Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Leather and Lace ❯ Chapter 3

 

Leather and Lace

By: Maidens of Konan

Disclaimer: This absolutely-not-for-profit story is based on the manga and anime versions of Fushigi Yûgi owned by Watase Yû, Shogakukan Comics, Pierrot Studios, TV Tokyo, Pioneer and Viz. The rights to the original characterizations and ideas appearing in this story should not be copied or used without permission. Anyone who steals or plagiarizes will feel the clobbering wrath of 'The Thing'. ;)

Note: Real life law enforcement officers are heroes. :)

Chapter Three

Even though she had expected to see it, Miaka had to suck in a gasp as flame-colored hair was revealed. Just like Tasuki's, the smooth, molten strands seemed to catch fire beneath the kindling rays of the sun.

It was a riveting sight.

Smirking a bit, the police officer turned his head from one side to the other, presumably to aid her perusal of him. As he did so, she saw that the severely combed back hairstyle hid the fact that his hair was much longer than first appeared; the thick, fiery strands at the nape of his neck dipped well inside the collar of his shirt. By the looks of it, his hair was about the same length as the bandit's when she had first met him.

"This is about as red as hair can get!" He said, with a self- deprecating smile. He ran a hand over the luxuriant mass, and the gesture dislodged his slicked back bangs. Several of them slid down onto his forehead, where the top of his Ray Bans halted their progress. "Whoops! I guess ya just found out my secret!"

"Your secret?" She repeated. "What would that be?"

"My hair," he pointed to his head, "is not exactly close to a regulation length for a cop."

But it's gorgeous. I'm glad you didn't cut it short. Miaka smiled at the thought, and that in addition to the uncanny resemblances, this man had obviously inheirited Tasuki's penchant for bending rules. "My friend's hair was the same color as yours." She said aloud, adding shyly, "I think it's very beautiful."

Dante's face reddened, and she knew the sensation had nothing to do with the sun beating down on his bared head. "Well, thanks, I'm glad ya like it."

"I do, and you're welcome." She replied warmly, trying at the same time to give no indication that her insides were turning cartwheels. The thought of finding Tasuki excited her far more than it should considering she had committed to being with Taka.

It's not wrong or a bad thing to want to get to know this man. She told herself firmly. I owe it to our past friendship to find out what he's doing here, if he has any memories ...that is, when I'm absolutely sure it's him. I wish he'd take off those darn sunglasses...

"Miss Miaka?"

She gave a visible start."Hai! I mean, yes?"

"You've seen my hair. Was there anything else?"

His tone was borderline teasing, and from what little she could discern behind the lenses, his eyes seemed to be crinkling with silent laughter. I can't ask him for anything more. He'll think I'm a total wacko! "Just to thank you for humoring me, Officer."

"My pleasure." He replied easily. "Well...if that's all... I guess you can take off whenever you're ready." His voice and expression clearly conveyed the regret he felt at her imminent departure. "Be extra careful when you're pullin' out into traffic, okay?"

She was free to go to Taka, and yet her hand made no move toward the ignition. Will I ever see him again? How can I just drive away? Her questioning gaze searched the faint glint of the eyes hidden behind the dark lenses as she tried to think of a way to remove the final barrier between them.

After several seconds had elapsed and no plan had come to mind, however, she was forced to concede defeat.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

She looks disappointed. Dante thought with hidden glee. If he was reading the signals right, his lovely detainee wasn't in any hurry to leave even though she had a date.

And as far as he was concerned, he definitely had the green light to bump into Miaka Yuuki once he was off duty.

She had bowled him over with her sweetness, and he was mightily intrigued by the feelings of déjà vu she had evoked. And although he tried to keep his feet on the ground, there was no denying the elation her interest in him had brought on. There was no doubt that it was sincere. She'd already signed the register and put away the ticket, which meant she wasn't trying to flatter or lie her way out of trouble.

It was a mystery. He couldn't explain what had happened in the last few minutes or why it had happened- all he knew was that every woman he'd ever been with had now been reduced to mere footnotes in his life. The only thing standing between him and fullfilling destiny was the unknown boyfriend. Hopefully he'd have an answer on that one soon.

"I guess I had better go." She said with a sigh.

