A First for Everything
Epilogue
"What is this?"
Sesshomaru frowned as he re-read over the stack of paper that was held in his hand. There was something about those words that tore into him and struck a chord in his mind. These feelings caused him to reject printing approval. Setting down the folder, he turned his golden orbs to the woman sitting across from his desk instead. He raised a pale, slender eyebrow as she merely smiled at him, as if expecting him to know what those words meant. He grunted, encouraging the woman to answer his question. What was he missing?
The beautiful woman laughed lightly as she saw the blank expression on Sesshomaru's face. It seemed that he truly had no idea as to what was happening. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself. 'I might as well have fun with this while I have the chance.'
"A book," Kagome answered vaguely, her sapphire eyes sparkling in amusement. "What did you think it was?"
"This, Kagome," Sesshomaru stated blandly, "is not a book. This is merely smut. I was under the impression that you had integrity as a writer."
"Hey!" Kagome responded. Her brows furrowed some as she glared at Sesshomaru. Her arms rose and crossed at her chest. 'How dare he?' she thought, offended at his words and careless categorizing of her short book. "That is not smut, Fluffers."
Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together as he continued to regard Kagome. His slender lips rose in a smirk, yet, his eyes remained emotionless and devoid of any hints. "Is that so?" he asked dryly.
"Yes!" Kagome replied immediately.
"Then what is it, Kagome?"
"It is called a romance in case you have never heard of one. It is quite the popular genre. But since you are the oh-so-wonderful King of Romance, I am sure you are quite aware of that fact, ne?" Kagome replied sarcastically.
"Is that so?" Sesshomaru asked with interest. He leaned forward over his desk, peering at Kagome with a strange look upon his face. It was an emotion that Kagome could not place. His long hair swayed with the movement, catching Kagome's attention and making her gasp at the memory of its silken texture. "I seem to remember otherwise."
"Well…" Kagome started, gulping as her eyes focused upon the intense stare of his golden orbs.
"If I remember correctly, you seemed very pleased with my unique form of romance," Sesshomaru interrupted.
Kagome's face broke into a blush that spread from her cheeks down to her partially exposed chest. Her eyes diverted from his, unable to take the heat that he was pouring into her. That very gaze was the same one that he administered during their dinner merely a week ago. And what a dinner it was.
Sesshomaru had taken out all of the stops and allowed her to taste the luxury that he so very much enjoyed. A five star restaurant followed by a night of dancing at an exclusive club. Despite the royal treatment of location, he had still treated her as he did before. 'Well, minus the slapping and arguing,' she thought as she reflected. It was somewhat a relief to her to be able to spend time with the Sesshomaru she had grown to care for and not some imitation. She had been worried that he would be unlike himself while trying to gain back her affection. However, he did not. He allowed her to decide without any outside persuasion. And for that she was thankful. She appreciated that Sesshomaru now thought that much of her as to permit her to make her own decisions. 'And the dancing,' she thought with a deepening blush. The way he had held her close to her body and moved in unison with the music had driven her mad. She could still feel his body pressed against hers and the gently brush of his hair against her bare arm. It had been a silent dance, yet it was filled with so much. Comprehension. It was filled with the knowledge of each other. It had been wonderful.
"I assume that I am right," Sesshomaru coolly said, interrupting her memories.
"Do you always have to win?" Kagome snapped, unsure as to why she was suddenly so defensive.
He chuckled. Yes, Fluffers the Great actually chucked. Hell must be freezing over.
"No. It just so happens that I am right on most occasions," he explained calmly…and arrogantly.
"Well, you are wrong on this subject," Kagome retorted.
Sesshomaru's grin faded. "What do you mean?"
She snorted. "You don't even recognize it, do you? And after that big speech…"
"What are you talking about, woman?" he interrupted, his voice firm.
"The book, or should I say the so-called smut," Kagome said, raising her eyebrow as she leaned back in her chair and glared at the important and attractive man.
"Is there something I should know?" he asked, frowning slightly.
