A/N Sorry about the delay of this chapter. I will try to get them out more quickly in the future.

Edited 12/11/2013

Chapter 3

Saturday: Commencement

-An act or instance of beginning

Seto sat in a dark corner in one of the comfy black chairs that adorned his bedroom. The navy blue walls made the shadows seem darker than actuality. His expression was one of great aggravation as he stared at the object nestled snugly in the chair opposite him. The baby had completely left his attention until he had woken up this morning to find the insufferable thing sitting in the chair where he had promptly dumped it yesterday after school.

After the final bell had rung at the end of school Seto had gone back to Mrs. Yamanaka's room, as one of every partner had been instructed, to pick the baby up.

Now, here it sat. He glared at it acidly knowing it was the source of the completely cockamamie project that had forced himself and Gardner together for the week. The baby's wide, black glass eyes stared back emptily at his steel blue ones. They were almost as deadly cold as his. The plastic that made up its body was soft and rubbery unlike the hard, shiny plastic that shaped the baby dolls he would see little girls carrying idly with them on the streets. He supposed this was to make it seem more lifelike and the project real. The gender was obviously female. Someone had had the audacity to dress the thing in a flowery, lacy sundress. He scowled. If he ever had kids and they happened to be girls he would never dress them in such absurdly ludicrous clothing. He couldn't fathom what made parents want to dress their offspring in such a manner.

His thoughts were interrupted as his bedroom's double doors were thrust open sending a shaft of blinding light into the dark room. Seto hissed as it burned his eyes. Shielding his view with one hand, he squinted at the figure in his doorway. "Mokuba, you'd better have a damn good reason for interrupting me," he growled.

The youth's grey eyes flitted over to the doll opposite his brother and he smirked. "Sorry, I wasn't aware you enjoyed that kind of thing...shall I leave you two to it then?"

Seto looked shrewdly at the boy as the implication behind his brother's crude comment dawned on him. "Don't start with the smart-ass comments Mokuba, today is not a good day to try my patience."

Mokuba crossed the room and flung open the curtains covering the huge windows. As sunlight poured into the room he turned and smiled cheekily at his slump of a brother in the chair. "Would that have anything to do with the fact Tea will be coming to live with us today. You did seem pretty interested in her assets last time we-"

"Mokuba!" Seto ground out as his patience began to wear thin. Since when had the little brat become so perceptive? "What do you want anyways?"

Mokuba crossed the room once more and opened the large walk-in closet doors disappearing into their depths. His voice came out muffled, "Well it's already eleven o'clock. I know Tea's supposed to be here in an hour and knowing you, I figured that you'd probably be either brooding or," he came out of the closet carrying a bundle of clothes and tossed them onto the king sized bed, "day-dreaming about Tea's ass."

Seto groaned. He had not realized the time...and he still needed to shower. "Don't talk about that insufferable woman. I don't want to deal with her until I absolutely have to." He would not admit that Mokuba was right on both counts. While brooding over the baby before him he had occasionally let his mind wander back to her rear in those white shorts...

Shaking his head he heaved himself out of the black chair and made his way to the adjoined bathroom.

Mokuba watched him in amusement. His brother hadn't denied that he had been thinking about Tea. Smirking as he heard the water in the shower turn on, he left the room wondering what the week would bring.

She could hear a distant steady rumble. Probably Joey... she thought. As Tea cracked one eye open to peer at her surroundings she affirmed her suspicion. Joey lay in a heap on the floor; his head resting on Tristan's left leg while his arms spread out in some sort of gymnast position around him. His mouth hung open widely and his snore resonated throughout the room. It reminded her of an elephant drowning. Tristan's snores were right up there with Joey's, only they were more of a high pitched humming sound unlike the blonde's grunting.

She closed her eyes again trying to shut out the noise. She was surprisingly warm and comfortable. When her friends came over she usually woke up in some uncomfortable position on the floor. One time it was the counter. She cracked her eyes open again to find the source of her comfort. Yugi lay beneath her, his head resting on one of the red pillows from the couch while his arms were wrapped around her. Tea's eyes widened in shock. Oh God, we cannot wake up like this! She thought panicked. Moving carefully, she wormed her way out of his hold. Putting some distance between them she sighed in relief. Yugi would have been mortified had he woken up first to see her sprawled atop him like some sort of koala-cat. He was an incredibly shy boy and saving him the embarrassment would be best for the both of them. Plus, if Joey and Tristan had seen they would never have heard the end of it.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her mussed hair and tried to recall the events of last night. She remembered sitting on the couch with Yugi. They must have fallen asleep not long after that. Glancing up at the clock she read the time. 11:45. Did I have something going on today?