"Yeah..." He agreed softly. "I suppose ya should."

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Miaka bit her lip, wondering what to do. Though the encounter was obviously at an end, the redhaired policeman hadn't moved and neither had she. Was he feeling their connection as strongly as she was?

Tasuki… I can hardly believe it! Is it really you, after all this time?

It suddenly dawned on her that she didn't have a name for him. She could hardly keep referring to him as Tasuki...so who was he in this world? He'd shown her his ID, but she hadn't really paid attention save for a glance at the badge number. He wasn't wearing a nameplate, which gave her an excuse to ask for a name, but asking him after flirting seemed out of line and would probably worsen any impression she had made on him. He probably already thought her ditzy and weird, and she'd hate to add any more negatives to that list.

"I'll see ya around, then?" The present star of her thoughts asked.

Was it wishful thinking to hope that he might purposely be avoiding saying the word 'good-bye'?

"Yes...but when you're off duty, I hope!" She blurted impetuously, then looked away in embarrassment. Honestly, what is wrong with me, flirting like that? He'll probably think I'm hitting on him to get him to tear up the ticket.

When she dared a sideways look, she found that he didn't look suspicious or offended. Quite the opposite, in fact, since he was grinning broadly. Her face heated at the possible reason behind that happy grin, even as a responding smile came to her own mouth.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

It was way too good an opening to pass up... but he would have to wait to pursue it, Dante told himself firmly. Hints didn't get any more obvious than that, and by God, there was no question that he'd be following up! Unfortunately, he couldn't risk doing so while he was in uniform. Admiring them was one thing, but direct pursuit of female companionship while on the job had always been against his personal code of honor, not to mention the rules governing his conduct as an officer of the law.

"Off duty sightings could be be arranged." He drawled, letting the suggestion hang between them as he donned his hat and saluted her by touching two fingers to the brim. "Until later?"

"All right!" She said, turning serious. "And please...be careful."

The reminder that he knew her phone number was the one thing that enabled Dante to turn and walk away. When he was halfway back to his car, a sixth sense told him to stop and look back over his shoulder. As he did, a slow smile spread across his face.

Even at this distance it was obvious that the adorably shy Miss Yuuki was totally checking him out in her side mirror. Dante tucked away his pen and ticket book and slowed his stride to a strut. If the woman wanted to see, who was he to deny her a good long look at his rear view?

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Miaka watched in rapt fascination as the look-alike Tasuki sauntered back to his patrol car. She was barely aware that her fingers were tightly gripping the steering wheel, as she tried to convince herself that what she was thinking wasn't possible, that Taka's coming to this world was a one time occurence. But despite her best efforts to quell it, the bubble of hope welling inside her kept expanding. The voice, the hair, the fanged smile, the confidence, the attitude, and the manner in which he had teased her were pure Tasuki...if her seishi had been born an American, she amended wryly.

She forced her fingers to relax, and then reached for the pocket book lying beside her. Keeping one eye on the retreating figure in her mirror, she fumbled inside and pulled out the cell phone that Taka insisted she carry at all times. She couldn't wait to tell him about her discovery- surely he'd be as excited as she that their friend had been reborn! Unfortunately, there was no dial tone when she tapped the call button. Glancing quickly at the phone's readout, she sighed in exasperation. No bars. She had forgotten to recharge the battery…again.

Taka was going to have a fit; he had probably been trying to contact her for the entire time she had been stopped. She bit her lip in vexation, but then shrugged. It wasn't like it was the end of the world to be yelled at. To be honest, forgetting to charge the thing was probably a sign of resentment at having the thing run her life. The pages, voice mails and interrupted calls seemed to have taken the place of his physical presence in her life. In her eyes, the cel had become the electronic equivalent of a leash, ensuring she didn't go too far astray while he did whatever he had do to without her.

As long as she was going to be in trouble anyway, she might as well enjoy the respite.

Tossing the phone on top of her purse, she turned her attention back to the mirror, and a smile immediately spread across her face. There was just no denying it- the man definitely had Tasuki's patented, bandit-style swagger! Her mind had accepted it at last, though her heart had recognized him from the first. With that acceptance, came the realization that she couldn't just let him walk away without at least finding out what his new name was…and that she'd have to be quick about it because he was almost back to his car.

