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For the Risk of Love
By: Garden Goddess
Garden Goddess Tales © 2003
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Author's Note: Hey guys, yes another Kaiba fic! I know, I know, I'm obsessed! ^_^ I can't help myself but anyways, this one I came up with while watching tv. I really think you guys will like this one. I'm SO excited to write it! ::coughs slighty:: ANYWAYS, like I said this is another Kaiba fic. I do so many but I've restricted myself to only doing the characters I do well. Which leaves me Kaiba, Sonosuke from Rourouni Kenshin, Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho, and Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi. I can only put these few into FULL character cause I watch these shows the most.
Naturally, I can do Kaiba's character well because I've watched the show for pretty much ever and I relate to him alot in more ways than one so its a personal thing but anway I really try my best! But anyways, about this story. Well, this story is going to be in third person, only because I love to right alot of descriptions. I know, I know, I probably do first person better but, hey change is good! Also, to warn you, Kaiba may seem a little out of character but this takes place when he's older so time changes a person. (I'm referring to his relationship with his brother not with others. He's still cold towards others but I made his relationship with his brother more loose than when he was younger.)
This story is in fact, rated R. There will be some quite lemony scenes but I will not go into full blown out detail like I had done in "The Fall of Seto Kaiba" only because I really don't like doing them. I know, its a shocker isn't it?! Me? Not liking to do lemon scenes?! But anyways, regardless, I believe you will enjoy this - so please read and review and oh enjoy!
Summary: Zoie Takara is a fiery woman who goes to any lengths to win a man's money but when her friend puts her up to the challenge of softening the cold exterior of the duelist billionaire Seto Kaiba, she finds she's getting more than what she bargained for.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. I do however, own Trish.
This story contains explicit scenes of sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.
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Chapter One: The Wager
Zoie let out a huff and collapsed into the sofa chair in her friend's room, raising her gaze to the familar blonde as she eyed her with a grin. She raised her hands to rub her temples slowly and lightly as her friend laughed slightly.
"Long day Zo?"
"Longer than you could ever imagine, Mai."
She lowered her hands to look up into the face of Mai Valentine. Her friend was one of the top duelists in the world but now being twenty one, Mai had decided to give her dueling reputation a rest and settle in. She and Zoie now shared an apartment together in the heart of Domino City and were close as sisters could get except for the occasional arguments over make up and clothes. Zoie and Mai had met five years ago at a dueling tournament and had been friends ever since. Zoie and Mai were similiar but very different in many ways. They both had bad tempers, loved shopping and makeup, eating out at resturaunts and most of all - loved rich men.
"Still looking for the right guy with the right wad of cash?" Mai asked playfully as she began to fold clothes she had just removed from the dryer.
Zoie let out a snort,"I doubt I'll ever find a guy worthy enough. Jett was the last guy I've been with in four months."
Mai sighed loudly and lowered her shirt onto her bed, turning to her friend,"Maybe it's time you stopped running around with all these pretty boys and found a real man!"
Zoie rolled her eyes,"Like Joey?"
Zoie was perfectly aware that Mai had been dating Joey Wheeler for awhile now - two months to be exact. The two were inseparable and Zoie had to admit, he had a great personality and was fun to be around but he had no cash flow and that wasn't Zoie's taste at all or Mai's for that matter. Mai had assured her it wasn't about the money for her anymore and had given up on the trade. Zoie on the other hand, was still content being with a guy who was financially stable. She assumed it was because she felt more secure knowing that there was always money lying around.
Both girls had been so similiar but had grown apart slightly over the last couple years. They had been so keen on marrying rich men and being showered with expensive gifts and cars but ever since Mai had realized her feelings for Joey, she hadn't even looked at another guy but him. Zoie had alot to say on the matter but kept most of it silent, for she could tell that Mai had more than just strong feelings for the rambunctious blonde man. Zoie wrinkled her nose when she rethought about it and erased the thought from her mind. Mai might be in love but it didn't necessarily mean she had to be as well.
"Joey is a different story altogether!" Mai insisted as she returned to folding her laundry,"He's just so... I don't know! He makes me laugh."
