Gah, it has nearly been two years since I've updated this story! To everyone who was reading this, I am deeply sorry. I could go on to give excuses about how busy life has been and what not but I won't because there really is no excuse other than that I really just plain forgot about this story for quite some time. I tried to make this chapter as long as possible to make up for it but we'll see. I haven't written in so long that I don't even know if this chapter is any good but I suppose you all can be the judge of that.

Anywho:

Gabz: Dunno if you're still going to read this now but thank you! I actually really like the Sesshomaru/Kagome pairing myself. I have read quite a few good fanfics with them. Maybe if I ever finish this story and write another I'll make it a Sess/Kag. :)

To everyone else: Thanks for reviewing! I know it's been a LONG time coming but I did realize that I missed writing this story so I will do my very best to finish it. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.

Thank you to all the subscribers and people who favorited this story or me! I appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha!

Chapter 9 – Intoxicated

Early the next morning Kagome was up and getting ready hurriedly for work. She had set her alarm for 6:00 AM but had snoozed it until it was now 7. She quickly put the finishing touches on her makeup and threw her purse over her shoulder before exiting the hotel room. A car was waiting out front to take her to her destination….the Higurashi Corporation branch in New York City which had now, officially, changed its name to Higurashi – Takahashi Industries.

Clouds hung low in the sky and there was a slight mist in the air making Kagome's straight hair start to curl and frizz a little at the ends. "Great, my first day on the job and I already look like crap." She thought to herself as she got into the car.

A few minutes later, the car arrived at the front of one of the largest skyscrapers she had seen thus far. The building was very modern in style and stood over 90 feet tall. Kagome had to look straight ahead; she had a phobia where she could not stand to look straight up at a tall building when it was too close in front of her for fear of falling over. She entered the lobby and immediately spotted a young man waiting for her. He was a man looking to be around the same age as herself and had short brown hair to match his bright blue eyes that instantly had her lost in them for a moment or two before he cleared his throat anxiously, "Hello, ; my name is Michael Allen. I am glad you could didn't have any trouble finding us. If you would come with me we have a lot of work to start on. I have been assigned to be your assistant from now on."

"Pleased to meet you, Michael; I look forward to working with you." Kagome replied courteously. She followed him into the elevator and up to the 10th floor before they exited off. They walked down a long hallway until they entered a giant empty room with only a few other people inside. Since the companies had merged together, they had an even larger amount of exports than either of the two had had individually. They sold mostly jewelry such as fancy watches, rings, earrings, bracelets, etc. Their jewelry appealed to anyone in their early twenties all the way to their sixties. With the, now, united companies, they wanted to create a new export as their first product as a unified entity; that product had been decided as a new fragrance line.

She saw a few bottles of fragrance sitting on the long table at the head of the room where the other members of the team were currently seated watching expectantly as they made their way over. Amongst the members there, she instantly noticed Inuyasha and Sesshomaru sitting at the far end. She didn't hesitate to give Inuyasha a nice glare before taking her seat, Michael sitting at her side.

After they sat down, an older woman who looked to be in her early forties stood up and addressed them, "Good morning everyone. I would like to take this chance to introduce myself. I am Teresa Grey, head of advertising. I would like everyone to go around and give their names so that we may get better acquainted with each other before getting down to business." A young woman stood up and introduced herself as Claire Walsh. She was in charge of recruiting models for their ads that would be put on billboards, TV, etc. The last unknown person was a man that looked to be in his early thirties. He introduced himself as Ty Robinson, in charge of marketing. It came to be Kagome's turn and she hurriedly introduced herself as the daughter of and that she was there to help them with whatever they needed done. Michael introduced himself as her assistant and lastly, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru gave their short and quick intros.

After all names were said, Teresa began telling them about what they would be working on for the next few months. "As you all know, Higurashi-Takahashi Industries is planning on starting a new fragrance line that is supposed to premier this coming spring. We have already put together a few test fragrances for everyone to sample and give their input on. We will be making both men's and women's fragrances. If we decide that we don't like any of the current ones we can all put our heads together in order to come up with some alternatives. If everyone finds these acceptable then we will immediately begin to come up with names for each fragrance and decide what shape and color each bottle will be. After all of these things are done, we may begin doing a search for models that we feel will represent the fragrance as we want to see it represented. Any questions so far?" No hands were raised so she finished with, "Alright then, we will begin passing around each sample for everyone to smell and give either a thumbs up or thumbs down."

