Disclaimer: CLAMP owns Cardcaptor Sakura.

Chapter 1:

Syaoran opened his eyes and rubbed them sleepily. He was in his room on his chair, piles of paper stacked high on the desk in front of him. He'd been dozing, taking care of the company's new advertisement, approving the cast and layout. He sighed deeply and glanced at the digital clock. Bright green numbers blinked back at him. He groaned, 2:04am.

He was only 20 yet he'd dropped out of school to replace his grandfather's position. His adoptive father… The one who took him in when his parents died in a car crash when he was three. He owed everything to the old man.

He gripped his chair and hauled himself off it, his back sore. He'd fallen asleep on the desk again. He'll have to endure taunts about him being a workaholic again. His gaze fell on a small pile of Post-its stuck on a folder. He picked them up as he went to the inner room to his bed. Memos… He'd have to return the advertising agency's call and the president of the HR department and tell them to hire another manager. Another call to assign a new director in the hotel they were building on an island and he'd have to meet his grandfather for lunch.

He took off his shoes, put the memos on the bedside table and sank on the pillows. It was so comfortable. Tomorrow's agenda kept flashing in his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

XXX

Syaoran was dictating something to his secretary in the elevator. The next board meeting was in ten minutes and he was trying to think of a way to make it less boring. All board meetings bored him to death.

"What do you think, Naoko? Personally, I'm getting tired of tea. I don't like it. The only reason we're sticking to that is because of Sir Richard from England." He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Lack of sleep was making his head hurt.

"We could try coffee, Sir." Naoko suggested as she took down notes on her clipboard.

"I wonder how they'd like that…" He stepped aside as the elevator doors opened and a small figure entered.

He was speechless. A girl of about 18 or 19 years old stepped in. He moved to the left to make room. The girl smiled at him and took her place beside him. He caught a whiff of her clean scent of cucumber melon.

Bodyshop… He thought automatically.

She had long wavy brown hair and her skin was velvety and very smooth to look at. He found himself thinking about that skin when Naoko interrupted his thoughts.

"Sir, should I tell them to serve coffee instead?"

He looked at her blankly.

"Uhh… Coffee for the board meeting?" She said again.

He heard a giggle from the girl and that brought him back to his senses. "Okay then. Perhaps add some lemon cookies. Tell Chiharu to do that instead. "

"Bad idea. That doesn't go well with coffee. Try cake instead. Everyone is a sucker for cake."

He stared at the brightly lit face, the dazzling smile. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out of the elevator before he could say another word. He kept on staring at the mirrored doors long after they closed. There was a tap on his shoulder.

"Sir…"

He looked at Naoko. She was smiling at him knowingly. He shook his head. "Cake… do that."

Naoko took note of it on her clipboard and they got off the last floor in strained silence.

XXX

"That settles on the advertisement. Let's talk about the bank on the next meeting." Syaoran finished the meeting as he gathered up his papers and Naoko shut off his laptop.

"That went well don't you think?" He asked her as the directors left and exited the room.

"Yes, Sir. The cake suggestion from the young lady was a very nice tip." Naoko agreed.

"We'd better serve that next time again. I saw Sir Richard grinning from ear to ear. He found out it was cake." Syaoran said as they left the room and into the elevator. Sir Richard was one of the major shareholders of the company.

"Yes, Sir." Naoko said as she adjusted the laptop in her hands.

The elevator stopped at the previous floor where Syaoran's office was. It was nearly lunch and he's late for his date with his grandfather. He put the files on his desk, removed his jacket and loosened his tie.

"I'll be back after lunch. Reschedule everything if I come back late. I think Grandpa has something important to tell me. He scheduled this one out of the blue." He walked out of the room, but was stopped by Naoko.

"Sir, there's a lady waiting for you downstairs." She interrupted as she checked her messages.

"Does she have an appointment? Reschedule her too. I'm late for Grandpa." He closed the door and left.

