InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Favorite Mistake ❯ Bundle of nerves ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Bundle of nerves

“Sir, here's your coffee,” Kagome said, holding out the cup of hot beverage, before making a respectful bow and placing it on the table. “No, too formal,” she muttered after a second, shaking her head.

She cleared her throat and tried again. “Sir, here's your coffee,” she said, plastering a smile on her face. “Sounds bloody forced,” she mumbled again.

It was her first day at the Takahashi Corporation, and to say that she was a bundle of nerves was a dire understatement. But she wasn't also without principles, so she was definitely going to try if she could make this arrangement work. True, being a secretary to the owner of a general merchandise store would be a far cry from being an assistant to the director of a multinational company. But if she could pull off being in bed with a handsome stranger, surely she could also pull off spending a lot of time with her gorgeous boss in the office? Well, it's the same guy - which would make things really tricky - but then again that's life.

She was now in her well-appointed office, which directly leads to the director's corporate quarters. She had arrived at least thirty minutes before her shift started - having been too nervous to actually sleep - and she thought getting him coffee might be a good way to start off their professional relationship. But she was having dilemma on how to actually hand it to him when he did arrive, that's why she had been practicing.

She sighed, and hoped this time she would get it right. “Sir -”

“That's my coffee.”

Kagome turned to see Inuyasha - Director Inuyasha - leaning on the doorway with a very amused look on his face. “I sort of heard you say that a few times already - in different variations,” he added, giving her a wide grin and sauntering inside.

Kagome suddenly feigned interest in the plant perched at the corner, and snatched the coffee at the edge of the desk, giving it to him without looking at him directly. “Uhm, I-I didn't know what you'd like so-”

“Sure you do,” Inuyasha said in a playful drawl, beaming in delight as he saw a gorgeous blush climb up her cheeks. Of course he knew what she was talking about, but for some reason he just wanted to tease her a little bit; perhaps that would help her relax more in his presence. One look at her face when he walked in the office, and he promptly concluded that she had `stress' written all over it. She had no problem when she didn't know who he was, right? Well, now that she did, maybe he can help her get to know him better. He was not in any hurry. `This is just her first day, after all,' he inwardly smirked.

Kagome leveled him a dry look and replied as though he hadn't interrupted her. “So I got you coffee with cream. Is that all right?”

“That's more like it,” Inuyasha said, giving her a real smile and taking the coffee from her.

Kagome had the feeling that his smile had more to do with what she had just said rather than her choice of beverage, but at least she hadn't done something terribly wrong. Yet.

“Oh, and Kagome?” he asked, turning back to her. “Do you think you can have my schedule ready in an hour?” His tone was still gentle, but this time it obviously took on a tone of purely business.

Kagome returned his smile, shifting to her work mode as well. “Yes, of course.”

For about a month after she had accepted the position, she reported to the office everyday for her orientation and briefing. After all, she couldn't exactly waltz in on her first day like the ignoramus she was, right? In her first week, everything looked so daunting that Kagome felt close to tears at more than one occasion. It seemed that there were endless correspondences to answer, and appointments to schedule, and reports to write. The list went on and on.

Her superior was a middle-aged woman named Kagura Shimizu, who was the head of the secretarial department. She had a great figure hidden under stiff business suit, and a firm but soft spoken voice. In the month that Kagome had trained under her, she had always been objective - complimenting her apprentice when she did something right, and tactfully correcting Kagome when she made errors. It wasn't exactly the warm treatment she was used to with Hojo and her former co-workers, but then again, maybe something like that simply didn't exist in companies with thousands of employees.

Snapping back to the present, Kagome went around to her desk and turned on the computer. The clock on the monitor said that it was only a little past nine. She had survived fairly well this morning. Now she only had to worry about making it through the rest of the day.

*****

Kagome was so absorbed in polishing a report that was due for a meeting that afternoon, that she didn't see Inuyasha approaching her until he was right in front of her desk. Too busy concentrating to be nervous, she reluctantly shifted her gaze from the computer monitor and transferred her full attention to him. “Yes sir, how may I help you?”

This time it was Inuyasha who looked a little muffled. “Um, lunch?” he asked, tentatively.

At his words Kagome sat up so quickly that Inuyasha involuntarily took a step back so that their noses wouldn't collide. “Oh my gosh!” she said, clearly mortified. “Was I supposed to buy you lunch? Sir, I'm so sorry! I had no idea!” She glanced at her watch, wincing that it was already half past twelve noon. “I really apologize, Sir. What would you like to have?”

Inuyasha groaned. He had been working up on his courage to ask her to lunch two hours ago. He figured he would ask her nicely when she went to his office before noon, but she remained glued on her workstation, until finally his stomach growled to let him know he couldn't ignore his hunger any longer, so he sauntered over to her. Only, he had been too much of a nervous idiot to string coherent words together, so she ended up misinterpreting him.

His mind subconsciously took him to the night they first met, and Inuyasha found himself throwing back to her his own version of The Question. “Can I have lunch with you?”

Moments ticked by, then Kagome slowly smiled at him. So he wasn't asking her to buy him lunch; he was asking her if he could share the meal with her. She was so relieved that she didn't screw up, after all, that she let her grin slide and said good-naturedly, “Yes, of course you can.”