Title: Winning you over
Rating: M
Main pairings: KakaSaku/ InoSai/ TenNeji
Warnings: AU setting.
Summary: She was young, successful but her love life was another story altogether.

Winning you over

Sakura sighed heavily as she pulled her car into her own parking lot. Gathering her notes and bag from the passenger seat beside her she slid out of the car. Making sure she was presentable she moved towards the main entrance. Her heels clicking over the marble floor as she passed through the doors that slid open when she was near. A guard stationed at the desk tipped his head in greeting as she walked by.

"Morning Miss. Haruno."

"Morning Shino," Sakura greeted him back, sliding her name from absent to present and did a double take on the list. A seductive smile reached her lips as she grabbed her personal card and walked to the elevators and pushed the button to go up. So what Ino had told her was true after all. While she stood waiting she smiled at her reflection in the metal doors whilst she pushed an astray lock of her pink hair behind her ear.

She had opted today for a simple yet neat crimson shirt which hugged her subtle curves. A black skirt that barely made it passed her thighs and a pair of black high heels completed her outfit. With a grin she opened the top two buttons to tease a certain someone. It seems that the editor in Chief was back just like Ino had told her yesterday night. The man had known her since she was little but that didn't stop Sakura to get a crush on the man when she was getting older. Now at the age of twenty she was the youngest PR ever of the magazine and had a full blown crush on the editor in chief.

The elevator dinged, forcing Sakura to straighten herself up as she waltzed forwards. She was greeted by a dazzling smile and a warm cup of cappuccino trusted into her free hand.

"Good morning Sakura-chan. Every invitation you send out for the fashion week are all answered and agreed to come, the board meeting is starting over ten minutes and I made certain no appointments are planned before one today," her personal assistant greeted her.

With a long-awaited sip she savoured the taste, her eyes closing briefly as a sound close to a purr escaped her lips. Naruto always knew how to make her day get even better.

"Thanks Naruto. I want you to check my upcoming appointments for next week and arrange anything that had been scheduled on Thursday to another date."

"As you wish."

Sakura smiled, moving into her office and laid down her supplies when a feminine shriek reached her ears. Blinking in surprise Sakura moved out of her office, passed the grand desk that separated her part of the floor from the writers and editors. As she neared her friend's office, her eyes searched for anything that could have caused the screaming. When she heard an angry huff behind her, Sakura turned around and did a double take.

"What happened to you Pig?"

The nice white shirt her friend and managing editor of the magazine Fire Style had been wearing was covered in a wet brown stains. Her pale blue eyes were shooting thunder as she shifted her glare from her shirt to her.

"Some guy ran into me an conveniently dropped his coffee all over me. Now I'll be late for the meeting, and I didn't start the day well to begin with."

Sakura gave her best friend an sympathetic look as they stepped into her office. The room was all whites, browns, and clear windows. The furniture was all brown, while the rest was uninterrupted white. The one thing that made the place to be more alive and feminine was the blood red roses sitting at various tables all around, and on her desk. Two paintings of loud colours sitting on the wall opposite of her large dark oak desk. Sakura had to admit that her favourite item in her office was the big red velvet chair sitting behind said desk. It gave the office a more feminine feel.

As Ino snapped the door closed she stalked towards the small wardrobe Sakura suggested she put in. Inside were two spare sets of clothing for emergencies like this. Sakura in the meanwhile settled herself on the edge of Ino's desk, cleaning her nails absently while she waited for Ino to change. She was dying to ask Ino about last night, and when she couldn't hold it in anymore she began to talk.

"So? Spill, Ino!"

"I've had enough spills for today," Ino grumbled as opened the wardrobe and grabbed one of the sets hanging in there.

Sakura clicked her tongue annoyed, and tried again. "Did you finally break up with Shikamaru?"

Ino nodded, opening the door to the bathroom and leaving it open so she could continue talking with Sakura while she changed into her new set of clothing. "Oh Sakura, it was the worst break-up in history of break-ups. The damned idiot cried."

Sakura choked, her hand dropping back in her lap as she nearly fell over. "He cried?" She called out in disbelief.

"Not so loud Forehead!" Ino snapped annoyed. She waited for her apology before she continued on with her story. "Yes he cried. I honestly thought I would be the one since he was the one cheating on me with the daughter of the head of that Suna company… But well, even after all that I think he still had feelings for me and hope to settle down eventually."

Sakura sighed, shaking her head as she watched her friend button her shirt up as she walked back into the office. "If only our boss had the same sense to move on," she said with a sigh.

Ino gave Sakura a smart look. "Still pining over him, I see. I thought you and Kiba had a thing going on."

"It's just dating, Ino. Kiba has too much of a wandering eye to actually be someone I want to date exclusively. Guess it comes with the whole 'male-model thing'," Sakura shrugged. She hopped off Ino's desk, and handed over a portfolio as they began to walk out of her office. "The press conference for the show was a success."

Ino nodded in satisfaction- because she had total faith in Sakura's skills, and trusted her to bring the publicity home, she wasn't the youngest PR for nothing- and turned to her assistant. "Moegi, do me a great favour and have someone take my clothes to the cleaners? Someone knocked coffee all over them and they're stained and in my bathroom."

"Right away," the girl chirped. "I got a call from the photographers you hired for the runway show and they all confirmed and will be at the meeting today."

"Thank you Moegi. Take any messages and I will answer them after the meeting," Ino said before she and Sakura disappeared around the corner.