...

Shit!

She stood up and cursed as pain split through her head. What had she been thinking drinking that much last night?

Yugi stirred at her outcry and opened his eyes blearily to look up at her. "Somethin' wrong Tea?"

"Yes, I have to be at Kaiba's in a quarter of an hour!" she tried to move quickly as she darted around the coffee table but ended up kicking Joey in the side.

The boy grunted in pain as he woke up. "Ow! What kinda wake-up call was dat!?" he yelled as Tea scurried to her room.

She poked her head out the door to call back, "I'm going to be late. I still need to shower. You guys have to clean up before you leave!" She slammed the door shut and they heard a few more bumps, and some cursing before the sound of water hitting ceramic tiles.

Tristan, having woken up at Tea's shouting, groaned and lay back down to sleep again.

Tea tried to hurry through her usual shower routine. When she finished she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower to wrap a towel around herself. Slipping a little on the floor she ran into her room to pick the phone up dial a taxi cab. While she talked she rushed over to her dresser grabbing the first garments she lay her hands on and tried to put them on while still holding the phone. Thanking the man on the other line, she hung up straightened her yellow shirt and monochrome shorts. After flinging the towel into the bathroom and tying her hair up into a messy bun, she grabbed the duffle bag she'd packed the night before and left her room.

She wasn't surprised to see that her friends had fallen asleep again. Smiling slightly at the relaxed expressions on their faces she set her duffle onto the counter of the kitchen and went to the notepad by the phone. She scrawled a quick note to Yugi, who she was sure would be the first to find it, leaving instructions to help themselves to whatever breakfast they could find and clean up before they left. Knowing she had a couple minutes before the taxi arrive, Tea went over to the fridge and pulled out a yogurt. She watched her friends as they slept while she ate. Even though it may not have been smart, she was glad they had come over. It had taken off the edge she had been feeling over this project. She now felt calm, and un-intimidated at the prospect of living with Kaiba for the week. Well, not completely at ease but was close as she was going to get. Finishing, she threw the plastic cup into the garbage and went to brush her teeth. A muffled honking alerted her to her taxi's arrival and she grabbed her duffle and green cotton jacket before heading outside.

The taxi driver smelt unpleasantly like too much aftershave and had a gruff sounding voice as he asked for her destination. When she answered he grunted in amusement and grumbled something along the lines of Kaiba being too rich for a teenager. Personally Tea agreed with the driver. Running a company single-handedly at Kaiba's age was an impressive feat.

As her thoughts turned to the steely CEO her expression turned pensive. She remembered the electricity between them in the hall the day before. As much as she hated to admit it, there was some physical attraction on her part if not his. His voice had made her insides squirm in the most pleasant of ways. It was like melted chocolate slipping over velvet. Her cheeks burned at the memory.

Okay, time for a subject change. Having Mokuba around constantly would be some reprieve from the cold-hearted, albeit tantalizing elder Kaiba...and we're back to him... she mentally scolded herself. It was becoming an issue this thinking of Kaiba all the time.

The sound of tires on gravel brought Tea back to the present. That wasn't long. The taxi pulled slowly up to a set of black iron gates. The driver rolled his window down and the communication box to the left of the gate crackled to life.

"State your business."

The voice was male as far as she knew. It sounded smooth and aristocratic. Like an English butler of some kind. Tea fought back a snicker. It was exactly the kind of grandiloquent style she'd expected from Kaiba. Butler's imported from Britain, she thought exasperatedly, how quaint. She noticed the driver looking expectantly at her for an answer to the box's question.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Tea Gardner. I'm here for a school project."

The driver repeated the information to the box.

"Entrance granted" the speaker crackled.

The great, iron gate creaked slowly open and the taxi pulled into the large driveway. Tea couldn't help but gape at the expanse that was the house. It was monstrous. Ginormous. Humongous.