Out of habit, she grabbed her keys from the ignition and quickly opened her door, swinging her legs out as she called out to him. "Officer! Please…wait!"

He turned to face her, and his expectant grin made her heart skip a beat. She could feel the inevitable blush stinging her cheeks, and her fingers began to toy with the set of keys she held in order to disguise the trembling of her hands. As nervous as she was, she didn't stop until she was directly in front of the man. At this close proximity, she noticed for the first time how tall he really was; the top of her head was an inch or so short of reaching the underside of his chin.

"Havin' some car trouble?"

The unabashed hope in his tone made her pulse flutter. "No, it's fine …" His grin faded, but then reappeared in force as she continued. "...but I guess there was one more thing. I was wondering if I could get your name? I mean...don't you think that's only fair, since you know mine?"

He didn't hestitate in answering. "I'm Dante. Dante Tager."

Even through the shield of his sunglasses, she could see the spark of very masculine interest. Clearly, she wasn't the only one feeling the strong chemistry between them.

"Officer Dante Tager…" She tilted her head thoughtfully as his name rolled off her tongue. "It suits you."

"Thanks, but that's a mouthful. You can just call me Dante."

"Thank you. " She smiled. "Um...at the risk of making you think I'm a complete nutcase, could I ask you to do one more thing for me?"

"Name it."

"Um...would you mind removing your sunglasses so I can see your eyes?"

Though his slight hesitation indicated he did think it an unusual request, Dante did as she asked without question. He removed his hat, and then slowly slid his Ray Bans down and off his nose.

Miaka's breath caught in her throat and her gaze quickly misted with tears as she looked into the face that had been frequenting her dreams ever since her last time in the book. Though his eyes were more caucasian in shape, those exotic, amber colored irises could belong to none other than Tasuki... or more, accurately, a descendant of Tasuki's. It had been so many years, she never dared dream it would be possible to see any of her other seishi in this world after already being given the gift of a reborn Tamahome. But now… here was living proof of a dream come true standing right in front of her.

As emotion overwhelmed her, she unthinkingly reached up a hand to touch his tanned cheek. Dante remained silent and still, accepting the gentle caress as if strange women touched him every day of his life. Realizing that she was being terribly forward, she jerked her hand back and laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry! It's just that you're-" She paused, realizing how farfetched her excuse would sound. I'm certain that hearing he's a reincarnation of a celestial warrior would go over well. She thought ruefully. Yes, I'll just go ahead tell him who he used to be to me. I'm sure he'll accept that I first met him in another world with no problem.

Dante replaced the Ray Bans, but didn't move away from her. "Look, Miaka, I'm glad ya stopped me because I really wanted t'ask you somethin'."

His tone and the use of her name without the 'Miss' honorific made her heart beat wildly. Deep in the recesses of her mind the red flag of caution had begun to wave, but for the first time since Taka had re-entered her life, she ignored it. "What is it that you wish to know, Dante-san?"

He looked down at his hands, which had clenched around the brim of his hat. "This is kinda awkward...I mean, I know we just met under less than ideal circumstances an' all...but unofficially, I was kinda wonderin'…well...if you're totally exclusive with the guy you were meetin' today?"

Though she felt oddly lightheaded and her pulse was thumping, Miaka couldn't help but smile. His hesitancy bordered on outright shyness- something she wouldn't have expected but found very endearing. Really, the man was much too appealing for her peace of mind altogether! She was in an exclusive relationship with Taka, and she'd never had difficulty telling any other man that this was so. However, that was before she'd met Officer Dante Tager. Now that she had, nothing seemed clear...

Of course, that could have also been due to the fact that the earth had begun to lurch and tilt beneath her.

With a soft sound of distress, she reached out a hand in a desperate attempt to steady herself against the squad car. Unfortunately, her vision had become a bit blurred and caused her to misjudge the distance. A stifled shriek escaped her as she felt herself pitching forward.

Then, suddenly, miraculously, strong hands were grabbing her arms and a warm and very solid body was stopping her fall. A sigh of relief escaped her as she felt herself being gathered into an embrace, and she allowed herself the pleasure of laying her head against the wall of Dante's chest. Her eyelids drooped shut and she inhaled slowly, taking in deep breaths and the reassuring essence of the man who held her.