She passed the first small bottle around the table and everyone sprayed a small amount onto the white card in front of them. The first smelled very floral like a mixture of roses and orchids. Kagome instantly loved the smell and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. Inuyasha sniffed the scent and instantly turned his nose up, "This smells like shit. I hate girly smells!"

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and wafted the scent towards his nose, "Yash, most girls perfume is floral smelling…you sure you're not gay? Smells just fine to me." He winked at Kagome who smiled back appreciatively. Inuyasha snorted and didn't hesitate to flip his brother the finger.

This process wore on until all of the scents had been sorted through and five had been picked out of the group. By this time it was around noon so the group decided to break for lunch. Michael offered to take the Kagome out to lunch at a local delicatessen that was legendary for their great reuben sandwiches. She happily accepted stepping into the car with him and leaving the two brothers behind to decide their own plans. When they arrived Kagome grabbed a small table while Michael ordered what he described as "the sandwich capable of giving orgasms". A few minutes later, he sat down across from her with the sandwiches. They both dug in, being extremely hungry from neither of them having breakfast that morning.

Michael looked at her curiously, "You didn't talk much to the two brothers this morning. What were their names again?"

"Inuyasha and Sesshomaru?" Yeah, I don't care for Inuyasha much but Sesshomaru is pretty cool. We get along well." She smiled at him.

Michael stared at her before questioning, "What's with that smile? Is there something going on between you two?"

Kagome nearly choked on her sandwich, "Well, no…not seriously anyways. One night I was angry at his brother and we were both super drunk…and well, you get it. We didn't sleep together but it was close enough."

Michael laughed, "I figured something had to be going on. What about Inuyasha? Why don't you like him?"

She thought carefully for a second before answering, "Because he's a loud-mouthed pig of a man that doesn't know how to respect a woman if he tried. He's just a womanizer and doesn't give a damn about anyone's feelings but his own."

"Damn girl, sounds like you've got some resentment towards the guy. What did he do to you?"

She finished chewing the last bite of her sandwich, "On the same night Sesshomaru and I messed around…it was because of Inuyasha. He was all flirting with me one moment and I was really getting into him and then I see him over trying to get with another girl! I know we weren't in any kind of relationship but he just completely ruined everything good we had built up between each other the second that happened. I just don't know about him. I want to at least get along with him but he's making it very difficult."

Michael nodded his head, "I understand. Well we just need to get you two made up with each other then. I'll try talking to him." He winked at her.

She snorted, "Yeah good luck with that. He's the most stubborn man on earth!" They both stood up and walked back out to the car to head back.

Inuyasha stepped outside with Sesshomaru to get some air before lunch break was over. He took a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, and inhaled deeply before blowing out the smoke with a long sigh. Sesshomaru had also lit a cigarette and was busy looking around the courtyard out in front of the building when Inuyasha interrupted his thoughts, "I haven't been able to get a moment with Kagome alone all day. She's always got that damn assistant hanging off her ass every second of the day. I feel like punching his lights out to get him out of the way."

Sesshomaru blew out a large cloud of smoke, "Don't blame him; it's his job to hang off her ass every second. If you wanted a moment alone with her that badly all you'd have to do is ask and he'd leave. You're obviously not trying very hard at all or you would've already gotten her alone and at least apologized to her. Ask to talk to her when she comes back." He dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it before dropping it into the plastic container and lean against the rail they were currently standing next to.

The younger brother growled, aggravated his brother's remarks. "Look, I'll talk to her when I damn well please. Don't try and tell me what to do." He put out his cigarette and briskly walked back inside. Sesshomaru sighed as he rubbed his temples and began to walk back in as well.

The rest of the day was spent calling modeling agencies and making appointments to have their best and most qualified models to come down and audition for advertising the different fragrances. It was time to go before Kagome even realized it. She had been having so much fun that he hadn't even noticed until Michael nudged her, "Hey, I think we're about done for the day. Why don't you go home and get some rest? I'm sure you've still got some jetlag to get rid of."

She smiled and gave him her thanks before excusing herself from the table and heading out to the lobby to wait for her driver to come pick her up. She walked out into the courtyard and sat on a nearby bench waiting patiently. She had nearly fallen asleep sitting there when a loud thump next to her awoke her with a start. It was none other than Inuyasha. He wore very dark shaded sunglasses over his eyes so she couldn't tell what his exact expression was. Before she could say anything, he broke the silence, "Look. I know you're still mad at me from the other night. I uh…." He started coughing loudly before finishing his sentence, "I'm sorry. This isn't hard for me to admit okay? Give me some slack!"

