My Snippets: Part 2

Master of Seduction

But most of them were just boarish (like Lord Kaneko) who only wanted a woman to 'warm their sheets' at night and to look good on their arm at parties.

The silent, skinny, and non-opinionated type who kept their mouths firmly shut on matters that "didn't concern a lady" and used their time to take care of the home and the kids instead. 'How bothersome.'

"What's so bothersome, milady?"

Sakura turned sharply, and expelled a surprised gasp as her hands flew to her chest, shielding her rapidly beating heart from the intruder. The man was cast in shadows, so the pink-haired couldn't see much of his features... apart from his alabaster skin and aristocratic nose. She noticed the sleeve of a tailored suit was tapered at the cufflink and a cigar was resting securely between two of his extended fingers; a hat perched on top of his head. Was this another of her suitors? She was slightly weary of his presence and stiffened her spine; ready to flee or scream if necessary.

But another thought gave her pause and her eyes widened in sudden realization. 'Did...I really just speak my thoughts aloud?' Oops. She had simply assumed that she had been alone out here to wallow in a self-pity party that she was so accustomed to by now.

'How unfortunate.'

Without a word, she turned to leave, when he called out to her again; taking a slight step forward. "Milady, I'm sorry. I apologize if I've somehow overstepped. It just seemed that you ran out of there in a hurry (indicating behind him with a thumb) and seemed to be in some sort of distress. When I found you murmuring to yourself, I figured I might be able to lend an ear to your troubles."

"What would you know about my troubles, good Lord," she snapped back, eyebrows narrowing in suspicion, while her left hand held poised next to the curtain dividing them from the party within...her right tightly clamped around her thick skirts. "Are you always so bold as to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?" Sakura didn't know what came over her in that moment, what had caused her outburst or her to be so bold and brash with this stranger. When he held up his hands in surrender, she felt guilt creeping up her spine and sighed, before relaxing her posture. "I'm sorry. I'm— a little bit stressed I suppose. I'm not really a 'people person', per say. I much prefer my solitude to this," she said, indicating with her hands in the general direction of the party as she kept a firm gaze in his direction.

When he finally stepped out of the shadows, revealing his true self, she had to fight back a gasp of absolute surprise as she gazed upon the most exquisite specimen of a man that she had ever seen. His eyes, so void of color that they matched the midnight sky above, held her gaze with an air of confidence (and curiosity) that she had never seen until now; confidence or arrogance, she wasn't quite sure which and she regarded him closely as she simultaneously drank in the sight of him.

Inspecting every single inch of his impressive stature.

When her eyes settled for far too long on his belt, her gaze zeroing in on the intricately placed buckle— he cleared his throat. Sakura met his obsidian eyes again, as a deep pink blush rushed to her puffed out cheeks. The pinkette let out the huge amount of air concealed within her lungs slowly, attempting to calmly regulate her breathing once more.

For goodness sake, she'd been caught ogling... the very same thing she detested! She inwardly cursed herself for it as he simply stared at her for what felt like forever. Sakura actually began to count the seconds as she waited.

'... thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty—'

The tension between them was broken when he spoke, his voice so rich and velvety that it seemed to caress all of her senses at once; lulling her into a sense of security that she wasn't quite sure was truthful, or simply wishful thinking on her part. "I'm not really a 'people person' myself... at least according to my family anyway. I much prefer to be alone as well."

'Hmm, interesting.'

"We sound so much alike, sir," she stated as she lifted her chin and tilted her head to the side; regarding him closely.

"Sasuke."

Sakura blinked slowly, her long eyelashes fluttering closed to cover her vibrant, almost iridescent in hue eyes from his view, as she regarded this man thoughtfully for a moment. Then—

"... pardon me?"

"My name is Sasuke. You may refer to me as such... if you like, milady." His head also tilted (angling just so) off to the right side...and the soft light coming off of the moon above reflected off of his skin giving him an almost ethereal glow about him. This male was absolutely breathtaking... of that she was certain... and Sakura felt herself go slightly weak at the knees when the left corner of his lips lifted up into a subtle, sensual smirk.

Sasuke.

What an interesting name, for such a handsome stranger. Should she give him her name as well? It was only fair... right? She cleared her throat and turned to fully face him. "You may refer to me as Sakura... if you like, good Lord." His lips did twitch then, the subtitle gesture not missed by her as she threw his words back at him. His gaze shifted only briefly towards the balcony's railing... beyond to the exquisite gardens below, before trailing back to meet hers.

"Sa-ku-ra," the dark-haired said... testing her name on the tip of his tongue; the very sound of it slipping past his lips in such a manner causing her body to visibly convulse with a shiver...while a loud breath was expelled from her lungs. Sasuke snuffed out his half-used cigar, after dropping it on the ground, with the bottom of his leather boot and turned to regard her fully; his arm extended slightly in invitation. "Would you care to join me for a stroll in the gardens?"

Sakura wanted to say no, truly (for she was tired of being courted by men), but something compelled her otherwise, and she found herself wrapping her right hand loosely and carefully in the slight fold of his elbow, while smiling up at him shyly. A giddy sort of feeling came over her when she said without hesitation, "I would love to."

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Ideas:

Sakura's mother sends random men to "woo" her, when in reality she has a plan to set her daughter up with the wealthiest family in Kona (a plan that she's had for a while) & make it appear as an "accidental meeting".

Sasuke's family knows of the deception (and is fine with it because it'll benefit BOTH families in the long run) but how will Sakura react when she learns the truth from a most unlikely source?

Having already fallen for the young Lord, Sakura Haruno is left heartbroken & flees.

Sasuke saves her (from some kind of danger) and tells her that even though he was in on their parent's devious plan, he had accepted it because deep down he's had a secret crush on her for years; eyeing her from afar and afraid she would fall in love with another or reject his advances if she knew who he was right away.