They stood quietly for a minute or two. When she felt she was reasonably steady, Miaka raised her head.

"Th-thank you," she stammered, as she found her rescuer's face scant inches from hers. "I-I think I'm okay now."

Dante's sunglasses had slipped down his nose once again, and for a moment his naked gaze burned into hers. He pushed them back into place with an impatient gesture, then quickly reasserted his hold when she attempted to pull away from him. "The hell you're okay!" He exclaimed. "You're shaking an' as pale as a ghost!"

Miaka barely heeded his tone; she was too caught up in watching her rescuer's entrancingly shaped lips forming words. His scent was familiar and heady to her, a mixture of cologne, soap and nature. She was very conscious of the taut biceps that flexed under her hands, that the body pressing into hers was lean and muscular, and that the arms that encased her were steely strong yet delightfully gentle.

Lifting her head, she met his shaded gaze, trying to fathom the hot, hungry eyes that had sparked an answering need within her. Had Tasuki ever looked at her in that way? She couldn't recall that he had other than the night he had taken her to the inn- but then he'd been under the influence of the demon lord Hikou. If the feelings the bandit seishi hadharbored for her had been in any way romantic, Tasuki hadn't acted on them on his own. After all, she'd made it clear back then she couldn't see herself with anyone but Tamahome.

But what about now? It surely wasn't a coincidence that she had crossed paths with this man at this time. When it came to the book's machinations, nothing happened by coincidence.

The sound of a rudely blaring horn and a ribald catcall from a passing vehicle finally penetrated the spell of contemplation that had fallen over them.

"Water." She whispered, embarrassed, but loath to leave the security of the arms that held her upright.

Dante frowned in confusion. " 'Fraid I don't have any with me. Are ya thirsty?"

"No, not really, but I really should drink some." She replied softly. "I moved here about six months ago, but I have had some trouble acclimating. If I don't keep myself fully hydrated, I still tend to get what amounts to altitude sickness. I usually drink a twelve ounce bottle of water every morning before I leave my place, but I was in such a hurry that I didn't bother to-oh no!" She broke off and jerked upright at the reminder of her original destination. "My boyfriend is going to be absolutely livid! I really have to go, I am so unbelievably late!" Glancing at her watch she added in a mutter, "…although he's probably given up on me and left for work by now."

Dante had relaxed his hold, but his hands lingered at her waist. "Are ya sure you're gonna be all right?" He asked, as she slowly backed out of his embrace. "That was a pretty serious header ya took, y'know. You shouldn't push yourself."

"I'm fine!" She gave him her most chipper smile to prove it- just before her world began to spin once more. Dante reacted with lightning quick reflexes as she swayed forward, catching and lifting her up into his arms in one fluid motion.

"It's pretty damn obvious to me that you aren't fine!" He stated firmly. "I'm givin' ya a ride home!"

"Don't be silly- that last spell wasn't half as bad as the first one!" She protested, even as her arms went up and around his neck. "I have some bottled water in my car-I'll be fine after I drink some. I don't want you to have to go to all that trouble, and besides, I have to get going! My date is going to be wondering what happened to me!"

"You're the silly one! There's no way I'm lettin' ya drive in your condition!" Dante shot back. "I'll drop ya off an' make arrangements for someone to pick up your car, an' you can call your date when ya get home! If he gives ya any grief about standin' him up, just have him give me a call at the station. They'll page me, an' I'll set him straight!"

Miaka couldn't hold back a grin. The temper, the bossiness and the distinctive accent were truly uncanny in their resemblance to Tasuki's. The way in which he carried her, as if she were something very precious to him, was all familiar as well …

Stop thinking that! She scolded herself. He has no idea about Tasuki...and he's only doing his job!

Unfortunately, her heart wasn't listening to her head. Something in the way Dante Tager was fussing over her told her his concern was very real and very personal. Because of that strong impression and how good it made her feel, she finally yielded to temptation.

"All right, you can take me home," she conceded, "But I am certainly capable of getting to the car under my own power…and you can stop giving me that dirty look! If makes you feel better, I'll hold onto your arm as I walk, okay?"