She stared back at him in shock. She could not believe he was actually apologizing to her! Kagome quickly composed herself before he could see just how shocked she was, "Okay, and you expect me to just forgive you for all of that shit just because you said a simple 'I'm sorry'? Well, think again buddy! I won't be swayed that easily." She put a pouty look on her face as she pulled out her sunglasses and placed them over her eyes. She was a much better poker player when her eyes weren't visible.

Inuyasha rubbed his temples and bent over to rest his elbows on his knees. "I know I screwed up. I truly am sorry though. Please, just…let me take you out for a drink or two tonight to make it up to you."

She giggled, "Trying to bribe me with alcohol now, huh? You know me too well already. Okay then. I can't very well refuse a man offering to buy me drinks now can I?"

He smirked mischievously, "Well, you know…alcohol is always the first step in getting a bitch."

"Hey now, don't ruin it by saying things like that or I may just turn you down anyways!" She heard a honk as her driver finally pulled up to the curb. She slipped him her number and smiled before she turned around and did her best model walk to the open car door. Inuyasha didn't hesitate to ogle her ass on the way out either.

Kagome threw her purse onto the couch as she entered the condo. However, Sango was nowhere to be seen. She looked in her room and bathroom before returning to the living room and noticing a piece of paper on the table in the kitchen. She gingerly picked it up and read, "Girl, I'm going out on a date tonight with Miroku. Don't make fun of me too much when I get back! Don't worry, I won't sleep with him. ;)"

She couldn't help laugh a little at the fact that her friend had always acted completely repulsed by Inuyasha's best friend and yet here she was, going on a date with the guy! "There surely must be something more going on that she's just not telling me." She thought to herself. She pulled out her iPhone and quickly sent a message to Sango saying she wanted a full report on what happened when she got home and that she also had a date with Inuyasha tonight. After that was done, she plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. Before she knew it she was fast asleep.

Sometime later, Kagome was awakened to the sound of her phone vibrating next to her on the couch. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked at the clock. She gasped, "Holy shit, how did I fall asleep for three hours?!" She then turned her attention to the text message she had received. It was a number she did not have in her phonebook. She opened the message in anticipation and smiled a little when she saw that it was, in fact, Inuyasha texting her to tell her what time he was coming by to pick her up. She also read that she could dress casually as they were going to an outdoor bar with a very casual setting. It wasn't until a minute later that she gasped realizing that the time he was coming by to pick her up was only thirty minutes away!

Hurriedly, she rushed to her bedroom and threw open her closet doors. She thumbed through all of her dresses before settling on wearing a tight black leather jacket that hung down to her midriff leaving her belly in full view. She wore this over a black low cut bandeau. On bottom she threw on a pair of dark navy skinny jeans and a pair of black pumps. She ran into the bathroom and turned her straightening iron on before beginning to apply her makeup, a smoky eye shadow, mascara, and eye liner. After ten more minutes her hair was straight and she was ready to go. No sooner had she finished prepping herself before her doorbell rang signaling that Inuyasha was probably waiting outside her door.

Grabbing her purse off the couch she rushed to the door and was met with a very sexy looking Inuyasha. He had his hair worn down like normal but he wore a military style olive green cap on his head and a vintage style plain v-neck shirt adorning his midsection. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans and finished off with a pair of white vans covering his feet. By the time she had finished eyeing him she had been completely unaware that he was also doing the same thing. Their eyes met and he smiled a crooked smile at her before offering her his arm. She wrapped her arm around his and they walked to the elevator.

When they arrived at their destination, Inuyasha pulled up to the valet and let them park his car. He helped Kagome out of her seat and the two walked arm-in-arm to a table out towards the end in the corner where not a lot of other people were sitting. There was a lone candle sitting on each table giving it a sort of romantic and intimate setting. They sat down and were given menus by their server. The bar sold appetizers and desserts but not entrée's.

Kagome looked at the different appetizers carefully. So many of them sounded good that she couldn't pick any one out, "What do you think? I can't decide, they all sound too good."

