In the night the road stretched far and dark,
blending with the moonless horizon, and I realized
anything outside the realm of my front lights
was unknown to me. I realized,
I was floating in the vast nothingness,
all I knew was so insignificant.
And I never felt more peace or fear
than in that moment.

And then, she found me.
And suddenly I wasn't scared anymore.

Isaac Maul Tegin

October the 3rd, Year One

Chapter One: Strictly Professional

He pressed the bridge of his nose, tired and trying to get rid of the massive headache that was threatening to curse him.

His assistant sighed too. It was almost two in the morning, but the samples needed constant monitoring and his boss was a control freak who wanted to supervise the process himself.

"This is not working," the taiyoukai growled, ready to rip anyone to shreds just to work off some frustration.

"The sample seems to be eating away the ovum."

"There has to be a way…"

The subordinate nodded quickly, his glasses threatening to fall off his nose. "If there is, we'll find it, don't worry doctor. We might just need a more suitable donor."

His nostrils flared and he walked away, grabbing his coat in passing.

The lab assistant huffed, knowing it was up to him to get everything clean for the next shift before going home.

Back in his car, Sesshomaru allowed his anger some outlet, snarling while driving away from the University lab. His eyes bled red, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

He was furious. Why wasn't anything working out as it should? They had spent a ridiculous amount of money in developing the protein chain that should…

"Agh!" He barked, pulling over to cool down his ire. He ran a hand up his forehead, brushing his braided hair back, every single silver strand in place.

This couldn't do. He was much too frustrated and furious to work it off like nothing.

He needed her.

Quickly, he procured his phone from his pocket, his thumb brushing the screen, dialing a number he knew by heart, but didn't have in his contacts. He hated having to go through an intermediary to be allowed to see her.

A voice answered on the other side, perky and professional, especially attentive after recognizing the number of their star regular costumer. "Good evening, Mr. Taisho. What can we do for you?"

His command was feral and impatient. "Send Higurashi," was all he growled before ending the call.

He retook his route, the building crowned by his penthouse visible in the distance, shining like a testament to his power.

He shook his head. He knew she didn't like it when he was tense, so he tried to relax. It would serve well to his purposes if they could skip the whole 'how was your day, do you want to talk about it' thing and jump to when he fucked her brains out and they both forgot about the rest of the world.

Kagome's phone rang and she snatched it immediately. It was Wednesday, and she knew he would call for her, one reason or another. She yawned before sliding her fingertip across the screen to take the call.

"Damn, he was on short notice today," the male voice said, laughter in his tone. "I was shocked he hadn't called yet."

Kagome smiled. "He always does. I've got my clothes ready; I just need to work on my hair and make-up."

"That sure, eh?"

"Boss… he always calls… An all-nighter? "

"He growled at me on the phone! I'm guessing he'll keep you busy."

Kagome giggled. "Alright, I'll get to it. Call me in the morning, but not too early."

"Will do, doll. The car will be there in ten minutes, so be ready."

Miroku hung up. That blue eyed beauty was a goldmine, and the addicted taiyoukai had a wallet too fat for his own good. It was a win-win for everyone, and it made him very happy.

On the other side of the line, she stretched and yawned again, stirring completely from her nap. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, looking at herself in the mirror.

How long had it been?

She had tried. She really had, until she realized no one in the world gave a fuck if she was trying.

After a whole year of working full time at night in fast food, the money hadn't been enough. She was kicked out of school because what she made didn't ensure enough stability to even take a loan. She might as well have been homeless at that point, considering she didn't even spend money in buying food anymore.

The first guy had offered twenty bucks for a blowjob. It was a catcall, actually, but when her blue eyes darted at him, like a deer caught in the headlights, the man knew that petite beauty needed money more than she needed her dignity. And he insisted, luring her with the offer of a warm meal.

The first guy had been in a car. He came in her mouth and she barely managed to hold in the need to vomit as he tossed the money at her. She exited the vehicle and coughed and puked, crying.

Funny. The first thing she had in her stomach in two whole days and it was semen.

But she kept the crumpled bill tight against her beating heart. She entered a 24-7 store and purchased mouthwash, ignoring the odd look the cashier was giving her.

She decided she would never take the chance again. The dude from the car could have killed her or worse. If she was going to walk this path, she would do it right.

She worked as a model during half a session. She realized immediately it would lead to porn and she couldn't bring herself to do it. In that car, no one else in the world knew what she had done. If there were pictures for everyone to see, maybe even her family would find them some day.