Dante's reply was a curt nod of agreement. He took his time about setting her on her feet, and then reached down to retrieve his hat from the ground, where it had lain unnoticed since being dropped in all the excitement. He dusted it off against his knees, and then slapped it on his head with a grimace that spoke volumes of what he thought about having to wear one. "Okay! Let's get ya over to the passenger's side and then I'll go lock up your vehicle."

As he took her elbow and began to lead her around the car with slow, almost painstaking steps, Miaka laughed to herself. Nothing's changed at all! He barks at me, then handles me like he thinks I'm about to break.

Once they were on the squad car's passenger side, Dante went to open the door. It wouldn't move. "Dang, it's locked. Uh…okay…stay right here."

After making sure she was leaning in against the door, he quickly circled around the vehicle and tried the other door. When it refused to budge, he felt his pockets-then whipped off his sunglasses and bent down to look through the window. "Dammit to hell! This is just fuckin' great!"

"What's wrong?" She asked as he straightened.

"Fucking everything!" Jamming his sunglasses into a pocket, he sent her an exasperated glare. "Somehow I managed to lock my fuckin' keys in the fuckin' patrol car!"

"Oh no!" Miaka gnawed on her lip in attempt to stifle a giggle at the all- too- familiar spate of curses. Somehow, she was sure Dante wouldn't take kindly to her laughing at him or their predicament. With an effort she remained silent, regarding him with a warm expression as he looked away, took several deep breaths and then turned back to give her an sheepish-looking half-smile.

"Ah... sorry 'bout the language. I have this real nasty habit of cussin' when I lose my temper." A blush tinged his cheeks.

Miaka was still struggling, but somehow managed to maintain a straight face. "It wasn't anything I haven't heard before." She said mildly. "And quite an understandable reaction, given the present situation."

Dante yanked his hat from his head and ran an agitated hand through his hair, dislodging more flame-colored strands from his comb-back. "What's worse, the spares are back at the station! What the hell am I gonna do?"

"Pardon me?" She held up and shook her own car keys, making them jingle.

His worried scowl disappeared in an instant. "Ya don't mind?"

"Of course not! Neither one of us wants to be stuck here all day watching traffic go by…although I certainly wouldn't mind the company..." Her face grew hot at the forwardness of her words, but she refused to look away from him lest her companion would take it as a sign of insincerity.

Grinning broadly, he accepted the offer. "All right, but I'm still drivin'!"

She handed over the set of keys as soon as he had joined her, then, with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, put her hand on his arm as he pointedly offered it.

"Are you always this obstinate?" She asked, smiling at him to soften the words.

"Damn straight!" He retorted. "An' are you always this cute?"

_________________________________________________________________ _______

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Dante wished them back. Not because he didn't think Miaka was cute - hell, she was beautiful -but out of the worry that she'd think he was handing her some kind of a line.

Smooth, Tager, real smooth. Any more cheesy remarks like that an' you'll be walkin' home!

He hadn't expected a reply to his question, and Miaka gave none, though her widened green eyes and rosy cheeks spoke louder than words. An awkward silence fell; Dante stared straight ahead as they walked, all too aware that the slightest brush of her body against his was making him hotter and hotter for her.

Embarrassingly intimate thoughts followed that observation, filling his mind with forbidden fruit. He impatiently shoved them aside, wondering what in the seven hells was wrong with him. He definitely wasn't the bashful type, and usually didn't regret anything he said or did. However, his feelings for this woman had now reduced him to the rank of a randy teenage boy hanging with a girl he wanted more than anything, but didn't have the nerve to ask out for fear of rejection.

After he had settled his conspicuously quiet charge into the passenger seat of her car, he shut her door and walked behind the vehicle. There he paused for a moment, staring down at the mistreated hat in his hand and trying to repair his frayed composure.

Never in his entire dating career had he had such a strong reaction to a woman as he was having now- and it wasn't just a carnal one either! What made this woman so damn special, and so different from the rest of the women he knew? How the hell had she gotten so deeply under his skin in so short a time?

And more importantly, what was he going to do about it?

