General Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any brand named below. Nor do I make any profit from this work of fanfiction.

Chapter 7

It was brisk Friday evening, and this found Kagome at happy hour with InuYasha, Kikyo, Miroku and Sango. In Kagome's opinion it had been a trying but great week and she deserved a night out with friends. InuYasha came back to their private table with a bottle girl who set them up with a few bottles of champagne and glasses.

"Yasha what's all this?" Sango asked, reaching for a champagne flute while Miroku popped one of the bottles.

"We're celebrat'n! The launch was this week and first week numbers look amazing thanks to Kagome. Pops wouldn't stop talking about wanting to take you on the marketing team full time." InuYasha gushed, pulling Kagome into a side hug while she blushed profusely.

"C'mon, I know I'm good, but I really didn't do that much." Kagome laughed, taking a flute from Kikyo. They called over a waitress to take a picture of them while they toasted to the great news.

"So when is the actual launch? You guys have been preparing for this week for so long, I don't think I've ever heard you mention the actual thing." Miroku asked, seating himself snugly beside his girlfriend.

"We actually pushed that back, Grandpa forgot that people like to do non-work things during Christmas, so now the 'official launch' is in January. Which is great 'cause that gives me more time to order a dress for the launch party." Kagome replied, taking a sip.

"Oh that reminds me, do you guys wanna go with me to Ginza?" she asked Kikyo and Sango

"Are you taking the jet? Make sure you remember to book a town car too. You forgot the last time when we went to Osaka and we had to call your grandfather for help." Kikyo said wryly.

"Yes, I booked a town car too," Kagome said, chagrined and quickly typing a reminder discreetly into her phone. "Don't remind me, I'm still used to just renting a car and driving when I get there." she complained.

"So why don't you just do that?" InuYasha asked in a 'duh' fashion, it was the easiest answer in the world.

"Gome still doesn't have her license yet." Sango laughed

"What? That doesn't even make sense!" Miroku said, eyes widening

"Don't you wanna get a car and stop having to book the driver or hitch rides when you wanna go places?" InuYasha asked knowingly, he was one of her main sources of these begged for rides.

"I do I do, I just keep putting it off. At first I figured I wasn't going to be here so long, I thought my mother was just gonna tell me to visit more or whatever. I haven't even sold my car in Vienna."

"What about your flats?" Sango asked, concerned that her friend was holding onto her life away from Japan for reasons other than what she was saying. She and Kikyo shared a look, they were both thinking the same thing.

"Oh those are being rented. So that's one less worry." the blue eyed girl bit her purple painted nail. "Eh, i'll get to it, no use worrying about it tonight." she waved off the conversation with a larger sip of champagne

"Is Sesshoumaru coming?" Kikyo asked, tabling the previous discussion for another time.

"Probably not, he's at the office, Grandpa has been running him pretty ragged this week."

"Yeah the Old Man took pity on me, but when I left they were just going into a meeting." InuYasha said, happy he wasn't required for anything else this week.

A woman sauntered up to their area, dark hair tied in a tight bun, bangs sweeping across her forehead. She was tall and leggy, her short cocktail dress showcasing these attributes to their full potential.

"InuYasha," she greeted directly, only giving a small nod to everyone else at the table. "I wanted to offer my congrats, it seems this new venture is already a success." her voice was silky, as she raised her glass in his direction.

"Thanks Kagura, but I ain't got shit to do with it and you damn well know it." He said blandly, understanding that she was probably there to either intimidate or try to size up her 'competition' for Sesshoumaru. 'Ain't no competition though, she really needs to just let go already.' he thought with a mental roll of his eyes. Kagura had been trying to attach herself into their family for years. Sesshoumaru dated her briefly and after they broke up, they kept seeing each other for a few months after. It makes sense that she would assume she was still to be the main woman in his life, even if it was only his bed.

Kagura didn't miss a beat, her red lips never lost their smile, "Well your brother isn't here for me to congratulate so I'm toasting you by proxy."

InuYasha outwardly rolled his eyes at this and flagged down a waitress to order a stronger drink before he responded. Sango, Kikyo and Kagome exchanging covert glances but not outwardly behaving like the conversation was bothering their own.

"If you really wanna praise someone, you can praise Kagome. She's the reason shit's going as well as it is anyway." He said exasperated, wanting to be done with the whole conversation. The woman annoyed him with her fakeness. Kagura looked over curiously to the women at the table and 'realized' that there was someone she didn't know.

"Oh, my apologies" she gushed, "Tsukimoto Kagura, of Tsukimoto, Tanaka and Chan." She smiled disarmingly, or it would be if Kagome hadn't already been told who she was.

"Higurashi Kagome, I don't see the need to list my credentials." Kagome responded, taking a sip to hide her smirk. Kagura only faltered for a second, her face twitching into a scowl before she caught herself.

"Ah, you're right. Congratulations on the launch, I know Suzuka must be proud." Kagura continued, clearly trying to show how familiar she was with her family.

"Yes, he is. Touga as well." Kagome said simply, frowning at the disrespect of invoking her grandfather's name so familiarly and knowing that Kagura wouldn't dare be so familiar with the Takeda patriarch.

Understanding that she said the wrong thing and deciding to quit while she was ahead, Kagura smiled again, this one not reaching her slightly narrowed cinnamon eyes. "Yes, I bet he must be too. Well, enjoy the rest of your night, if you guys are looking to party, my girlfriends and I are just over there." she pointed to another corded off VIP area where a few women sat chatting, then walked away, a little more stiff than when she came.

