A/N: Okay, first off, I'm not completely thrilled with this chapter, because nobody wanted to agree with me. Sesshomaru wants to follow Kagura and eviscerate her, Rin wants to BS with Kagome, and everyone else has an opinion on everything that they want to share. So yeah, this one isn't my best and it's a bit shorter than I'd prefer, but hey, at least I got this one out of the way. It might be a couple weeks for another update since real life flared up on me in the past few days and I don't have much time on the computer at the moment. Blargh. On the bright side, Rin POV makes a triumphant return next time around!

As always, I don't own anything regarding these characters except for the plot itself. Reviews are love!

Everyone gathered in the living room to wait for Taisho and Izayoi. Sesshomaru and Rin entered together, his hand at the small of her back. The look on his face dared someone to say something and after a few second glances, nobody looked their way. Rin took a seat on the couch and made room for him. Apparently Kagome had taught her something about demons because she specifically chose a seat far away from any other males.

Not a moment after, Taisho and Izayoi appeared. Neither took a seat. "I know you were all expecting another team-building exercise," he started, "but I'm afraid that after some recent events, we need to have a quick business meeting. All employees into the dining room, please. The rest of you have a pass for today. See you back here, same time tomorrow."

Sesshomaru rose and extended his hand to his mate. She smiled and took it. Leaning down, he inhaled her scent and kissed the spot just below her ear. "Don't go too far. I'm coming for you afterwards, Rrriiin." He drew her name out the way she liked and was pleased to hear a quick intake of breath.

He felt more than saw her nod. Pleased with her agreement, he kissed her neck again and turned to go to the dining room. He was just in time to see several jaws snap closed. His eyes rolled in disdain. Some people were so easily confused.

He was the first to take a seat in the dining room. The rest filed in after a minute and took seats near the head of the table. Sesshomaru was pleased to see that Bankotsu was farthest away from him. The last thing he wanted was to be near his mate's former suitor. How Inuyasha managed around Koga, who had pursued Kagome with a vengeance, he would never know; perhaps it was that the wolf now had his own mate. No matter, his half-brother's issues were of no concern.

Taisho was the last to enter and he pulled the doors securely shut after him. Without any preamble, he stepped into his CEO shoes. "All right. You are all well aware of the reason we are taking this unwelcome trip to work during our vacation, correct?" A series of nods answered him and he clapped once. "Okay, then let's get down to it. What are we going to do with Kagura? After what she said about dog demons, I know what I want to do, but it isn't precisely legal. What are your thoughts on the matter? Inuyasha?"

The hanyou sighed irritably. "She's a bitch, plain and simple. I'm in the same boat as you, father, when it comes to that. But, as much as I hate to admit it, she's a good board member."

"Very well. Koga?"

In that manner, Taisho went around the table to hear everyone's opinion. Not surprisingly, it was generally agreed that Kagura had an unpleasant personality and excelled at her job. Kanna was the only one who made an attempt to defend her friend, saying only that she was 'a very passionate person'. Finally, Sesshomaru's turn came around.

He had leaned back in the chair, legs crossed, listening intently as everyone else spoke. The only sign of his increasing irritation was one finger tapping slowly on his thigh. With deliberate precision he steepled his fingers and tapped the index fingers against his lips. Letting out a small breath he had been holding with a dramatic flourish, he met the eyes of his fellow board members.

"Kagura has been after me for years, as you are all well aware. I have told her I am uninterested many, many times. Recently, she has repeatedly verbally assaulted and come within inches of physically harming a woman who has shown interest in me. I feel no remorse for any problems that may occur as consequence for her increasingly erratic actions. That being said, I believe that Kagura is unstable mentally. She not only has completely disregarded any sense of decency and public decorum in this obsession for me, she has gravely insulted all demons with human partners, slandered my entire species, and most importantly, she threatened to kill my mate." All their jaws dropped in surprise, except for Inuyasha and Taisho, who gave him approving nods.

He understood their surprise. No woman had ever tempted him for more than a night or two and even then there had been none in nearly a century, only paid women who got in and got out. Sesshomaru had accepted that he had found his other half and, while he wasn't thrilled about her being a human, he was tired of fighting his instincts over the girl. She had made some excellent points in their past conversations. He couldn't help but think about one time in particular, when she had blindsided him so badly that he had no idea how to react.

"I cannot risk mating you. It would be impossible not to mark you."

"I thought you were in control."

His eyes narrowed and fingers flexed. "I am, but you truly bring out the demon in me."

"Let me get this straight: You might have found your mate, someone your demon resonates with, and you're going to pass up the opportunity because your demon likes the idea of being with her? Because she's human? That's just dumb."

Sesshomaru's upper lip curled slightly. "You are playing with fire, woman," he growled. "Do not push me."