When the cab came to a stop she could barely bring herself to open the door and climb out. How incredibly small a house this size could make a person feel. Like most of the houses in this area of Domino, this mansion was Western-styled. It had an eighteenth century state manor feel to it which reminded her of her Western history classes with Mr. Okayama. She fumbled for some money to pay the driver with and went to open the door only to find it already open. One of the servants, she presumed, had opened the door for her and was now holding out a hand to help her out. Jeez, it's not like I'm incapable of getting out of a car by myself, she thought wryly, but accepted the help anyway. Another servant had grabbed her duffle out of the trunk for her.

"Mr. Kaiba awaits you in the lobby ma'am," the one who had given her a hand said.

"The lobby," she gave the man-servant a droll look, "Gee, is there a tea room too? And a sun-room? Oh, wait, what about a game room?"

The man looked uncomfortable, "I'm sure after a tour you will be able to find all those rooms with no trouble, Miss Gardner."

Tea's mouth dropped comically. I was just kidding. Does he really have one of all those rooms? Shaking her head she followed the man into the house. Her mouth, if possible, fell open wider as she gaped at the splendour around her. The walls and columns that lined the lobby were all made of white marble and the sun gleamed against their polished surface. A large burgundy rug covered most of the floor. That's some welcome mat... A slight cough brought her attention away from the extravagance of the room.

Kaiba stood, leaning against the railway of a grand staircase that she assumed lead to the bedrooms on the upper floor. He smirked at the obvious awe on her face.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir," the man who had showed Tea in bowed politely to his employer, "Shall I take Miss Gardner's things to her temporary bedroom?"

Kaiba's eyes lost their humour momentarily as he addressed the man, "Of course," he said coldly.

Tea frowned at the tone he used with his employees, but the man merely bowed a second time before grabbing her duffle and heading up the stairs with it.

Kaiba turned his gaze back to her, "So what do you think of my house?" his smirk returned.

Hah! And he calls this thing a house. "Well it's certainly no bivouac now is it?" she said sarcastically.

His eyes glimmered with cold amusement at her comment. "Why, thank-you."

"You know," she said, her eyes turning sharp, "just because you think you're God and everyone is beneath you doesn't give you the right to be a complete arse and treat your employees like that." She gestured in the direction the man carrying her bag had gone.

He frowned and glared at her sourly, "I'll thank you not to comment on how I run my household," he said softly; dangerously, "besides, isn't that the point of being God?" his expression turned sardonic as he asked the question.

Tea watched him wearily where he stood on the steps. Her gaze softened slightly as several thoughts went passed through her mind at his statement. "I think it would be rather lonely," she whispered softly.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Please, don't lump me in with your overly sentimental friends, I wouldn't want someone of your status misunderstanding my position."

His voice was like steel and sent shivers down her spine. The brief moment of compassion that had filled Tea left her as quickly as it had come at his insult. She silently seethed at his comment on her class. How I'll spend a week with this guy I have no idea-

"Tea!"

Tea barely had time to prepare herself for Mokuba's pounce.

Mokuba looked up at her with sparkling grey eyes. "You're finally here!" the boy exclaimed happily. "I've been waiting all morning to give you a tour…Tea are you okay? Your face is purple…" Mokuba looked quickly between his brother – who had at some point come down the steps and was standing at the bottom of the staircase – and the brunette girl in his arms, and seeing their expressions got his answer. "Ah Tea, did Seto say something mean to you again?" he asked in a very loud stage-whisper so that Kaiba could hear him.

Tea schooled her expression into a cool, calm façade. "No. It was nothing worth mentioning," she said casually and turned to smile at the younger boy, "So, you were saying something about a tour Mokuba?"

Mokuba grinned and took Tea's hand into his own. "Sure thing!"

As Tea let herself be dragged along by the younger Kaiba she threw over her shoulder, "Don't forget to be there for the baby when it 'wakes up' Daddy K." And with that she disappeared out of the room with Mokuba.

As if on cue, a wailing scream filled the air and Seto cursed mentally. On the outside, the only clue to his agitation was the slight twitch of his brow in annoyance. Seto had trained himself long ago not to show any of the emotions people around him could use to their advantage. Manipulation was one thing he was a master of avoiding. It came with the job description. Along with not letting anyone get close to him. The thought of a co-worker, or even a servant getting close in a purely platonic, friendship-like way was enough to make him shudder. In his frame of mind, it was better to have them fear you rather than suffer a betrayal – even if it was the slightest – any day. Which brought him back to Gardner's comment during their argument. She had come frighteningly close to discovering his true feelings. The feelings he always kept buried inside himself. It unnerved him that she seemed to have figured him out after such little contact.