Her brunette friend rolled her eyes,"That's all you have to back it up? He makes you laugh?"
Mai turned to her friend momentarily to glare at her than grin,"Shall I dare to add he's good in bed?"
Zoie's hands immediately shot up to cover her ears,"No, please!"
Mai burst out into laughter and batted her hand at her,"Relax, relax. Anyway, this is about you, not me. How about I set you up with someone? One of Joey's friends maybe? How about....Tristan?"
Mai watched as her friend stood, her hands upon her hips,"Mai, I don't need you to start setting me up with men. I can find them on my own."
"You can't just keep going for the money, Zo!" Mai desperately tried to convince her friend,"Don't you want to fall in love?!"
Zoie lowered back down into the chair and snorted in a low cold tone,"Love is for saps, Mai."
Mai blinked for a second,"You sounded so much like Kaiba just now, its freaky."
It was Zoie's turn to look confused,"Kaiba? Who the heck is that?"
Mai looked at her friend strangely than slowly folded the last piece of clothing from the laundry basket and sat down on the end of her bed. She eyed Zoie for a moment, not sure why she didn't remember the young cold brunette man they had ran into at the tournament five years ago when they had first met. Mai had always despised the man due to his blatant coldness at everything and everyone that came in contact with him.
"You don't remember him?"
"If I had, I wouldn't have asked, Mai."
Mai sighed,"Remember at the tournament five years ago? There was a helicopter there and a guy was hanging out of it, that was Seto Kaiba or Kaiba that is. No one really calls him by his first name."
Zoie bit her lip at the memory than nodded,"The guy with the trench coat, right?"
The blonde nodded,"That was him!"
"He was pretty cute."
"Trust me, that's all he has going for him," Mai said crossing her arms at the memory of the obnoxious man,"Unless you count that multibillion dollar company he runs. Other than that, I don't think there's a damn thing about him I like."
Hearing no reply, Mai looked up at her friend to suddenly see her grinning. Mai's eyes opened wide and she immediately regretted her last statement. She didn't need to ask to know what was running through her mind at the moment. Kaiba had money and Zoie loved men with money.
"Zo, don't even think about it!" Mai said standing up frantically,"Just pretend I never mentioned him! That guy is bad news! He's such a bastard - he'd probably never talk to you anyway!"
"Mai, bastard or no bastard," She replied in response,"He's a billionaire! And that's enough for me!"
She began to stand but Mai shoved her back into her chair,"Are you crazy?! What are you gonna do? Just walk up to him and go, 'Hi Kaiba I don't like you but I like your money, wanna date me?'! It doesn't work that way with him! He's different, Zo!"
Her brunette friend stared at her,"Are you saying I'm not good enough for him?"
Mai sighed,"No, honey I'm not saying that at all. It's just, this guy is cold as you can get. There isn't a girl alive that could get through to him - even you."
Zoie crossed her arms and frowned,"So you are saying I'm not good enough for him."
Mai slapped her forehead in frustration,"Zo! Look at me sweetie! I never steer you away from men, I never do! But this time is different, you have to stay away from Kaiba!"
Her friend suddenly stood,"Why?! If he's a cold hearted bastard, he still needs someone to take over that dumbass company of his when he dies! I could come up with some deal with him and be married to him by the end of this damn week!"
Mai placed her hands upon her hips,"Would that be before or after you got through his line of bodyguards to even get near him to talk to him?! Besides, he'd hurt you!"
Zoie opened her mouth to yell back but stopped. Mai was pleading with her, her eyes softening and tears springing to its rims. The brunette let out a soft sigh and slumped back down into her friend's chair. She hated arguing with Mai, they were so close and yet so different that it always ended up in full blown cat fights, sometimes even violent cat fights.
"Mai, you always have to try and protect me like I'm some little girl," She said softly,"But like you said, I need to find a real man. Kaiba maybe be cold but he's got money that never runs dry. I need a man like that."
Mai sat in front of her and squeezed her knees,"No, Zo, you need a man that loves you."