"How about we get two then? Try to pick out one and I'll pick out the other. We can share them." He responded setting down the menu in front of him. At that moment the bartender came over to take their drink orders. "I'll take gin and tonic, please."

Kagome about gagged, "You can drink things that strong? Ugh, I can deal with a few shots but a whole drink that's just straight alcohol is unbearable!"

"Why don't you quit criticizing my drink choices and pick out your own." He smirked at her before cracking into a peanut shell out of the basket of them that had been set on the table earlier.

"Okay, I'll have a long island please." She replied before the bartender walked away. A moment later their server returned with their drinks and they placed their food orders. They sat for a moment in silence just listening to the music playing over the speakers and sipping their drinks. After a few moments passed she finally asked, "So you wanted to apologize to me, huh? So you finally realized the error of your ways?"

Inuyasha snorted, "Yeah right. I'm just taking you out so you'll get over yourself already and we can move past this whole situation. It makes it less awkward to have to work with you every day if you're not pissed at me and glaring daggers my way every few seconds."

"Well maybe I wouldn't have to if you weren't such a prick. You were insulting the scents that those people had worked hard to put together! If you didn't like it you could've said so in a much more respectful and professional manner!" She retorted gulping down the rest of her drink.

The younger brother had already finished his drink and was signaling for another, "Oh please. You know you're just making a big deal about that because you were jealous of me that one night. Why else would you try to jump in bed with my brother? By the way, I'm still completely disgusted by that."

Kagome also signaled for another drink, "Whatever! You're the one that's jealous! I can 'jump into bed' with whomever I please and it's no business of yours! Besides, we didn't have sex anyways so I don't even wanna hear it."

"Heh, that's sure as hell not what it looked like to me! Seeing you obviously trying to sneak out of his condo in HIS clothes with an extremely guilty look on your face…that just spells out that you slept with him. Hope you enjoyed yourself." He finished his drink in one large swig before signaling for another.

Anger was quickly building up inside of Kagome along with the fact that she was starting to get quite tipsy. They both got another round of drinks before she retorted, "How many times do I have to say that I didn't sleep with him?! Sure we messed around but I was so drunk that I passed out on him okay?! Ask him if you don't believe me!" At that moment she noticed that the bar also had an indoor club that was playing some good music, "You know what? Screw you. I went out with you thinking that you were truly sorry for what you did not to be criticized for things I didn't even do."

She quickly stood up and made her way inside. Inuyasha wasn't far behind though. He scanned the room and saw that Kagome was already dancing with another guy with her drink held high above the crowd in her hand. Without even thinking about it, he pushed his way in between them and pulled her away to a dark corner of the room. She stared at him angrily nearly crossing her eyes from all of the alcohol she had consumed in such a short period of time, "What the hell was that for?! I don't want to spend a second longer with you if this is how you're going to act!" She almost fell over before Inuyasha grabbed her arm to hold her upright. At that moment neither could do anymore than stare into the others eyes. Kagome felt her eyes roam from his to his broad shoulders and down to the patch of his chest that was visible from his v-neck shirt. She subconsciously licked her tongue over her bottom lip before looking to the side trying to shake the image of him from her head.

Inuyasha witnessed the whole affair and chuckled before leaning down and whispering in her ear, "Admit it Kagome. You want me. I know you're thinking about how I look naked under these clothes." He ran his hand down her side until it was resting on her bare stomach. He took her form in from the flushed look on her face, to her heaving chest, and to her navel ring glinting in the soft lighting of the dance floor. He couldn't help but run his hand softly over her bellybutton gently touching the navel ring with his fingers.

She gasped as she looked into his eyes and thought to herself, "Two can play at this game." She slowly and softly touched his shoulders with her fingertips. She trailed them down his toned chest and even went so far as to stick one finger in between his hot skin and the belt securing his jeans to his hips. She watched as his breath hitched in his throat as he closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them and looking at her. She gave him a mischievous little smile and proceeded to bite her bottom lip and give a little yank on her finger in his pants, "You know what I think? I think you want me just as much, if not more, than I want you…so why don't you quit denying it?"

He had to admit, he was starting to become aroused and he didn't like that happening in public. He had to get out of there and fast. Quickly, he grabbed her hand and rushed her back outside where he paid for their tab and all but threw her in the back of the car before zooming off back to the hotel without either of them ever touching their food left on the table.