Seto began to ascend the stairs hoping to quell the noise by slapping the 'child' around awhile, his mind still on the argument between himself and Gardner. He knew he should be miffed about the sudden invasion of his personal mindset, but he couldn't bring himself to be too angry with the girl. After all, she was kind of cute when she got all flushed and angry. In fact, Seto was so beguiled by her anger that he decided throwing one or two insults at the fiery brunette upon each meeting would be a most excellent way to spend the week.

He smirked at the thought as he entered his bedchambers where he had theft that god-damned awful doll. The wailing's volume pitched even higher as the barrier of a closed door was removed. Fury consuming all his thoughts in that moment, Seto crossed the room stiffly to wrench the doll from the chair. Just as he raised his arm to lob the infernal creation across the room, the noise stopped. Seto blinked dumbfounded at the thing. Was that really it? It just wanted to be held? Ice-blue eyes softened for a split second. This will not be unlike taking care of Mokuba when he was an infant, Seto thought. Deciding that the thing could live as long as it kept quiet, Seto cradled the baby into the crook of his left arm and swept out of his room to his study. He still, after all, was a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company and had things to do, papers to sign, and employees to fire – which he would if any of them dared mention the tender way he carried the child in his arms. He set a mess-with-me-and-you-can-kiss-your-career-goodbye expression upon his face and went to work.

Tea could not focus on the continuous fountain of information that kept flowing from Mokuba's mouth as he led her through the labyrinth that was the Kaiba's manor. She had stopped counting left and rights when trying began to make her head spin. She truly appreciated what Mokuba was doing for her, but there was just so much in this god-damned place. In truth, she was also still annoyed by her previous encounter with Kaiba and couldn't concentrate on anything else fully.

The man was just so cold. It made her wonder who had shoved the unusually large icicle up his ass anyway.

"Tea?"

The brunette started out of her thoughts to turn to the boy.

"Sorry Mokuba, What were you saying?"

Mokuba smiled warmly. "I was wondering if you wanted me to show you to your room now? It's almost time for dinner and I'm sure you want to unpack before eating."

"Geez, is it really that late already?" Tea thought aloud, looking around the room for a clock. She must have been here for several hours already for it to be that late. My how the time flies when a certain asshole is on the brain…she thought whimsically.

"Yup," Mokuba answered glancing at his own watch, "Dinner will be served in the dining room in just under an hour. Would you like me to take you to your room?"

She nodded and followed him through several hallways until they came to the staircase in the entryway again. Leading her up them and around a corner, Mokuba came to a stop before a door.

"Here you are," he said cheerfully.

Tea bowed her thanks and closed herself into her room. Sighing a breath of relief, she allowed herself a moment to gather her thoughts and surroundings.

So this would be her 'residence' for the next week. The place was certainly extravagant. Definitely not something she was used to. The whole room consisted of pale, creamy colours and was luxuriously decorated. Very over the top, she thought, with heavy drapes covering the massive bay windows and several unnecessary cushions adorning the bed and chairs on either side. She noticed her rather plain looking duffle at the foot of the bed and sighed heavily.

Deciding to leave unpacking for later, Tea crossed the room to look out the large windows. She gathered from the view of the backyard and the Olympic-sized swimming pool in it that her room was on the far side of the house, facing the back of the property. At least Kaiba hadn't given her the room with the view of the garbage disposal at the side of the house - although, she wouldn't put it past his character to pull such an unwarranted act.

She glanced over at the king-sized bed in the centre of her room. May as well test the waters…She took a running leap at the bed and was consumed by the softest fabrics she'd ever felt. The whole bed seemed to swallow her as she became lost in a sea of blankets and pillows. Letting out a childish sound of glee, Tea spread her arms wide and stretched her body out over as much surface of the bed as she could cover. A wide smile graced her features as she enjoyed her first taste of lavish living. Maybe my week here won't be as bad as I'm expecting…she thought sleepily as drowsiness began to overtake her, then again, that could be wishful thinking…

Tea awoke with a start at a smart rapping noise. She groggily looked at her surroundings trying to piece together where she was.

Oh, right….the bastard's 'house'…

Realizing that the noise was a knock on the door of her bedroom she dragged her body out and off of the small piece of heaven she had found in this hell house.