"I don't need a man to love me," She said coldly,"Now, I'm telling you right now, Mai. I am going to see him whether you approve or not. I will get him."
Mai sighed and stood up, a grin suddenly springing to her face,"Well, if that's the way it's gonna be honey, I suggest a little wager!"
"What type of wager?" Zoie suddenly asked her,"You didn't seem so approving a second ago."
Mai grinned,"Hey, I warned you already honey, so now you must learn the hard way! Kaiba may be gorgeous but he's got absolutely nothing to back it up!"
The brunette rolled her eyes,"Go on."
"I bet by the end of two months," She said pointing a finger, "You can't get Kaiba to fall for you."
"Why not?!" Zoie jumped up again,"Why wouldn't I be able to?!"
"Did we not just have a whole conversation about that?"
"Keep going," Zoie said, ignoring her last comment.
"I bet you can't get him by the end of two months and if I'm right," Mai said with a cunning smile,"Than you give up and forget about him."
"But Mai - !"
"No buts!" Mai interrupted firmly,"This is a bet not a negotiation."
"Fine," Her friend huffed,"But if I win, which I will, you will learn to accept him and let me feed off his money like I intend to."
Mai's face contorted but Zoie's challenging expression egged her on,"It's a deal!"
"Good!" Zoie said than grinned,"So what should I wear to his office?"
Mai sighed and threw her hands up in frustration,"Zoie!"
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Kaiba raised his right arm and pointed to his door,"You're fired."
He let his other hand run up to his face to apply two fingers to the bridge of his nose. That was the third employee today that had gotten him mad enough to fire them. He honestly didn't know why he hired these idiots to begin with. He swore he'd be able to run the company better all by himself instead of letting these morons do it for him. He finally lowered his arm when he heard his door click closed and finally allowed himself to collapse into his chair.
He raised his gaze to the clock hanging over his door and sighed. Two more hours and than he'd leave this horrid place for the night. He sat up straighter and reached over to his desk where an extremely large amount of papers were stacked. He needed to get through atleast half the pile before he left, assuring him less work the following morning. He was about to reach for the first staples packet but his hand fell short when the piercing ring to his office phone echoed in the room.
He leaned over to push the speaker phone button and grumbled,"Kaiba."
"Hey Seto!"
Kaiba's face broke into a grin,"Mokuba? Aren't you supposed to be at Trishelle's?"
Trishelle was his younger brother's girlfriend or so Kaiba assumed she was. She was constantly at the house, Mokuba was constantly taking her out and it didn't take a genius to know what was going on in Mokuba's room during the night. Normally, Kaiba would have been furious with his younger brother's actions but he kept forcing himself to realize that his younger brother wasn't so young anymore. Being eighteen entitled him to alot more freedom, including the option of moving out of his mansion - but luckily for him, Mokuba told him the thought never once crossed his mind.
"I am," Mokuba's voice expressed the grin Kaiba knew was upon his face,"I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home later tonight."
"Okay," Kaiba's response was less than enthused. He hated being alone in the mansion.
"Big brother?"
"Yes, I'm here."
"You sure... you don't want to double date with us?"
Kaiba laughed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his two fingers again. Just what he needed, his brother to bring up the girlfriend issue again. So Kaiba didn't date very often, heck, maybe not at all but that still didn't give Mokuba the right to start pairing him up with every woman in sight. Mokuba would always say that normal twenty two year olds went out and had fun but Kaiba would just remind him that normal twenty two year olds didn't own and run their own company. That usually made Mokuba's attempts cease - for the moment anyway.
"Must we go through this again?"
"I'm just concerned," Mokuba's voice softened and Kaiba's brow raised.
"Don't be," Kaiba assured him,"Now, you go have fun tonight. I won't wait up for you so don't worry about me snooping on you and your precious Trish."
Mokuba chuckled into the phone and Kaiba grinned,"It wouldn't be the same if you didn't."
"It'd make me a pervert," Kaiba said disgusted,"That's utterly grotesque."
"You are a pervert."
"I am not," Kaiba hissed,"Let me mention dear brother that I'm not the one who brings women home with me."