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Ensconced within the stuffy confines of her car, Miaka fought back another wave of dizziness that did nothing to curb the excitement running amuck within her body. Dante's comment continued to replay itself in her mind, adding fuel to the feelings his touch had provoked. She could still feel the strength of his arms about her and the hard curves of his muscles beneath her hands.

It's only natural to feel an attraction to him, plus it's a long time since I've been held like that. Once things settle down, and Taka and I are together more…

But even as she tried to convince herself the feelings were physical and superficial, she knew it was a lie. Yes, it was true that it had been a long time since Taka had held her in an intimate embrace. Nevertheless, there was no way she'd respond that way to another male just because they happened to pay her some badly needed attention. It was the forceful combination of good chemistry, Dante's kindness and the unresolved, unrealized feelings she held for Tasuki that had triggered the powerful longing to be loved …

Afraid of the direction her thoughts were going, she forced herself to think of something, anything, else. Reaching into her purse, she retrieved her date book, another present from Taka. Hastily she made a note to recharge her phone and began to write out a grocery list. She would have to make this morning up for Taka by fixing him one of her famous dinners that never failed to impress even the fussiest of critics. Hopefully that and a heartfelt apology would appease him, she thought guiltily. He really had been working hard lately, and she didn't want to cause him needless stress.

Despite her good intentions, however, thoughts of Taka were scattered to the wind the moment Dante opened the car door, tossed his hat into her backseat and then eyed the position of the front seat with dismay. She giggled quietly, and then gave him instructions on how to adjust it to accommodate his much longer legs.

After he had slid in and shut the door, he regarded her with an embarrassed-looking smile. "Again, I'm really, really sorry about this, Miaka."

"It's all right. Please don't be concerned." She replied, thrilled to be able to be in close proximity with him a bit longer. As realization dawned as to how thrilled, she bent her head and quickly resumed work on her grocery list, concentrating harder than was necessary on her notations.

As he turned his full attention to the woman beside him, Dante stared in admiration. Her head was bent over the book in which she was writing, and her silky-looking hair kept falling in a cascade to hide her face before being pushed back by an aggravated hand. Her cheeks were flushed and she gnawed on her sexily curved lower lip as she wrote. His eyes drifted from her face to her bare knees, and then to her thighs. Desire slammed into him head on, and he forced himself to look away.

Casting about for a distraction, he found himself looking at the unopened bottle of water sitting in the console next to his arm. "Um…shouldn't ya be drinking your water?"

She jumped as if touched with a cattle prod and turned her startled gaze to him. "Nani? Oh sorry…yes, you're right! The water… I forgot." She dropped her pen and reached for the bottle just as Dante did the same. They froze in place, his hand over hers. After what seemed like forever, the flustered police officer finally withdrew his hand to focus on starting the car and working the clutch.

"Dammit, it would have to be a stick." He mumbled, as the engine hesitated, coughed, and then roared to life.

"Is that a problem?" Miaka asked, just before lifting the water bottle to her mouth.

"Nah, it'll be fine."

Glancing at her as he replied, Dante immediately wished he hadn't when he saw the tip of her tongue emerge to collect a droplet of water still clinging to her lips. He stared, frozen into inaction as it followed the tantalizing curves of her mouth.

She put the bottle in the cup holder, then turned to look at him. "Did you want some water, Dante? You look a little warm."

"No thanks. " He answered shortly, doing his best to ignore the feeling of pleasure that filled him at the sound of his name. He reached past her knee to flick on the air conditioning, and then put the car into gear with a loud grinding noise that made him a wince. "Crap, guess I'm a little outta practice."

"If you aren't used to driving a five speed, I can-"

"Forget it! I'm fine!"

Miaka closed her mouth and turned her attention to the traffic flying by her window.

"I'm sorry if I gave offense." She said quietly.

Dante sighed. "I apologize for snapping at ya like that. It's just that…well…I'm feelin' like a total dumbass right now! It takes some kind of genius to lock his keys in his car and then not have a spare set handy!" He gave her a familiar looking smirk. "I bet it makes ya feel real safe to know there's inept cops like me out there, huh?"

She reached out and laid a gentle hand on his forearm. "You're being too hard on yourself, anyone could have made that mistake! And yes...I do feel much safer with you around."

