I was never drinking alcohol again. Actually, I wasn't even going to drink anything other than water. Ever. I had been so dehydrated over the weekend, that when Monday morning rolled around I still wasn't back on top of things. The thought of tequila was still making me queasy, as well as the smell of salt. And limes. Grabbing my briefcase, I headed out of the apartment, and after locking the door, I took the elevator down to the lobby.
I hoped for whatever reason I wouldn't see Sesshomaru. The humiliation would be unbearable. Not that I remembered much about what happened that night. I just knew most from what I'd gathered from Kagome. I'd run screaming out of my apartment, talking about friendship. I knew a bit after that. Like telling my boss it was 'okay' for him to have sex with women who weren't me. I smacked the palm of my hand against my forehead, knowing I deserved the instant headache that blossomed. I also knew that his arms had been around me, and that I had told him he was going to break my heart. I smacked my head again, hoping the elevator would become stuck before it reached the lobby. I wouldn't have to face the consequences of my actions then. I could hide in this elevator forever.
~*~
2 days ago, Saturday morning~
I started awake, sitting in an upright position before gripping my throbbing head painfully. I didn't think I'd ever been this hung over in my life. What had occurred last night? Kagome had come home, bringing friends. We'd started playing drinking games… Tequila. Oh, the thought of tequila was enough to make me nauseous. I didn't think I'd be drinking that again for quite some time. I swung my legs over the bed, not registering the difference in size or the thread count of the sheets. I just had to get up and brush my teeth.
I had on my purple tank top from the night before, but I guess at some point I'd tossed my jeans aside somewhere before crawling into bed. Now all I had on were some of my silky boy short underwear. Purple also. I loved purple.
I opened my eyes slightly, realizing at some point I had taken out (or lost) my contacts. I couldn't see anything. Being nearsighted really had it's disadvantages. Squinting at the sudden light leading into the next room, I moved out into a large area. Was I still drunk? Nothing looked right. In fact, almost everything seemed to be different. And larger. I tried staring around me, but without even glasses, my vision was almost useless unless I put it right in front of me.
"Kagome?" I called, getting slightly lost on my way to the kitchen. Of course, having just moved in to the new apartment wasn't helping with the lack of vision. I couldn't remember where anything was. When I didn't hear a reply, I assumed she was still sleeping.
Maybe I should have turned back to find my jeans. Or put on another pair of pants. Everyone had seemed pretty intoxicated the night before, and there were possibly people I had just met were strewn across the living room. I didn't want them to see my cute panties. I'd have been mortified.
Turning around abruptly, I collided into a warm, solid chest.
"Oh, sorry! I was just uh, leaving. I forgot pants. Don't look! Forget I said that. Oh, and if you're Miroku, I'm going to kill you if you grab my butt." The person in front of me said nothing, but I noticed the long silver hair coming down from his chest. "Oh, Inuyasha!" I had exclaimed, looking up. A slight frown had marred my features. "You look…" I squinted harder, bringing my face up closer to his by standing on my tip toes. The marks on his cheeks were different than what I remembered. I didn't think Inuyasha had any…"OH MY GOD." I jerked backwards, arms going over my chest protectively.
"Lord Sesshomaru? What are you doing here?" I shrieked. He kept staring at me, that golden gaze moving slightly past my waist before returning to meet my eyes, and I realized I DIDN'T HAVE PANTS ON. "Aaaah!" I shoved him out of my way and ran back towards my room. I tripped over what had to be my shoe, but kept moving forward. What was he doing here?
I rushed into my room, hoping he wasn't following me. I started to look around as best as I could, and that's when it finally hit me. Nothing in this room was familiar. Nothing was familiar at all. The sheets were much too nice and expensive, and they were obsidian black, not the fun and flirty dark purple that mine were. The bed was huge, meant for a big man, not a tiny woman. Lord Sesshomaru was at least 6'4" tall. I groaned to myself, still searching frantically for my pants.
I turned back around, not surprised to find Lord Sesshomaru lingering in the door way. I cleared my throat. "Do you know where my pants are?"
He gestured towards the left side of the room. "Your belongings are sitting on that chair." His voice was monotoned, completely devoid of any emotions I was feeling. How had this happened to me?