"Know? I would hope so. After all, you did participate in it," she replied vaguely.
Narrowing his eyes, Sesshomaru opened up the stack of papers and began to look over the words, searching for any similarities. "What are you talking about?" He did not see anything expect for explicit encounters of sexual situations. 'Wait,' he thought. 'She could not mean…'
"The situations. Do they sound familiar?" she asked in a soft, prodding voice.
And then it hit him. The words, the scenes. Yes, they were familiar. They were images that he constantly saw and relived in his mind. They were merely hidden in different characters and masked with impersonality.
"They are ours," he muttered softly.
"Good boy. Remind me to give you a cookie later," Kagome replied animatedly and somewhat sarcastically.
His back straightened and his face drew blank. Sitting upright, he slammed the papers shut and turned his hard glare to Kagome. "This will not be published," he commanded in a stern tone.
Kagome's face wretched into a displeased frown. She glared at the man across from her, stiffening in her seat. 'What is his problem?' she thought. 'He should be more than happy to publish this story. Does he realize how many women would by it just because it is a so-called romance? He could make a fortune out of it!' Her frown softened momentarily. 'Maybe he isn't as shallow and arrogant as I thought.'
"Why not?" Kagome snappily inquired.
"Why do you desire to have a personal relationship exposed to the public in such a manner? I do not wish to have others know the details of what occurred between us behind closed doors. If I did indeed want that, I would have allowed the press to watch," Sesshomaru replied loftily, glaring down at her from his poised position from behind the desk.
"Well, it's not like anyone would know," Kagome huffed out, scrunching her nose at Sesshomaru.
"You are rather confident for a person whose involvement with their employer was just exposed. It would not take long for at least one person to have the intelligence to piece the two bits of information together," Sesshomaru retorted confidently.
However, Kagome did not get the time to retort. The annoyed expression fell and shifted into shock when the door to the office bounded open. She jumped slightly as she registered the look of displeasure on Sesshomaru's face. Her head whipped around immediately to see who had entered.
"Yo," a gruff voice greeted. 'It figures. Why in the hell was I surprised?' Kagome thought.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru responded coldly.
The young, silver haired agent strode confidently into the office, paying no attention to his brother's hostile attitude. He weaved his way to the desk, finding and occupying a chair that was next to Kagome. In his sprawled position, Kagome smiled; his unprofessional attitude always made her laugh.
Inuyasha turned his head to her, nodding to her. "Hey, Kags," he greeted.
"Hello, Inu…," she began, only to be cut off by Sesshomaru.
"What do you want, Halfling?"
Inuyasha turned back to his brother, frowning and snorting at the man. "I'm here for your meeting with my client, bro," Inuyasha replied, supplying an ample amount of attitude with the words.
"Why have you now decided to come to these meetings? You have never felt the need to attend one before this," Sesshomaru inquired.
"He's got you there, Yasha," Kagome butt in, flashing her agent a smile to soften the impact of her words.
"What! You're siding with the fucking bastard?" Inuyasha shouted, springing upright in his chair. His amber eyes sparked with anger. "What the fuck did I miss?"
Kagome frowned, her anger building. It seemed that Kagome and Inuyasha always ended up arguing about something. How they got anything done, she would never know.
"I'm not siding with anyone!" she yelled back. "I'm just telling you the truth!"
"The truth? What kind of truth is this? We have always discussed your literary options together!"
Sesshomaru took the opportunity to step in, saying in a dispassionate voice, "I do not recall…" Kagome's head whipped around, her raven hair flying about her gracefully with the movement. Her eyes flashed in the efforts of her battle. "Stay out of this," she snapped, causing Sesshomaru to raise his eyebrows in response.
"Yeah, Fluffy, stay the hell out!" Inuyasha chirped.
Kagome whirled to face the other man in the room. But this time her hand flew out with her hair, landing on the back of Inuyasha's head. She did not hit him hard but she did use enough force to make her point known. "Hey!" he cried out.
