looked at each other questionably.

"What I say?" Sango asked.

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"I thought we agreed to not give the pictures to the press." he hissed.

" I swear, I didn't." Kagome protested.

" Don't lie to me, Kagome..." Sesshomaru closed his eyes in frustration. " You were so eager for this petty vendetta against your sister and Inuyasha...does it still bother you? Do you still have residual feelings for him where you'd act out this jealousy by giving the press what they want?" he felt his anger rise.

" NO!" Kagome cried but kept her voice low so that her friends in the kitchen could hear her. " I didn't. I'm telling you, I swear I didn't give anyone any pictures. I have the negatives and doubles, all the pictures are there, I can show you! I'm not lying, ok? Why are you accusing me of this, how quick your head turns when you feel I did something wrong!"

" I'm not going to believe some wench that keeps things from me!" he spat.

" Wench? I'm not keeping an-"

" Right, you kept pretty mum about considering dating someone at Sango's job. Or how about when-you know what, just forget it." he threw the newspaper on his bed. He didn't want to argue. It seemed they were arguing more about their relationship than what was on the paper. "Obviously, someone at the photo department saw what was on those pictures and was in desperate need of money. That picture is worth a few grand..." he rubbed his chin.

" I... I went somewhere far from here. I didn't think that it'd be a problem..." she said, her voice shaken. Upset that his demeanor completely changed with her. He was still the same cruel jerk from high school.

"This is going to be a problem..." he sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

She studied him for a moment, her eyes stinging from tears wanting to come out. He looked at her and she swallowed hard. "Yeah, this is going to be a problem."

She left him alone in his room and he knew she was no longer talking about the pictures.