"What a way to out bitch a bitch" Miroku laughed, reaching forward to toast his new drink with Kagome's flute.

"She could have been a little bit more subtle, stalk your social pages or just stay over there and stare or something." Kikyo groused, trying to shake off the bad vibe from the encounter.

"No, this was on purpose. She was secure in her position and didn't expect any opposition. Sesshoumaru clearly told her something she didn't like, so she thought she could intimidate me instead." Kagome replied, still looking in the direction of Kagura and her friends. She caught the other woman's eye when she glanced over, clearly trying to stealthily stare, and raised her glass in a mock toast.

"I know her type. She's not going to stop, she's gonna try and get around me" she continued seriously. "But anyways, we can plot her downfall another time. I'm ready to dance."

*LS*

The Christmas holidays came and went, bringing with it a few changes in life. Sesshoumaru had all but moved into the guest house with Kagome, much to the delight of Hitomi and Izayoi. The two mothers had covertly begun making guest lists and wedding planning.

Kikyo and InuYasha were becoming more and more comfortable with being visible in their relationship, having that romantic vacation together to the Caribbean to get away from the snow and their families.

They had been seeing a little more of Kagura, like Kagome predicted, she was normally seen alongside Naraku when they were out at events and parties. A notable instance was Kagura linking hands with Sesshoumaru at the family's Christmas party while he was greeting guests and Kagome had stepped away to attend her Grandfather. Sesshoumaru had stood there stiffly, trying to extricate himself from her grip without bringing attention to them and causing a scene. It had caused a few querying whispers however, and a blog post or two.

With the soft launch of the new Media arm of the company going well, an almost doubled client portfolio and an extended list of offered products and services, the official launch was upcoming. The brand was going to be listed on the stock exchange among other things and this took the majority of Sesshoumaru's attention and time. Kagome was in no way less busy, being on the committee planning the launch party, and a part of the executive marketing team in general, she was on the verge of tearing her hair out.

This is why this particular moment found Kagome bent over Sesshoumaru's office desk, biting her fist and holding on for dear life as he knelt behind her, feasting on her sopping wet core. He stood, holding her skirt up above her hips with one hand he resheathed his stiff and straining cock within her with a long smooth thrust.

They both bit back groans, knowing they had to keep a level of quiet after the first time they fucked in his office and InuYasha commented that he had to send Sesshoumaru's secretary to lunch because she thought something had happened and they needed assistance.

Sesshoumaru sped up his thrusts, gripping Kagome's hips tightly to keep her steady as he went hard and deep. She whimpered beneath him, as her orgasm rippled through her causing her to arch her back almost painfully as she clenched around him. He came after her with a strangled groan, tensing his body and thrusting shallowly until the overwhelming sensations passed.

He pulled out, leaving her to sag on the desk bonelessly while he removed and disposed of the condom he wore. After cleaning and resituating himself in his en suite bathroom, he brought over a damp cloth to Kagome who was just beginning to move.

"Wait a sec" he whispered, running the cloth along her inner thighs and core in a quick pass. She moaned in response before easing up and glancing around for her panties and tights, hoping against hope that she didn't have any ladders in them after his not so gentle removal.

"Are you ok?" he asked while cupping her cheek, checking to make sure he wasn't too rough with her. They didn't have much time lately to be together and that resulted in stolen moments anywhere they could get it.

"I'm fine, satisfied." she smiled at him, appreciating his sexual after care. "I'm just looking where my underwear ran off to."

He chuckled and reached over to his dual monitors, finding her lacy panties hanging off the side of one. She giggled her thanks and proceeded to redress herself. After zipping up her knee length soft leather boots, she fluffed her polka dotted a-line skirt, hoping that there weren't any weird creases or wrinkles in the fabric.

"Do I look ok?" she asked, playing with the sleeves of her crimson turtleneck sweater.

"Perfect" he praised, tilting her face up for a kiss.

"You know, I don't believe you?" she giggled, before going quickly to the bathroom to make sure she didn't sweat off her foundation or smudge her lip stain. The brands in question claimed to be sweat and smudge proof and she hoped they lived up to it. Thankful that she didn't need to clean up or reapply anything, she tried to fluff and tame her hair as best she could without a brush, but knew the tousled look wasn't going anywhere.

He walked up behind her, dropping the cloth in the sink and grabbed her hips with his now free hand. "You look well fucked" he whispered in her ear, running his nose along her neck and pulling her hips to meet his.

"That's because I am" she shot back, tilting her head to give him more space. It had been a while since they've been able to be in each other's presence without any rushing or work between them. "Can you come home for dinner?" she asked, unable to stop the smile that came to her face when she said home.

That smile was mirrored on his lips as he kissed the back of her head. "We can drive home together." He said instead, knowing it would make her happier. It was a simple pleasure they barely had the opportunity for nowadays. She spun in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck.

"I'll hold you to it." she gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Now, I'm going to go finish up and leave you to get your work done so we can actually keep this date."

He grabbed her ass with one hand, watching as her eyes heated and she bit her lip. "Go finish your work, we can play tonight." he said in her ear, feeling her nod rather than see it. He let her go and slapped her ass to send her on her way, taking deep breaths himself to will away the erection that literally popped up at the thought of the night ahead.