Oh, her family. Of course she wasn't in speaking terms with them. Her mom would never have allowed her only daughter to be cold and hungry. She couldn't stop thinking about her little brother, who should be fourteen now. He definitely watched porn, like any other male teenager with access to a computer and surrounded by adults oblivious to technology. Her heart constricted at the thought that there could be any compromising pictures of her for him to see.

The guy ordering the photo-shoot, however, had found her too good to pass when seeing the few pictures she had taken. He invited her to a business meeting, explaining what his company did and didn't. When he spoke the magical words 'it's your call', he knew he had her.

And so, Kagome became an escort.

She knew it was still risky, that most men hired a girl with the idea of getting lucky after the big date, but she held her ground. Kisses, groping, handjobs, blowjobs, they were occupational hazards. But after six months of, basically, being a high class whore, she was still a virgin.

That, until Sesshomaru came along, of course.

She smiled at herself in the mirror, checking if her eyeliner was on point before looking at her clock. She took the little purse where she kept The Six Essentials, before heading down the hall to the elevator.

She made it just on time. The car stopped in front of her building and she slipped in, greeted by the chauffer.

She prayed he had called before making it home. He hated waiting, and although she didn't mind it when he got aggressive, she also knew it made him want to cuddle afterwards sometimes.

She was not paid to cuddle.

When the doorbell rang, he didn't even bother talking through the intercom. He pressed a button, and she was on her way up in the silver elevator.

He left the front door open and poured himself a drink in the darkness.

A sip of the burning substance, and he saw her, outlined by the yellowish light of the hall, through the bottom of his glass.

"That bad, huh?"

"That bad," he agreed, taking in her perfect figure. "Black suits you."

"I know you like it."

"I would still rather nothing at all."

She smiled and kicked the door closed. The sway of her hips and the way her creamy skin contrasted against the dark fabric made her beautiful. Even more so.

She rubbed his shoulders, massaging the tension away. "Want to talk about it?"

"Here we go again… No, Higurashi, I would not like to talk about it."

She kissed his right shoulder. "It's ok; if you can hear my whining about my tests, I can handle your ranting about chemical stuff I don't understand." She yelped in surprised when two large hands found her ass and lifted her to be pressed against his pounding erection.

"This Sesshomaru was fairly sure you were an expert in chemistry," he purred in her neck, before biting down hard.

Her ankles locked behind his back and she moaned, forgetting what she was about to say.

A/N: Hello dear new reader! Hello to you too, sweet person re-reading my story! Welcome (or welcome again) to Strictly Business!

Now, to solve some of the most frequently asked questions:

1) Yes, there will be -very- graphic sex scenes in this story. Get ready also for rape, physical violence, lynching, discrimination, strong language, sexual identity discussion, verbal abuse, etc. The "M" is there for a reason, people.

2) Yes, Kagome is a full fledged sexual worker (a.k.a. escort), even though she's a virgin. You might think this is far fetched and ridiculous, but in Japan it is legal to be a prostitute as long as intercourse isn't involved. It is extremely common to find working girls who only do handjobs or give oral, or at least that's what I've learnt in my researching.

3) This is an AU, meaning you pretty much don't need to have watched the series to understand what's going on. Still, many of the original traits of the characters remain, BUT remember the youkai and hanyou have aged as if the series never happened, meaning they're 500 years older, MEANING they have GROWN UP, PEOPLE. 500 years is a lot of time, even for a demon. There are some exceptions, as in Koga and Ayame's case. Kagome, for example, is several years older than in the anime, so you might find her to be more mature, cynical, and realistic: she has lived a very different life in this universe where demons and humans coexist not-so-peacefully; but deep down, she's still extremely selfless, loving, brave, and friendly.

4) I know this looks a lot like it's gonna go down the Pretty Woman path... trust me, IT DOESN'T.

5) Please, keep in mind that this story lacks a beta and that English isn't my first language. So, if you see any grammar mistakes you can either a) be patient, b) politely point it out in the comments, or c) go fuck yourself. Also, I'll periodically revise and correct the chapters, so if you ever wanna take a look around again, don't worry if something doesn't sound the way you remembered it: I probably fixed it.

6) If you want to be featured in the story, PM me and you can enter the running contest for this story.

7) Since I'm not only extremely attractive, an amazing person, and a legendary lover but also a breathtaking artist, asides from a terrible liar, I made a (naughty) cover for this story! I'd love to link you, but you'll have to copy the thing and replace the DOT with... ya know, a dot. You can find the cover art here: dokugaDOTcom/gallery?func=detail&id=10780

8) Have fun reading! (Or... you know, don't.)

Agustina~

P.S.: There are cliffhangers and plot-twists ahead. Read at your own risk.