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Her words and the touch on his sleeve sent heat rocketing through Dante's body. "Thanks. That makes me feel better."

"Good, I'm glad." The smile in her eyes lit up his world.

Even though she had removed her hand, its imprint seemed to remain on his skin. Dante reached out and adjusted the air conditioner vent as an excuse to look away from the woman who was looking at him with a disconcerting amount of awareness. What he was thinking now was far too tempting; if he didn't watch it, he'd end up blowing her trust in him and his profession to smithereens. "I'll have to stop at the station to get my spare keys and then I'll take you home. That okay with you?"

Much to his happiness and satisfaction, Miaka agreed to the plan, apparently forgetting about the waiting boyfriend for the second time that morning. "Ah, I think you've got the hang of it now! You're shifting better than I do, and I've been driving this car for months."

He chuckled. "Dante always say: things will go better when one does not force them to go."

"Words to live by." She said with a teasing glance. "So do you practice what you preach?"

He laughed. "Pretty much never. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to hold back when it comes to makin' things happen!"

She grinned and shook her head. "Of course! You've always been that way."

"I have?" His glance lingered. "And just how do you know that?"

"I...I don't." She replied, looking out the side window. "I just meant I had a feeling you were like that!"

"Women's intuition, huh?"

"Um, yes. Yes, I suppose you could call it that."

Dante grinned, but eyed her carefully. As much as he was enjoying her blushing confusion, he shouldn't push his luck. Miaka still wasn't feeling well.

He had already decided to take the more scenic and much longer route back to the police station. Now comfortable with the rhythm of shifting gears, he began a regular conversation. She was sincerely interested in everything he said, but even though he kept to safe topics such as the weather and the beauty of the city they were living in, he couldn't settle himself down.

Chatting away like they'd known each other from way back was only adding to the power of attraction.

_________________________________________________________________ _______

Taka Sukinami tapped his fingers on the top of the mahogany desk in front of him as he waited for Miaka to answer her phone. Finally, he heard a click and took a breath to speak when he heard the same recording he had been hearing all morning.

"We're sorry, but the customer you are trying to reach…"

Slamming down the receiver, Taka sighed in frustration. Apparently, Miaka had forgotten to charge her phone again. He had spent over a hundred dollars on a phone that she never used; just thinking of the expense made his stomach churn with irritation! However, she deserved the best and he refused to buy her anything but. She just needed to get used to the fact that a cel phone was a necessity if she wanted to talk to him...

Glancingat his watch, he swore under his breath. How many times had he also told Miaka that time was money? He had cleared his schedule for her this morning and now she wasn't even going to show up. The fact that he had done the same to her more than once conveniently slipped his mind as he once more dialed her number in vain.

A soft l knock sounded on his door before it opened, revealing the face of his secretary. "Mr. Sukinami, the chair of the corporate activities committee just called and wanted to know if you are planning to attend the company fund raiser next month?"

Taka scowled as he set down the receiver. "That's well over a month away."

"They need your RSVP as soon as possible, sir. It's going to be a very high class affair and they want to make sure they have enough food and drink for everyone."

"Call them back and tell them I'll be there with a guest." The petite, blonde-haired woman nodded and scribbled on her notepad, turning to leave the office when he stopped her. "Oh one more thing, Sara… have you taken any other messages for me this morning?"

"No sir. Were you expecting a call?"

Glancing at the phone, Taka sighed and shook his head. "I guess not. Could you give Rhodes a buzz and tell him I'll make that ten thirty meeting after all?"

"Yes sir."

Angry and a bit worried, Taka began to gather his papers for the meeting that would take place in less than an hour, a presentation he originally had intended to miss. How could Miaka be so thoughtless as to squander the time he had free to be with her? Usually he was the one being called away, but he had gone to unusually great pains to make sure that wouldn't have happened this morning...

This must be how she felt each time I've had to stand her up. He thought suddenly, feeling shame and remorse replace anger at the thought of his having made Miaka feel even a fraction of what he was feeling now. I'll make every one of those times up to her when I get that promotion. She'll see that all the sacrifices and disappointments were worth it when I give her the engagement ring of her dreams.

To be continued…

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