He got into his own elevator to the basement where his car was parked. When he got to the garage, he saw a familiar wave of long brown hair. He smelled her scent before she faced him.

"There you are! I need help. My car won't start!" She gestured exasperatedly at the open hood of a car parked next to his.

He was taken aback but he managed not to lose himself this time. He took a deep breath and rolled up his sleeves. He smiled at her. "Sure. What happened?"

Her face lit up again. She bounced on the balls of her feet.

Very cute… Grandpa can wait for an hour for all I care.

"Well, I heard this roaring sound then the engine suddenly died."

He was trying hard not to look at her as he bent over and peeked under the hood. "A roaring sound?"

"I'll describe it that way." She said somewhere behind him.

He peered through his gears as his mind raced. His sense of smell was once again assaulted by the same cucumber melon scent. He focused on the loose gear to calm his racing heart.

"There… Try that…" He said as he straightened up. But the girl was already at the wheel. There was more silence.

"Nothing's happening!" She groaned.

Syaoran bit his lip and scratched his head. He ran a hand through his hair. That was the only loose gear. That always seems to fix his car.

"Maybe your battery's dead. I can give you a jump." He said, still running his hand through his hair, a nervous habit. His heart was still racing, making it hard to concentrate on her engine problems.

"We can try that." She agreed, getting out of her car again.

Fifteen minutes later, Syaoran was giving her a ride to the train station. He found the problem and they needed an expert mechanic to fix it.

"So… What were you doing there?" He asked her. Being stuck in a confined space with her intoxicating scent was almost unbearable.

"Oh. There? Nothing in particular. I was going to meet someone but he was busy. Besides, I'm going to meet someone else for lunch. You? You look like some kind of high-class position holders. You're a director?" she asked.

He nodded, going deaf to everything but the sound of her voice. "Something like that."

"But you must be… 22 at least?" She pressed on.

He couldn't suppress a chuckle. "I'm actually only 20."

"Hoe! 20?" She gasped, hands on her mouth.

"Connections." He said simply, glancing at her.

"Ohhh…" She didn't say anything else.

"How old are you?" He blurted out, wanting to hear her talk some more. Damn him if he was crushing after a minor.

"I'm only 18."

His heart skipped a beat. He was right. Sadly though, they arrived at the train station. He's been driving as slow as possible without being conspicuous. He stopped the car at the entrance and she made a move to get out.

"Maybe you can give me a ride again next time. Since I like your car and all that…" She winked at him. He nodded. "Great! See you around!" She opened the car door and got out.

He watched her with lingering hungry eyes as she raced o the steps and disappeared into the crow. That was when he realized, he forgot to ask for her name.

Shit! He thought angrily. Stupid!

But you don't have time for a girlfriend… another small voice in his head said. He ignored it and started the car again. Regret in his heart, a triple-digit IQ and he forgot to ask a name? Hell yeah. Stupid.

XXX

He stopped the car in front of the restaurant and got out, handing the keys to the valet. He looked around and saw rich prominent figures of society, some of which he knows. He chuckled as he straightened his shirt and tie and walked up the stairs past the receptionist who knew him pretty well. The head waiter approached him as the soft Latin music hit him. "Sir Li is already waiting for you with your guest, Sir."

His curiosity peaked. A guest? So Grandpa scheduled a lunch date for him to meet someone? It must be a business proposal. He followed the waiter all the way to the back of the room where more private cubicles were placed. He stopped in surprise.

"Syaoran! I'm glad you're here even though you're late. Syaoran, this is Sakura. Sakura, this is Syaoran. You two are first cousins." His grandfather didn't waste time and dismissed the waiter. Syaoran sat down on his chair. To his right, the same pale face, dazzling smile and long brown hair stared back at him.

Well… He didn't need to ask her name anymore.

XXXXX

Okay. Reviews are highly appreciated. Chapter two is already here. I just have to finish typing it.

-Chachie