Everything was a blur to Kagome. From the car ride home and walking into the lobby and into the elevator. Before she knew it, they were standing outside of the door to Inuyasha's condo. He quickly unlocked and opened the door but quickly shut it as he caught a glimpse of Sango and Miroku doing the dirty on the floor in the living room.

Kagome looked at him curiously, "What's going on? Why did you shut the door?"

"Looks like Miroku and Sango have gotten a lot closer than we realized." He replied as he pulled her down to the end of the hall to her own door, "Hurry up and open the door!"

"Okay okay, geez. Chill out." She said as she fumbled through her purse for the card key to the door. A few seconds later they were inside and Inuyasha was safe from anyone catching him with a boner in public. She rushed into the kitchen and grabbed more liquor, "I don't think I'm quite done drinking yet, are you?"

"You do know we have to work tomorrow right?" He asked smiling at her as he walked towards her while she was pouring herself a glass of wine. When he was right behind her he placed each hand on the counter on either side of her body. He leaned in close to her neck as he breathed in her scent. It smelled vaguely familiar. "What's that perfume you're wearing? I'm kind of liking it." He said as he placed a light kiss on her neck.

Kagome shuddered as her arms began to get goosebumps, "You do huh? Well you'd be interested to know that it's the same perfume you said you hated at work today. I decided to put a little on before I left today. They've tasked me with thinking of a name for it."

He closed his eyes as he nuzzled his face into her hair, "And? Have you thought of a name for it?"

She slowly turned around in his arms and when she did they were mere centimeters apart from the other's face, "How about 'Intoxicated'?" They both stared into the others eyes for what seemed like forever. Before she knew what was happening he was on her. She had never been kissed so roughly in her life…and she liked it. She felt his strong hands sliding up and down her sides and back before he grabbed her ass and gave it a good squeeze. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back as hard as she could.

He lifted her up and set her on top of the counter, his body now wedged between her thighs. They continued kissing for a minute before she felt him unzipping her jacket to reveal her bandeau top underneath. He tossed it onto the floor and then turned his attention to places hot wet kisses down her neck and shoulders. She moaned as she ran her fingers through his long hair, pulling him closer.

Before he could go any further, he heard her groan in a way that made it sound like she was in pain. He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. She quickly pushed him away and ran into the bedroom. He ran after her, thinking he had done something to offend her when he heard puking sounds coming from the bathroom. Inuyasha found her hunched over the toilet throwing up profusely and coughing. He stepped up behind her, sat down, and held her hair out of the way so she could finish without worrying about it, "You can't hold your liquor can you?"

After she was finished, she flushed the toilet and swatted his hand away, "Shut up. If you wouldn't have made me so mad earlier I would have at least gotten to eat a little so I wouldn't have gotten sick!" She leaned back against the wall opposite of the toilet and closed her eyes. The room was spinning and closing her eyes wasn't making it any better.

He chuckled and scooted over next to her, "Well I guess we'd better get you to bed. I'll get you a glass of water so you can keep it by your bedside. Drink as much as you can so you don't have a terrible hangover at work tomorrow." He stood up. As he was about to walk away he felt her grab his wrist. He looked down at her, "What's wrong?"

She made the saddest face she could muster before saying, "Can you carry me to the bed? I'm so drunk I can barely walk."

He couldn't help but smile as he picked her up bridal style and carried her into the room and sat her in the middle of the bed. After he had grabbed her a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table he sat down next to her, "Is there anything else you need?"

She hesitated for a moment before replying, "My pajamas?" and pointing at the pair lying on top of her dresser.

He stood up, picked up the tank top and pair of flannel pants before bringing them back over to her. "Um, I should probably look away for this part." He turned around and closed his eyes. He could hear her slipping off her clothes and putting the new ones on. A few minutes later he heard her say that she was dressed and he turned back around. "Well, I guess I'll go crash on your couch if you don't mind. I don't want to go back to my place with Miroku and Sango doing god knows what over there."

She looked at him for a second then patted the empty side of the bed next to her, "I want you to sleep here!" She complained.

Inuyasha couldn't help but think that her whining was extremely cute, especially since it was a side of her he hadn't seen before. He walked over to the opposite side, slipped off his shirt and pants and crawled into bed next to her. He tried to keep his hands to himself but that didn't last long when he felt Kagome cuddle up next to him and lay her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and played with her hair a little until he knew she was asleep. Not long after that he also felt his eyes becoming heavy as he himself, also drifted off into a deep sleep.