POISON | Love Her

Chapter 4

Tension

'Thoughts/Rin's writing'

Flashbacks

Original Publish Date: 3/30/2014

"Yes, I agree… It has been a troublesome thing lately, though I have plans to take care of it… I am aware of the risks… You know I can't say what… How about you join us? It's been years since your last visit here… I believe I have a girl worthy of your time…" Naraku sat behind his desk, tapping the end of a pen on the pad as he spoke on his office phone. "I forgot no one is worthy of your time. Should you decide to take up the offer, there is always a girl and a room here for you, Sesshomaru." The man sneered after hanging up with the youkai.

Ryukotsusei's fetishes he could easily overlook, especially with the money it brought in, but Sesshomaru was entirely different. His holier-than-thou attitude was beyond aggravating. He was making it very difficult to learn more of him. He rarely met with anyone outside his isolated fortress in the west, and had a human disguise that no one knew.

Naraku himself decided to take that same route, but he had a deep suspicion that Sesshomaru already knew of his human identity and suspected that was Kagura's doing. Unfortunately, it was not so simply to create a new one and move on, not after all that he built under this human name.

One of the bouncers entered the room, "Sir, Rin has arrived. She does not look any better…" Kuromaru dismissed the man, a sigh threatening to escape his lips.

'She will do it eventually, when her father drags her down and leaves her nearly as broken as he is, she will turn into an animal like the rest of us.'

-:-

2 Days Later.

"Did you see who is out there!?" Yura busted into the backroom, a large, greedy grin on her face. Rin and Sango were busy changing clothing per Kuromaru's request.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with this." Sango remarked, motioning towards the costume she was putting on.

Yura cocked her head to the side, "I can't tell if you are a stripper or cosplaying with high-level MMO armor…" Rin smiled at the youkai's comment, agreeing with her. She, on the other hand, just finished tying up a white corset over the mostly clear bra that covered the perk of her breasts with rhinestones. "I think Naraku has an inner gamer-nerd that has a total hard on for you, Sango."

"HE IS OUT THERE!?" The strong woman abruptly roared, scaring all the girls in the room. Rin swore she saw smoke coming out of her ears.

"Y-yeah. Chill out!" Yura replied, putting her hands on the dancer's shoulders. "If it helps, all the others are here too…?"

Sango cursed under her breath, "I suppose." Rin gave the human a confused look, and she caught it. The older woman sighed as she began to style her hair. "Naraku and I had a… disagreement a very long time ago. I don't like the man and I never will. He's just as sadistic as Ryukotsusei."

"Hey, Rin, you never met the other two mafia guys right?" Yura asked as she quickly began to change her clothes. She shook her head as she slipped on white thigh-high stockings.

"Guys, she says… They are lords and we have to be more careful around these two than we are with the dragon." Sango said, before she painted her lips a deep red.

"Yeah, yeah, be safe and all that junk." Yura remarked with a dismissive wave of her hand. "What's really important is that Naraku and Sesshomaru pay well, like damn well. You thought Ryukotsusei was throwing his money around? I've seen Naraku make it rain 100s for the hell of it." The hair youkai began to do her makeup, "No matter how short the night may be, we never leave with less than 5k each."

Rin blinked in shock, 'That's a ton of money in one night.' She thought as she attached the half-skirt to the back of her corset. She turned to look at her behind in the mirror, making some adjustments to make sure the long fabric hung in the center.

"Usually high-pay equals high-risk." Sango reiterated. "Naraku doesn't deal with rejection well at all, I imagine Sesshomaru is the same."

"That's true." Yura mumbled as she curled her lashes. "BUT Rin here looks like she will be Sesshomaru's girl for the night…"

Sango grinned, "Yes, it does… Her costume is far too classy for the taste of those other two jerk-offs."

The younger girl briefly paused in applying her soft pink blush and looked at the two strangely, noting the sudden change of tone in the conversation. They were beginning to speak as if—

"I'm jealous." Yura dramatically pouted, lightly throwing her lipstick across her vanity.

Sango laughed at the youkai, "Remember we all only get one time with him…"

"It's not fairrrr…" Yura began to run her hands through her short hair, "Hey, maybe Rin can let us in on the action, huh?"

'Oh my god.' Rin stopped and put down her makeup brush, swallowing thickly. She didn't want to do anything with anyone, especially not some mafia lord!