Rin kept talking, ignoring his warning. "I mean, really. If I never tried anything because part of me liked it, I never would have become an author, never would have come on this trip, never would have done anything. Is that all you're going to do, be contrary to your instincts just for the sake of being contrary? Or is it just because I'm human and you aren't? There are three demon-human couples here who seem quite happy. But what do I know, I'm only human, after all."

No, she was more than 'only human'. Far more, or he would have never taken notice of her to begin with, let alone become attracted to her. Someone cleared their throat quietly, breaking him out of his train of thought. Deciding to use the silence to his favor he continued as if he had merely paused to accent the importance of his declaration..

"Yes, she is my mate. No interference will be tolerated where she is concerned." He pointedly looked at Bankotsu, who dropped his gaze immediately. Satisfied with this show of submission, he went on. "Kagura has crossed many lines before, and I know you all agree with me on that. I, for one, will not deal with any more of her reckless disregard for anything except her momentary whims. If she says or does anything to, about, or regarding my mate, I will kill her. I will be highly displeased if she returns to the boardroom, but if she manages to keep her mouth shut, I foresee no problems. Even though I may not like it, I will respect whatever decision you make, father."

Taisho nodded his understanding. "Very well. Now, the way I see this, there are three options. We can forgive her this offense. We can call for her resignation. Or we can split the difference and put her on probation; give her a while to figure things out and realize she needs to get her act straight. If she cleans up in that timeframe, she stays. If she screws up, she's gone. Any other suggestions?"

No one seemed forthcoming, so he called for a vote. Kanna put herself forward for forgiveness, stating that while it was unconscionably rude, the incident happened outside of work so it shouldn't be counted. Bankotsu, Shippo and Sango all voted for firing her. Miroku, Kikyo, Hojo, and Koga went with probation.

Taisho looked at Inuyasha, who frowned, but nodded. When he looked at Sesshomaru, the dog howled in anger. The man agreed completely. The rational part of him knew, however, that it would be hard to find another board member under such circumstances and that while she was one of the biggest pains in the ass he had ever known, she was damned good at her job. He gave his father a curt nod, which was returned with the same irritation.

"It is decided. Kagura will go on probation for ten weeks. If she screws up once, in or out of the office, she'll need to look for another job." Taisho pushed back his chair and stood, shedding the mantle of authority as easily as he had put it on. "Now, get back to your vacation! Activities resume tomorrow at one."

Sesshomaru was the first out the door, scenting down his mate before anyone else had even risen from their seats. He found her and Kagome in the library, where she was inscribing more of Izayoi's books. She looked up as he entered and smiled widely. It took a moment for Kagome to realize Rin wasn't listening to her anymore, but when she did she excused herself immediately. Striding around Kagome as she left, he picked his mate out of the chair and buried his nose in her neck. Laughing, she dropped her pen on the table and wrapped her legs around his hips.

"Miss me already?" His only response was a quick nip to her pulse point. The dog was in raptures at her scent, warm and welcoming. "Geez, it hasn't even been an hour. Down, boy." Her light tone took out any sting that might have been in her words.

Carefully, he pushed her against the nearest wall. Faces so close their noses almost touched, Sesshomaru could feel himself getting lost in her chocolate eyes. "Does my bitch not want me to miss her? She will be sorely disappointed, if so." He closed his eyes in pleasure as she threaded her fingers through his hair, rubbing his scalp lightly. The dog preened under her gentle caress.

"Oh no, you can miss me all you want. But why do you do that?" Opening his eyes, he raised one brow. "Call me a bitch. Why?"

He had never considered it from her perspective. Being called a bitch was a negative thing in human society, for some reason. For him to use it so casually while they were mating must have been quite a shock. It was a wonder that she knew as much as she did about how demons worked, especially since her friend hadn't deemed it necessary to fill her in on some of the most important aspects of being mated to a dog demon.

Putting this into human terms was tricky. 'Bitch' meant more to a canine than most other pet names, like 'baby' and 'sweetheart'. It wasn't like 'wife', for that was a purely human concept. Mate? No, that wasn't exactly right, either. Lover? That was close enough for this purpose, although it wasn't a direct match.

"It is how dog demons refer to their lovers. It is far from a negative concept as far as we are concerned. It is one of the most intimate endearments we can bestow."

"Oh. So… how many other 'bitches' have you had?"

Silly woman, thinking the tone of her voice could disguise the tension that appeared with the seemingly innocuous question. He nipped her earlobe lightly with a fang before answering. "None."

"Liar. Look at you, you can't possibly tell me you're a virgin."

He couldn't help it; the corners of his lips curved into a smile as his dog barked in offense. "No, I am not. I never claimed to be."

She pushed on his shoulders until he was forced to move back. "But you just said-"

"I said I never called anyone my bitch before you. I never said I was a virgin. The centuries would have been very long without any companionship."