I rushed over, grabbed my jeans and slid them on, too late realizing I had put them on backwards. I hissed out in frustration. "Can you please stop looking at me while I get dressed?" His blurry form turned. "Thank you, My Lord. Can you please tell me how I got here?" I couldn't believe I didn't remember anything. I rearranged my jeans, zipping them up and squinting when the noise made my ears pound.
"You broke in while I was bathing."
"I… I broke in?" I'd never done something so crazy in my life! "I'm so sorry, My Lord. I don't know why I did such a thing. Please, forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru." I walked over to his side, gripping his forearm and squeezing slightly before letting go.
"Do not become so intoxicated in my presence again, Rin."
I sighed, relieved to hear I still held a job long enough to warrant a 'next time'. "Yes, My Lord." I stepped around him, squinting my eyes towards the open space, trying to determine where the exit would be.
"Rin." His soft voice sounded behind me. I turned to face My Lord, waiting for him to continue. "Would you like to hear what you discussed last evening?"
"I… I'm not sure, My Lord. I have to ask…Did we have sex?" Sesshomaru's face transformed for an instant before the serene mask fell back in place, but I couldn't mistake the rage I saw burning in his eyes. "I know you hate humans, and I don't mean to suggest you sleep around with them, but I just woke up in your bed, missing my jeans and I can't remember anything last night. I just wanted to be sure. I'm sorry for suggesting you were below your own standards." I looked down, hoping the apology was sufficient.
"I am only slightly irritated you thought I needed to force myself on a drunk woman." A soft growl emerged.
"No, My Lord, I didn't mean that." I said, startled he took that as my meaning.
"And a human woman at that." I winced. It would always come back to that.
"Of course, My Lord." I risked a quick glance up. He seemed fine from what I could tell. "Were you going to tell me how outrageously I behaved?"
Sesshomaru gave a slight smirk in my direction. "You came to tell me I could sleep with whomever I desired." My mouth popped open before I clenched it close, biting my tongue in the process. What? Oh God. I didn't want to know anymore. Not another thing. "You were also quite adamant about becoming friends. In fact, you cried when this Sesshomaru portrayed no need for your friendship." Why did alcohol make my thoughts come flying off of my tongue? "You were quite agitated for a little human."
"Again," I licked my dry lips. "I'm so sorry for the intrusion, My Lord. I'll make certain it doesn't happen again." I turned to leave.
"Would you like to hear more, Rin?" He walked over to me, his movements strong and sure. He bent down until, proper vision or no, all I could look into were the golden pools of his eyes. "Do you wish to know what else occurred, Rin?" I swallowed, trying to halt the sudden flow of desire that coursed through me.
"Yes. Yes, My Lord." His expression remained the same, still and disinterested. But one eyebrow lifted slightly.
"You inquired about the bite." His hand reached up, his index finger tracing it lightly along my skin.
I'd completely forgotten about the damn bite mark. What had Inuyasha said it meant? My eyes widened. Inuyasha had said it was a mating mark. My heartbeat increased, my mouth drying completely.
"What did you say, milord" I breathed out.
"I said nothing for it is not your concern, little human." The way he said that last two words were more of a soft caress than an actual insult.
"Right," I whispered. "Of course, milord." Sesshomaru's mokomoko appeared out of nowhere, wrapping itself around my small waist. The sensation was heady, causing my womb to contract violently. It took every bit of strength to remain still as it explored around me.
Sesshomaru lifted his head and stepped away from me, his mokomoko falling away. "You will leave now, Rin. Wear only clothing that covers that mark until otherwise specified. That is all."
~Present~
The elevator doors opened to the lobby and I stepped cautiously outside, thanking the doorman as he held open the heavy door for me. I sighed once before heading down to the waiting SUV, knowing Sesshomaru would be inside. It wouldn't do for him to find other transportation, or for him to allow me to do so. Easy to inconvenient and embarrass the tiny human than the dog demon. I eased myself inside, immediately confronted by Sesshomaru's white mokomoko.