"Hey, you okay?" Rin didn't respond, letting Sango grab the length of her hair and help her brush it. "Don't worry about Sesshomaru, alright? He will either look at you with complete disgust and not want to touch you…" She winced at that. It was never nice to be looked at like that.

"… Or if he likes your performance…" Rin saw the older woman blush from her reflection on the mirror. "He'll… make sure to show you how much he liked it." Sango finished vaguely, giving her a small pat on the back. "He's really not all too bad."

"Hey, where's Kagura?" Yura asked, finishing her get-up.

Sango shrugged as she went back to her vanity. "I don't know, Kuromaru said something about her taking a vacation. She deserves it. She was diffidently overworked covering both Kikyo's and her appearances…"

'Oh, that's where she's been.' Rin thought, dabbing a muted pink gloss over her lips. 'I guess I'll tell that to Takahashi if I see him later.' She looked into the mirror, finally satisfied with her hair, collected in a bun that would be easy to remove, and her makeup, light and fresh. She slipped on the white satin opera-length gloves, then adjusted her corset a bit and made sure the half skirt flowing behind her was smooth.

"Oh, look at her." Yura said with a soft sigh, resting a bent arm on Sango's shoulders, "He's going to eat you up, literally."

Rin didn't get a chance to react as one of the other dancers opened the door. "Ladies, the men upstairs are ready!"

"Well, let's go and get paid!" Yura exclaimed, her magenta eyes sparkling as she grabbed both Sango and Rin and rushed out of the room.

-:-

Rin fidgeted in her place behind the curtain. They were supposed to 'introduce' themselves to the powerful men by giving just a little minute-or-two performance, only a tease. Sango was almost done and then it would be her turn on the mini-stage. She never liked 'introduction' performances, because she would rather get the whole thing over with. Also, it meant that the main performance would be in private rooms, which she always avoided. She heard her name being called, 'Sango must have finished.' She took a breath and slipped one leg between the heavy, black curtains before she stepped out on the stage.

She saw Sango sitting against Naraku who had an arm around her, looking rather unhappy about it though the half-demon didn't seem to care. Yura was sitting on Ryukotsusei's lap with one arm around his neck and gave her a rather excited wave. Her eyes then landed on who must be Sesshomaru and she felt her heart stop. The two women had completely failed to mention exactly how attractive the demon was.

His snowy-white hair was longer than even Ryukotsusei's, and spilled like liquid silver over his black suit and the plush leather seat. She approached the pole, never taking her eyes off of him. His gaze reminded her of cookie dough man, cold, hard with fire underneath the surface, but his eyes were an exotic golden hue. She did a few twirls, unable to do much without first stripping the skirt—but that had to wait! She strutted over to the left side of the small stage, directly in front of her client for the night.

His skin was pale, but almost appeared to be glowing in the dim light. Her hands made their way up her body, before she picked one end of her long gloves. Gingerly, she slowly began to pull the long sleeve down, it was only about a quarter of the way down before she saw a flicker of lust in his gaze and the dragon yelling, "Oh, come on!"

She tried hard to not roll her eyes at Ryukotsusei before she quickly lifted the glove back into its original position, wagging a disapproving finger at both youkai with a playful smirk on her lips.

She hopped down the small stage, mindful of her heels, before sitting next to the captivating man, giving him her best smile. He didn't smile back, but she felt his arm drop to her shoulder and pull her closer to him. A couple of waitresses gathered, putting down expensive bottles of dark youkai wine. While the men conversed, the three women made sure their glasses were always filled and any of their needs were met but Sesshomaru did not ask for anything.

Rin had thought it was a bit strange, though he didn't do much talking either… Normally it would be a bit awkward, but she was more thankful that the mafia lord was way less grabby than Ryukotsusei and didn't have that kind of creepy-ish aura that Naraku had. She would take little peeks at his face during their little meeting, wondering if the stripes on his face felt different from the rest of skin or if the moon that decorated his forehead had any significance.

"Well, not to worry, I'll be putting that arrogant little human in his place soon." Ryukotsusei sneered, finishing his third glass of wine. Yura instantly filled it up as the dragon looked over at Sesshomaru. "You're not being fair, hiding the girl over there, Sesshomaru."

Rin instantly tensed up, and sunk herself deeper into the seat, closer to the larger body next to her. She nearly let out a small 'eep' when a clawed hand gave her shoulder a light squeeze. She didn't expect it, and it almost seemed… comforting? She didn't understand why he did it.

"I thought humans were not of your taste, Ryukotsusei."