"You shut up, too!" Kagome snapped. "You never came to one other meeting with me. I was doing perfectly fine without you here!"
Inuyasha reeled back into his chair, moving out of the range of Kagome's hand. He folded his arms across his chest. Although anger was still visible on his face, one could not overlook the hurt expression in his eyes. "Fine! I'll leave then!" he angrily yelled at her.
Kagome's eyes immediately softened and her shoulders slumped in sorrow. She sighed, turning her eyes to the floor, unable to look Inuyasha in the face. "Stay," she tenderly replied. "I'm sure you could still help out."
"Feh! I'm glad you finally came to your senses!" he said, holding his head up proudly and ignoring the rolling eyes of Kagome.
"Are you two finish squabbling enough to continue the purpose of this meeting?" Sesshomaru cut in irately.
A scowl once again crossed Inuyasha's face as he glared cautiously at his older brother. He was still skeptical of the corporate millionaire, despite Kagome's claim that they had worked out their problems. He doubted that he would ever forgive his brother for what he did to the girl. "Fine. So what are you going to give her for publishing it?" he asked harshly.
"Nothing. It will not be published," Sesshomaru stated, rising from his chair.
"What! What do you mean that it won't be published?" Inuyasha roared in surprise.
"Did I speak beyond your vocabulary level? Allow me to simplify: it will not reach a bookshelf," Sesshomaru commanded, growling in warning to his brother.
Inuyasha also rose from his seat, moving forward towards the desk. He placed his palms upon the desk, leaning forward while glaring at Sesshomaru. "I fucking heard you, asshole. But what in the hell do you mean that it won't be published?"
"He said it was smut," Kagome supplied.
Inuyasha looked back and forth between the two. "Smut? What do you mean that it is smut?"
"You did not read the piece?" Sesshomaru asked, not really surprised that his brother had forgot such a task.
"Feh! I've never read her works," he explained carelessly. "I don't need to."
"Jerk," Kagome muttered.
"It does not matter. I said no. I do not need to explain my reasoning to anyone," Sesshomaru replied smoothly, beginning to move around from behind his desk. "Now leave."
Straightening his posture, Inuyasha hissed at Sesshomaru, "No, not until you tell me why, King Fluffy."
In return, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes dangerously, stepping towards the other male. His mouth was set into a firm line, showing his disapproval of Inuyasha's request. 'The idiot will never learn,' he thought. 'It seems that I will have to show him his place.' He snarled as he moved causing Inuyasha to back up slightly as his eyes widened.
The azure eyed beauty that the men had forgotten sprang up from her chair. 'Oh, no,' she thought. 'This can't be happening again! Will they ever learn?' Rushing forward, she placed herself between the two hostile brothers. She faced Sesshomaru, knowing that he was the larger threat and held her arms out to block his way. "Hey, now, there is no need for this. Why don't we all just calm down?" she asked hopefully.
Sesshomaru's reaction was immediate. Although he still held the hard expression upon his face, he did stop advancing. The threatening noises emitting from his throat also stopped. He seemed to be listening to Kagome's words for once. But still he ground out, "Remove him."
"Feh!" Inuyasha cut in boldly. He smirked in confidence. "Like that would happen. She's not heartless like you are!"
"Woman," Sesshomaru proclaimed.
She frowned, lowering his arms. With a sigh, she turned to face her agent. "Inuyasha," she began, "you are instigating him. I'll be able to handle this. I'll call you when I we are finished."
"Yeah, finished fucking that is," he replied hastily.
His brother growled while moving forward, allowing his control to fall to his anger. Kagome's eyes narrowed at her agent's words. Throwing her hand backwards, she pushed Sesshomaru in the chest, forcefully saying, "No." She then turned her full attention back to Inuyasha. "And you, that was uncalled for. Out!"
"But Kagome…" Inuyasha started. His smirk fell instantly. "I didn't mean…"
"Out!" she interrupted. He hesitated, staring at her. "Now!"
Grumbling to himself, he turned and walked to the door, his shoulders slouched in defeat. He looked back over his shoulder, his large, golden eyes appearing worried. "You'll call me, right?"