"I hope we get the messenger by tomorrow," Sakura said as they walked to the conference room. "There are a bunch of packages that need to get out to our sister magazines before the end of the week."

The long haired blond nodded in agreement. "Already on it. Two interviews are scheduled today already for the position. Are we all set to kick off fashion week? The invitations for our runway show were all sent out?" Ino asked, checking off a few things on her new Ipad.

Sakura nodded. "I sent out the VIPs and regular invitations last week and everyone has confirmed that they're coming for the show. We've got some pretty big names. Oh, and our boss added a few extra at the last minute."

"But he didn't tell me anything," Ino grumbled in annoyance. She shrugged it off then with a sigh. "I guess he probably invited people he wants to do business with. Do you know if Kakashi is here yet?"

Sakura nodded and her face took on a dreamy note. "For the first time I've worked here, he was earlier than me. I know he was negotiating the cost of the 'all-green' decorations for the show and making sure that we aren't over out budget. The providers wanted to get smart at the last minute and they tried to up the price. Last I heard, our boss had gotten them to reduce from the original price."

Ino chuckled. "That's Kakashi alright."

Together they stepped into the conference room, the last two persons they needed to start the meeting. Kakashi was already there, indicating just how late they were. He was glaring at Sakura across the large conference table, his mismatched eyes narrowed slightly. Ino took a seat and Sakura to her right, preparing the list of their sponsors for the show.

Sakura felt her eyes roam towards the man sitting at the other end of the table. He was tall, handsome, and well dressed, with spiky, silver silky hair that seemed to defy gravity and passionate mismatched eyes. As far Sakura had heard the man talk over it, it was caused by an accident he was in when he had been younger. Said eyes glanced at her and Sakura casually gazed at the documents in her hands, pretending that she hadn't just been ogling him.

"Owww," Sakura hissed when someone kicked her under the table. Her emerald eyes snapped towards Ino and her friend slash boss gave her a pointed look before looking at Kakashi. Sakura followed her eyes towards the other edge of the table and Sakura realized that everyone was looking at her.

"Miss Haruno, the list of sponsors?" Kakashi asked her dryly.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered, her face turning slightly red. She stood and walked towards the head of the table. She began to rattle off the brand of names of perfumes, popular designers, makers of vehicles, handbag designers, and many others who had donated in order for them to advertise at the party as well.

Ino watched with ease in which Sakura spoke and smirked to herself. Though Sakura could be a tad clumsy at times, it seemed to be a sort of switch was thrown when she stood in front of a group of people to pitch her ideas and sell her services as PR of Fire Style. It was obvious that the smaller woman had been fantasizing about her boss a few seconds before. It was an impossible dream, Ino knew, because Kakashi had a girlfriend that he had been in love with for many months now. Ino didn't particularly like Anko, but so far the woman had been nice and decent at the times they met. It made her suspicious.

Though Sakura was a very pretty girl, just shy of her twentieth birthday, Anko was a supermodel, and one of the most famous faces at the moment. Kakashi had been fawning over her for some time now and Ino realized that he was starting to look for a woman to start a life and family with. She may not have liked Anko, but if Kakashi was happy…

By the time the meeting ended, Ino was assured that their fashion party, complete with a runway show, and open bar- would be a total success. She waved at Sakura as she walked out of the conference room and Sakura stayed behind to talk to Kakashi.

"You were late," Kakashi said once they were alone.

"Ino had a run-in with some guy, he ended up spilling his coffee all over her," Sakura shrugged. "You know I'm always earlier than you, so it won't happen again."

"Tsunade wants us to have dinner with her on Friday," Kakashi said casually, walking with her towards their offices, which were separate corners from each other. "You've cancelled in the last minute the last two times."

Sakura nodded and let out a heavy sigh. She loved her godmother to bites for giving her this job, and being a mother for her when her own died when she was young. But she couldn't relax when Kakashi would bring that bitch with him to the dinner dates. It always resulted her drinking a tad too much and end up most of the time in Kiba's bed.

Sakura cleared her throat and looked towards Kakashi, who had been awaiting her answer. "I'll go. You know that I don't cancel on purpose. It's just that work…"

"Preaching to the choir," Kakashi murmured. The work load had increased with the upcoming show, and he knew that the girl walking next to him had been working double time to make it a success of the year. "But I at least find time to have a personal life. I wish you'd do the same," He said more firmly.

Sakura chuckled, a seductive smile reaching her lips. "Is that an invitation?"

"Don't start again Sakura," Kakashi answered with a threating tone. "I already told you that I'm not interested in you that way. Besides, have you forgotten about Anko?"

"Of course I haven't," Sakura muttered in annoyance by the mention of his girlfriend. She brushed back her bangs from her eyes and have him a critical look. "Do you honestly think that a runway model on the top of her career is going to want to settle down with you now?"

Kakashi gave her an annoyed look back. It wasn't that he didn't love her, he just didn't want to lead her on when he would never take her seriously. He had known the girl since she was four, and still was that little girl in his eyes. That wouldn't change. She just had to understand that. "Sakura… and you think a twenty year old, fourteen years younger than me is a better option?"

"Love has no age," Sakura answered with a smile.

Kakashi let out something that could only be described as a snort and opened the door to his office. "Nice try Sakura, but the answer is no. I'm happy with Anko. I suggest to do the same with someone else than me," he said, giving her a wave before entering and closing the door.

Sakura just shook her head and continued walking. She would make him reconsider his feelings for her. Now, she only needed to think off another excuse to skip the next dinner planned on Friday.

To be continued…