"A demon can change. Besides, I can say the same for you."

"I recall hearing you are here nearly twice a week, Ryukotsusei… I believe you've seen enough of her." Naraku interjected, his red eyes narrowed.

The dragon either missed the hanyou's patronizing tone or was completely ignoring it… Rin would bet money on the latter. "You have obviously not seen her, if you think it's possible to get enough." The look the dragon gave her made her want to disappear through the sofa.

Yura tried to diffuse the little tension between the hanyou and dragon, moving to sit on Ryukotsusei's lap, facing him. "You know, you talk too much sometimes." She wrapped her arms around his neck and made sure to press her large chest against him, grounding her hips against his. Without hesitation, she captured the daiyoukai's lips in a rough kiss.

She was not going to sit here and watch that. Rin turned to face the silver-haired demon, flashing a smile as she stood, grabbing his hands to urge him to stand. He allowed it, and she led him into the one of the VIP private rooms. She served him the drink of his choice, before turning on the music, making sure not to make too loud. Kuromaru mentioned her client would have 'very sensitive hearing' and preferred a more burlesque-type performance.

Rin ran her hand run across the back of his shoulders as she made to face him before she began to dance. Letting her body sway to the beat, she tried to concentrate on the music, as the daiyoukai's gaze was far too powerful to keep. 'I'm not afraid of him… He's not going to do anything…' She kept saying to herself as she gently tugged on each gloved finger before she took her time removing the satin cloth, giving it a twirl before throwing it across the room, mimicking the same action on the other hand.

With the gloves gone, she felt her nerves begin to calm. 'One down…' She took her time getting up the small stage, dancing around the pole, and occasionally meeting his intense stare with a smile. She thought he liked her smiles, or she at least hoped she wasn't reading him totally wrong. Rin faced him again, and then quickly spun around as her hands worked the clasp that kept her half-skirt together.

She swayed her hips with the music, slowly letting the fabric fall just below the curve of her behind. She shook her rear just a bit, before throwing the half-skirt to the side. 'Okay, so far so good…' She thought. He didn't seem displeased with her.

She kicked off her white pumps clear to side—diffidently did not want to hit anyone or anything with those. She unraveled her wild hair before grabbing the pole; she did a few spins and tricks, finishing with a Twisted Grip Ayesha*. She gracefully dropped to the floor, crawled to the edge of the mini-stage and laid on her back, giving the daiyoukai a playful bite of her lip.

Rin raised her leg until her toes pointed straight to the ceiling. She hooked each thumb under the lacy edge of her stockings and began to push upward until she got to her ankles, then she bent her leg to able to pull the last of the stocking off her foot, discarding it randomly with the rest of the clothing. She copied the same move on her other leg, but did not watch where she threw it and it ended up draped over the daiyoukai's shoulder.

Her cheeks felt heated as the serious man raised an eyebrow at her. 'Oh my god…!' She mentally screamed, she had not meant to do that! She didn't want to encourage anything! Outwardly, the woman only smiled with a soft shrug of her exposed shoulder before she slid down the platform and closed the distance between them.

She picked up the sheer fabric, unconsciously ensuring her cleavage was in his clear view—and trying very hard to not notice the daiyoukai's little problem while she tossed the stocking aside. 'Though little would not be the word for it.' Mortified by her own thoughts, Rin did a small spin away from the man, her back to him. Her fingers grabbed one end of the tie that kept one side of her corset together, she tugged the ends until the knot came undone. Her hands moved to the front, beginning to unclasp the front of the restricting cloth.

She held it in place once all the hooks were loose, turning to look at him—at his nose specifically as she lost all nerve to even glance at his eyes. She opened up the corset in a slow, teasing pace, revealing inch-by-inch her flat, toned stomach and the flimsy, sparkling bra. Once she discarded the corset, she spun once more. Her intention was to continue the dance, shake her butt a few times, finish her pole routine, get her money, leave, etc. but…

She heard the sound of glass being set down on wood, but she didn't hear him get up and most certainly was not expecting the strong arms around her bare waist or the hard chest against her back.

Rin's logical side of the brain had a tiny issue trying to get caught up to speed with what was happening, getting lost in the feel of his body flush against hers and his hot breath against her skin. She moaned when he nibbled a particularly sensitive part in half-way down her neck and dangerous claws pinched her thigh. She didn't protest against the hand that cupped her breast and the fangs that nipped their way down her throat, drawing another moan from her.