Sighing, Kagome nodded her head. "Yes, I'll call," she confirmed tiredly. 'They are more trouble than a room full of toddlers,' she thought as she watched Inuyasha exit the room. As soon as the door was shut, she turned back to the quiet and stoic Sesshomaru. "And you," she scolded, "my name is Kagome, not Woman."
"I am well aware of your name, Woman," Sesshomaru responded sarcastically.
In a huff, Kagome turned from him. She moved back to the chair that she had occupied just minutes before and grabbed her purse. "Well, I guess the meeting is over. You won't publish it. I'll just take it somewhere else," she said calmly, moving to the door.
"You will do no such thing," Sesshomaru commanded. He began to move.
"Sure I will. After all, it is in the contract. I am allowed to find another publisher for this book," Kagome reminded him. She was inches from the door. Her hand was making the way to the knob. But she was stopped. A large, masculine hand slammed upon the door, holding it shut. An arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her against a hard, warm body. She smirked. She had a feeling that this would be Sesshomaru's reaction. 'Sometimes he is so predictable,' she thought confidently.
"I will not allow that," Sesshomaru muttered into her ear. His breath caressed the sensitive appendage, causing her to shudder unconsciously. "And what will you do about it," Kagome replied softly, tipping her neck slightly to the side to allow Sesshomaru access.
He automatically accepted the silent invitation, moving his mouth to rest upon the skin, tracing it with his lips as he spoke. "I will offer you a proposition."
She parted her lips, holding back the moan that was building inside of her. "Well, what is it?" she asked, softly, surprised that her voice was not trembling.
Sesshomaru smiled against her neck, letting his tongue slip out slightly and tease the pale flesh. "I will publish your so-called romance on two conditions."
Kagome's eyebrows rose and her body stiffened. She was not expecting this. What was he up to? "Two conditions? What are they? That I have to re-write the book and chose another topic?"
"Those were not going to be my terms, but they are also acceptable," Sesshomaru responded in his deep voice. "Would you like to hear my conditions?"
"Yes," she answered without a thought, trembling slightly from the havoc his lips were causing.
"The first is that I will bind only one copy," he began slowly.
"Only one?"
"May I finish?" Silence was his answer. As a reward, he took some of her skin into his mouth, caressing it with his tongue. He released the skin when she moaned, but the hand around her waist began to caress her stomach and sides, traveling slowly. "This copy will be for you and me only, which leads into my second demand. You will be exclusively mine."
Kagome gasped. Her eyes nearly popped from her sockets. "I'll be your girlfriend?" she asked timidly as if her words would break the trance she was in and would cause Sesshomaru to retract his offer.
He chuckled softly. "If that is what you want to call it. Do you accept my offer?"
Kagome turned her head to the side, smiling brightly and seductively at him. "I guess that will do," she said teasingly, searching his face for any signs of regret or falseness.
Sesshomaru closed the distance between them, searing her lips with a passionate and demanding kiss. When he released her, he stayed close to her lips, muttering, "And this is our contract," before stealing her mouth for another kiss.
After a moment, Kagome broke away from his mouth. "Are you sure about this?" she asked carefully.
Sesshomaru frowned, pulling her even closer to his body as his hand traveled up her shirt to tease the tender skin of her stomach. "Yes. You should not be surprised. After all, there is a first for everything."
The Real End
A/N: Well, that's it for this story! Unfortunately, it is over with. I sincerely thank everyone that has read and enjoyed this story (and an extra special thanks to those that reviewed!). I am overwhelmed that this story has so much support. But I will be working on the sequel soon, so look for that story. The working titles for that story are "Everything's Game," "A Second Time Around," and "A First Chance Isn't Enough." Let me know what you think of the titles, or if you have any better ideas! Also, let me know how I did…I am always eager to hear your feedback!
Until next time,
FormerlyRurouniNikkitch13
PS---For those that need it, the link for the lemons are located in my profile.