"But-"

He kissed her, cutting off the protest. "We need to remove that word from your vocabulary. Having sex does not necessarily mean you are lovers. Never before have I called anyone my bitch. When you wear my mark, no one else will have a chance."

"Really?"

He couldn't deny the note of hope in her voice. Leaning forward, he touched his forehead to hers. "I may be a lot of things, Rrriiin, but a liar is not one of them."

The kiss, while sudden, was not unexpected. His hand slid up and down her denim-covered thighs as her fingers resumed their previous explorations through his hair. He was hard as a rock when someone cleared their throat behind him. Turning so suddenly he bit his tongue, Sesshomaru whipped around and growled at the intruder, all the while safely lowering Rin to the ground with one arm.

Taisho stood in the doorway, a bemused smile on his face. "Remember what I said the first day? Take it to your room, kids."

His female's cheeks heated to a delicious shade of red in embarrassment. The demon's attention was focused on the perceived threat, but he could see it out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry, Mr. Taisho, I just-"

"No worries, Rin," his father interrupted. "It happens. I would suggest, however, that you keep these activities behind closed doors for propriety's sake." She bowed her head in acknowledgement and Sesshomaru decided he had enough of this conversation.

"We were just leaving, father. Excuse us." He grabbed her hand and gently towed her out of the room, past his still smiling parent. He was itching to wipe that smug smirk off the old bastard's face. How dare he interrupt him when he was with his mate and demand they go somewhere else? And then to interrupt her when she was speaking? He must have a death wish.

He was torn, not knowing whether to go back and show his father that any sort of disturbance was not to be tolerated or take his mate upstairs and fuck her like there was no tomorrow, laying his mark so deeply that no creature within twenty miles would doubt his claim. They walked for several minutes as he waffled back and forth, weighing the pros and cons. What finally decided him was Rin stopping in her tracks. She crossed her arms and looked at him with quickly thinning patience. "Sesshomaru, where exactly are we going?"

Taking stock of the surroundings, he found they were on the third floor, about to enter the attic proper. If he had dragged her from the far side of the house all the way here, no wonder she was irritated. The dog put its ears back and whined. "We are going where we will not be disturbed."

"And why do we need the attic? Isn't a room with a lock good enough?"

Her cheeks were flushed above pursed lips. One finger tapped slowly on her left arm, an unknowing echo of his earlier gesture. She arched a brow when he didn't immediately reply. Her short laugh as he returned the gesture became a surprised squeak when he threw her over his shoulder and sped towards his room. Breathless laughter accompanied by demands for release stopped when Sesshomaru swatted her behind with his free hand. She was quiet for a split second, then smacked him just as hard on his butt.

"You. Better. Not. Do. That. Again!" Her threat might have been more convincing if her voice, broken and jolting because of his steps, wasn't coming from his waist.

He smacked her again, smiling at her aggravated squeal. "Be still, bitch." Ignoring her struggles and repeated assaults wherever her hands found him, he opened the door to his room and turned to lock it. Her face was bright red when he dropped her on the mattress, the color a result of hanging upside down and her vain protests against his back.

Rin rolled onto her hands and knees facing him. "See if you get any now, dog!" Hearing the amusement under her words, he didn't take offense.

"Is that a challenge, bitch?"

"What if it is?" she asked, her tone defiant.

Ah, but his dog had picked a feisty one. Sesshomaru was not a man to turn down a challenge, and he had a feeling that this petite woman would make him rue that fact eventually. For now though, he was more than pleased to be baited by her, even knowing she was purposefully trying to get a rise out of him. The dog growled in anticipation at his thought, taking the double entendre and running with it.

"I will show you who is alpha."

"Oh, will you now?" The familiar burning sensation started behind his eyes as the dog asserted itself. Sesshomaru let the dog come to the front with the admonition not to hurt the female. The dog huffed its annoyance at the unnecessary command; how stupid was it to think he would harm his mate?

With senses heightened by the demonic control, he could sense the abrupt flood of erotic incense at his changed appearance. The dog preened under her scrutiny obvious attraction and Sesshomaru felt his mouth stretch in a feral grin. "Yes. Now strip."

Her eyes widened at his rough voice. Unsurprisingly, she didn't comply with his order, but enjoyed the view when he pulled his shirt off if her roving eyes were any indication. Her breath caught when he unbuckled his belt and undid the first button of his jeans.

"Rrriiin…"

"Ye- Yes?" A pink tongue peeked out to lick parted lips. He wanted to experience everything that mouth could do, but there was time for that later. Right now, he needed to get his teeth in her, both literally and metaphorically.

Using a burst of speed, he jumped on the bed beside her, landing on his knees. "A bitch must learn to heed her alpha," he spoke against her ear. "I will not abuse your trust, so you must listen when I tell you. Now strip and let me show you what it means to love a demon."