It had become a ritual of sorts. I would enter the car and be nearly smothered by the mokomoko. It never surfaced anywhere else: not at work, not on the way home, not in the apartment elevator. If Sesshomaru were a man who allowed emotions, I would have guessed that his demon was always so happy to see me in the mornings that it's mokomoko escaped to greet me. But that was absurd, right? He, as a demon, was rumored to be the most vicious of all dog demons. Some even believed he surpassed his living father, InuTaisho. I wasn't sure, I'd never met the man, but I had heard he was positively ruthless to everyone but human women. I'd heard he favored them.
That had to be true since Inuyasha was a half-demon, I thought to myself. And Inuyasha was interested in Kagome. I wanted to sigh in defeat. It looked like Lord Sesshomaru didn't share that particular trait among the men in his family.
The mokomoko tightened around my waist, the end of it caressing the side of my face. Almost as if it were trying to comfort me. I smiled shyly, rubbing my palms along the white fur.
Sesshomaru hissed out a breath. "Enough, Rin." My smile faded as his mokomoko disappeared completely. I needed to ask Inuyasha what that was about the next time I saw him.
"Sorry, My Lord. I shouldn't have been so bold." Whatever, I loved that mokomoko. It was wonderful to touch and it was so soft. I knew I had to maintain a semi-professional demeanor for the time being, and probably for good. I needed to erase the past weekend from my mind completely and focus on paying everything off. Besides, Sesshomaru had definitely conveyed his true feelings about having sex with a human; he found it despicable. Could I even imagine him entering a relationship with one? No, I couldn't, and that's what I wanted with anyone. A relationship, commitment, not just sex. To me, sex wasn't as important as what should have come with it.
Why was I even thinking like this? I questioned myself. It was time to face facts. I liked him more than I was willing to admit. I might have even gone as far to say that I was kind of in love with him. I wanted to rip my hair out in exasperation. I'd known him for what, a few weeks? That shouldn't have been enough time to fall in love with a man, demon or not. Sesshomaru didn't even like humans! I had no idea why he tolerated me or my antics. Probably to show how the world that he, the fiercest and the demon that hated humans the most, was tolerant. I mean, this day and age was drastically different than it was in his original era. Tolerance and equality were major battles in today's world. Maybe he wanted to seem the tolerant businessman in order to keep his business thriving.
The car pulled along the sidewalk, Tony, one of the chauffeurs, opened the back door for me.
"Thank you so much," I exclaimed, taking Tony's hand as he helped me from the SUV. Lord Sesshomaru stepped out behind me and moved gracefully in front of me as we headed inside. I would have thought it rude if he'd been human, but I knew that it was a ranking structure among demons, so I wasn't offended. We headed toward the elevators. I walked past Sesshomaru, heading toward my own elevator when he called out.
"Rin." I turned around to face him, one eyebrow raised in question. "Come." Sesshomaru stepped into the elevator, leaving me to follow behind him. Briskly moving, I reached the elevator and stepped inside just as it began to close.
"My Lord?" I inquired.
"As my personal assistant it is not necessary for you to be separated from me in such a trivial matter." I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know he thought segregating humans from demons was a trivial matter. Interesting.
"Well, thank you My Lord." I had to admit, I was going to miss Clyde.
The elevator pinged, indicating we had reached the top floor of the building. We walked passed Kagura's help desk together, her glare piercing daggers throughout my back. Why on earth was SHE angry? She'd been with him, multiple times probably. I would never have the luxury, based on my blood. I shook my head, ridding the thought from my mind.
We walked inside the outer office together. I took my seat, setting up my desk. When I didn't hear Lord Sesshomaru's desk open I looked up in question. It took my breath away when I noticed he stood right in front of my desk. He moved so gracefully, with such stealth. I'd had no idea he was even in front of me.
I cleared my throat. "Yes, My Lord?"
"You will need to meet with my lawyers soon."
"Lawyers?" What for? Gods, was he going to make me sign something saying that he'd never let a human sleep in his bed? Probably. Why couldn't we just move past that?
"I have a proposition, a mutually beneficial proposition. It will help gain new allies for the company if I am to appear more… Human friendly. You will become my wife, and all the perks that come with it, and I'll have a more acceptable company among both demons and those annoying humans."
"Excuse me?" Maybe I'd damaged my ears over the weekend. That was definitely a better explanation than what was going through my head.