His chuckle finally pulled her out of the haze. She saved herself for this long; she wasn't going to let some crook take the only thing she had left—nevermind how attractive he was or how his lips felt against her skin! 'Forget all of that!'

She quickly spun around in his arms, placing her hands against his chest and pushed—and it was totally useless. She was pushing with all her strength—and she wasn't a total weakling, it was hard work to pole-dance!—but it was like trying move a mountain.

"What are you doing?" His voice was mocking, and it infuriated her. He knew exactly what she was doing, 'No need to ask!' She pointed down between, hoping he would get that she was referring to the very hard …thing that was pressed against her lower stomach, and then shook her head vigorously.

"No..?" Rin then crossed her arms and nodded. The daiyoukai didn't seem to want to drop it then and there… "Do you know what kind of youkai I am…?" She shook her head, she kind of liked that sexy smirk on his face but didn't see what this had to do with anything—"I'm an inuyoukai. I have a much heightened sense of hearing…" His nose was on her neck, his claws skirted down her open back and she pushed against his shoulders with no avail. "… and smell. I can scent your excitement."

That was very, very embarrassing, and dangerous. She did not need a mafia lord knowing she was attracted to him! 'Though… with his looks, he probably has a bunch of women to choose from. One less shouldn't hurt!' He stood up straight, but still didn't let her go, his expression curious. "You don't want me to touch you?"

She nodded and gave one little more push against his chest to empathize her point. She didn't fail to realize the firmness of the muscles underneath where she pressed, and scolded herself for it. He let her go and she took two steps back, hugging herself with her arms and looking down to the floor. She suddenly felt very naked under his gaze—not that she had much clothes on to begin with—but she felt her usual defenses did nothing against him.

He had gotten so close—too close.

She allowed the clawed fingers under chin, raising her head so her eyes met his. There was a peculiar look on his face that she couldn't figure out; his gaze was hard and unforgiving. Sango's little words about these men not being able to handle rejection well echoed in her mind. She prepared for the worst but the youkai only said one thing…

"You don't belong here." His words were said with enough frost to make her visibly wince. He let her go once more, turning on his heel to place an envelope the end table beside the loveseat, and walked out of the room without a glance. 'What did he mean by that?' She rubbed the sides of her arms, 'Did I get him angry…?' Reluctantly, she went over and grabbed the envelope, opening it. 'Yura wasn't joking.'

But there was something else in the stack of green, and she pulled the small, off-white paper out. It listed a time, location, of an event…?

'An invitation…?' She looked at the paper, puzzled. 'Why would he…? What?' Rin put down the envelope but kept the invite in her hands. She glanced at the door, 'Should I go…?' Her body was still hot from his touch, she could still feel the trail his claws ghosted down her spine. She wanted to go, only to see him again if it meant quenching her des—'OKAY. Enough!' She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of perverted thoughts.

'I can't go. Getting involved with these murderous men… Especially him.' Rin never felt so weak around another man.

He only touched her. She had been touched before, it came with the territory, but why didn't she stop him immediately like she always had done? She always found it easy to say no and slap the perverted hands away. Rin never gave in to the false promises that her clients cooed of romance, of loving her—she had seen what it done to the other girls, many who came from abuse like her…

Granted, he didn't say something about the latter but she knew it would only be a matter of time. It was always like that, the dragon was already doing so, how long would be before the inuyoukai followed suit? She bit her lip, closing her eyes as she attempted to strengthen her decision. 'I can't go. I won't.'

She ripped the invite in shreds and dumped in the unfinished wine to ensure she wouldn't be able to read it again before she changed her mind. Unsatisfied, she took it a step further, grabbing the glass and dumping the tainted drink in the sink of the small bar, turning on the faucet to ensure each little piece of paper was washed away.

She snatched up her pay, and made her way out the room as she thought to herself, 'I am a talented and respected dancer at Shikon, saving up money for school, a doctor, and a home away from abuse… What I am not is one of the mafia's playthings.'

And she was going to make damn sure Ryukotsusei knew that as well.

End of Chapter 4

Author's Note: Oops, this chapter was getting wayyyy too long so I had to split it, and ugh, it is way too hard to describe what her routines look like. Gonna start avoiding doing that again, lol.

I totally cannot comment on any reviews as that would give stuff away but…

Thanks Mirja, L.M.T.O.P, jj, Mary, Carmen, and unlockyourdestiny for reviewing and keeping up! I reaaallllyy appreciate it! :D