"You could if you wanted to," Mokuba stressed,"Why don't you date more?"
Kaiba sighed,"This conversation is over."
"You can't just stop the conversation!"
"I just did. Have fun tonight," And with that, Kaiba hung up the phone by pressing the speaker button again.
Kaiba placed his hands upon his face and let out a frustrated growl. He was sick of his brother trying to force him to date. It was always brought up no matter how many times he managed to dodge his brother's concern for him. How long was it going to take before Mokuba realized he didn't need a woman in his life? Heck, he'd probably make his life worse if he was liable in having a girlfriend. Sure, he got lonely sometimes but that's only on account of him not having Mokuba by his side like he used to. Now Mokuba had his own life and Kaiba was forced into trying to adjust to it.
Another shrill ring sounded from his phone and Kaiba groaned, lifting his hand to smack the on button angrily,"What do you want?!"
"Mr. Kaiba, sir, there's a young lady here to see you."
"Does she have an appointment?" Kaiba asked coldly. He really didn't feel like dealing with anyone at the moment.
His secretary paused for a moment before speaking,"She says she's here to apply for that job you advertised."
Kaiba rubbed the bridge of his nose again,"Can't you take care of it?! Must I do everything myself?!"
"I'm sorry...sir... but she's applying for that.... assistant's job."
Kaiba began to roll his temples,"Just send her in. And Joanne?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry I've been... rather.. harsh on you, I've just - "
"I understand."
Kaiba sighed,"Ok."
He pressed the off button and leaned back in his chair to let out a deep breath as he waited for his doors to swing open. He knew he had to take care of this himself. He had made an ad for an assistant about two weeks ago and so far only three applied for it. He needed an assistant badly but it seemed no one could stand him enough to be around him all day. He grinned at thought.
His doors creaked slightly as they opened and Kaiba sat up straighter as a young woman around his age stepped inside. He raised his gaze, slowly grabbing the application he gave to all applicants and almost let his mouth drop open at the sight of her. She was tall, yet still shorter than he, with long dark brown hair that stopped just below her round plump breasts. Her eyes were a vivid bright green and her lips were a soft supple pink. Her skin was a pale white but not too pale that it looked sickly. She was dressed in a sleek dress that hugged her curves and carried a purse over her right shoulder. In other words, Kaiba was floored.
He assumed he had been staring at her because she was looking at him strangely, as though maybe there was something on her face or she had a stain on her dress. He cleared his throat, trying to cover his embarassment and slapped the application he was holding on the edge of his desk.
"Sit down and fill that out," He ordered, dropping his gaze immediately to the pile of papers he had,"Than we'll go over your resume."
Kaiba continued on in his paper work, forcing himself to keep his eyes down on what he was doing but he was pulsing with temptation to catch another glimpse of her. He balled his fists momentarily, angered at his sudden strange behavior and resumed with his paperwork. He had never acted so foolish over a woman before. So she was attractive, big deal - he'd seen attractive women before. Most of the time he just looked them over than look away. He could handle gorgeous women.
Than why was he so compelled by her features?
Damn it, he was looking at her again. She was doing as he had told her to do. She was filling out the application, her delicate hands moving swiftly but steadily over the blank fill in sheet. He pried his eyes away again and suddenly let out a growl. He was really angry at himself now. She raised her gaze to him slightly and he pretended to be annoyed by the stack of endless papers he had seated on his desk and she soon returned to the form.
'Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?!' Kaiba's mind raced, 'She's just a woman! You've seen thousands of women walk in here before so why should she be any different?!'
"I'm done."
Kaiba's head shot upwards and she held out the application out to him. He took it reluctantly and was almost tempted to brush his hand up against hers than shunned the thought away. He was just being foolish now.
His eyes ran down to the name immediately and than looked up at her.
"Well, let's start off with introductions," Kaiba said rather emotionless,"If you don't know already, I'm Seto Kaiba and I own this Corporation."
The woman nodded,"I've heard of you before - many times actually."
Kaiba grunted and sighed,"And you are?"
His eyes ran over the name and mentally read it as she spoke it,"Zoie Takara."