"Is your hearing impaired, Rin?" The question grated on my nerves. "You will submit into being my wife."
"I don't think so." I needed to think about this.
"I am a demon Lord. You are only a human, unworthy of me, yet you wish to be the one to deny me?"
"Well, Lord Sesshomaru, if I'm ever going to marry you, then you need to stop comparing me to all the humans you hate. Why marry ME anyway? I'm only your assistant. I'm sure you'd find thousands of women throughout Japan who would like nothing more than to be your human trophy wife."
His expression stayed the same, his face that cool mask I was falling in love with.
"I find you are the only human my demon will tolerate. If I am to lock a human woman to my side, then I have a preference to you." Huh. I stood up from my chair, pacing around the room. I walked over to the window, peering out at the rising sun as my arms crossed over my chest. I rubbed my forearms feeling a slight chill in the air.
"How long do you plan on this marriage lasting?" His eyebrow rose, I could see it in the window reflection. "I mean, if I were to say yes, how long?"
"As long as it takes to make my company more 'human friendly'." He practically spat the last two words.
"That could take a long time, Lord Sesshomaru. As you keep reminding me, I'm only human."
"You would be well looked after, and your sister. Shouldn't that be enough?"
"So we'll be getting married for appearances only?"
"Yes." He came to stand beside me. In the window I noticed that his gaze wasn't on the sunrise, it was on me. It must have been a trick of the new light because his eyes seemed to soften, ever so slightly, as he stared at me.
"Well how will that work?" I thought about it for a moment. "You purposely had me move into the same building as you. You already thought I would say yes, so you got me an apartment right below you so people would believe that we were actually living together."
"Yes."
I ran a hand through my hair, the long thick strands coming over my right shoulder to cover my chest. "And… Sex?" His eyes darkened, becoming red. The markings on his face contorted as his jaw started to lengthen. I didn't turn around, I just waited for him to get back into control. Why did his beast react that way when I asked about sex? Was it because the thought repulsed him?
Or was it because thinking of sex between us made him just as wild as it made me? Did Sesshomaru find me desirable?
"I will not take any partners while you are my wife. Nor will you."
Well that kind of answered my question. I'd never really desired anyone before Lord Sesshomaru anyway. He was the only one I thought about. Could I go a lifetime with never acting on those desires? Was it worth it?
An unbidden flash of Kagome's face entered my mind. She wouldn't have to worry about anything again. Financially, anyways. That should have been good enough, right?
"If this ends up being my only marriage, then I want it done properly, Lord Sesshomaru."
"How do you mean?"
"I want a wedding ring and I want you to propose to me. Also, in this marriage, we need to establish when we see each other outside of work. Because we WILL be seeing each other. I'm thinking maybe once a week go out for dinner, and the rest of the time we can enjoy meals together. Who knows, maybe you'll tolerate me long enough to see a movie."
"You're agreeing." It was more a statement than a question.
"If you'll give me what I want out of this marriage, then yes. I'll agree. No sex with outside parties," but he could have sex with me if he wanted, haha, "your dinners are reserved for me and me only, and a date night once a week. Oh, and I want an engagement ring and a proper proposal."
His head nodded slightly. "My lawyers will be by for you to sign the contract shortly. I'll have them amend it to fit your criteria."
"Wait, what if someone finds out we don't live together? Wouldn't that mess up your plan of world domination?" He smirked.
"No one shall know, Rin." I lifted an eyebrow, turning away from the sunlight.
"I hope you don't eat your words, Sesshomaru."
"Lord Sesshomaru." He said.
"Sesshomaru." I smiled at him.
His eyes narrowed, a slight snarl lifting his lips. "Humans always address me as Lord Sesshomaru."
I smiled wickedly as I walked by. His mokomoko had made an appearance again. "Better get used to it, husband." Then I rubbed my palm softly against the fur. A pur like growl sounded behind me, stilling my movements. Holy shit, did he enjoy me rubbing his mokomoko? This could prove very interesting.
Even as I was trying to convince myself this was merely a business proposition, my heart kept thumping unsteadily in my chest and my throat was try. I was more excited about this than I should have been.