"Comin'" she mumbled sleepily. Upon opening the door she saw the same smartly dressed man who had led her to the house and brought her duffle to her room earlier.

The butler looked surprised by her dishevelled appearance but regained his composure with a small cough. "Miss Gardner, are you ready for supper in the west dining room?" he asked, his thick British accent clear though he spoke perfect Japanese.

"Uh…." Tea stared dumbfounded at the man, "I fell asleep," she finished lamely. She tried to straighten what she knew must be fly-away hair with her fingers, slipping into a panicked state. A slight chuckle from Kaiba's manservant made her stop her hurried attempt to make herself presentable and her face turned a slight crimson in embarrassment. "Um, should I change?" She asked, unsure of what the usual dining attire was in this household. The last thing she wanted to do was tick off Kaiba with her wardrobe and have him nag her about it the entire week.

He gave her a once over and shook his head. "Miss Gardner, I believe you apparel suits the occasion just fine," he said warmly.

Tea sighed in relief. Running to the mirror that hung above the bureau she straightened her hair and clothes quickly then returned and joined the man in the hall. The man…that's awkward… "Um, what shall I call you by?" she asked him quizzically as he began to lead her through the empty halls.

"Excuse me?" He stopped, looking slightly shocked. Like he had never before been asked his name. Recovering he continued to walk towards what she assumed was an exit to the never ending halls. "You may call me Butler if you wish."

She looked thoughtful. "Just Butler?"

He turned slightly so she could see the smile he had on his face. It was a lovely smile, she thought. Full of crinkles around the eyes and mouth; full of warmth. "Just Butler," he confirmed.

Tea smiled. She liked this man.

They continued to walk, nothing particularly catching Tea's eye until she came to one door that was open unlike all the rest. Light flooded out onto the floor where the door was cracked open – barely enough for her slim body to fit through. Butler did not slow to enter, but kept moving right past the open door. Curiosity ate at her and she slowed so that she could peek through the slight crack. What she saw nearly made her heart stop.

Kaiba sat in a soft pool of light at a large wooden desk with papers covering every surface. His right hand was moving swiftly across papers, his eyes down cast and serious. It was not that fact that the man looked entirely too delectable sitting in that light setting that had her so worked up, but rather the baby he seemed to hold so tenderly in the crook of his arm. Their baby. Her eyes softened and her heart warmed at the unusual sight before her. She would have never pegged Kaiba to act like this. It made her heart do a funny twang in her chest. Funny twangs can't be good for my health…

Not wanting to disturb the peaceful scene, Tea tiptoed quietly away from the door and jogged to catch up with Butler. Hopefully he hadn't noticed her pause.

"Master Kaiba is not always as cold as he seems," the butler said so softly she almost missed it.

Who knew? She thought, and smiled softly.

Tea collapsed onto her bed, exhausted.

Dinner had been…awkward, to say the least. Butler had led her to a large spacious room decorated all in dark, earthy colours. A large table that could have seated at least thirty people stood solidly in the centre of the room. Mokuba sat at its far end on the left hand side of the head. His grin stretched widely across his face when she entered.

"Hey, Tea!" he greeted her happily.

Tea returned his smile and sat across from the boy when Butler pulled the chair out for her. They had sat in silence for only a moment before Kaiba came striding into the room. The first thought that ran through Tea's mind was how nicely the jeans he wore hugged his thighs and rear. A light blush began to dust her features and she tried to clear her thoughts. "Where is the baby?" She asked, trying to make her voice sound accusatory. It came out as more as a soft hum which resulted in Kaiba giving her a strange look.

"Asleep," he answered all traces of emotion gone. It was then that he tossed a little speaker at her which she caught with both hands in surprise. Turning it over she realized it was a baby monitor. "You get it for the rest of the night. It is in a spare room. I'll have a servant show you the way to get it after the meal." He sat down to her left and raised a hand signalling the waiters to begin serving.

Tea, who was expecting a ludicrously large five course meal – since she would expect nothing less from Kaiba –, was pleasantly surprised to find the main course served first. The dinner was still fancy though – a stuffed chicken with asparagus and some sort of herb looking thing. It was not the traditional Japanese dinner Tea was used to.

Nothing was said throughout the remainder of the meal. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Tea sighed wearily; glad the day had come to an end. She glanced over at the baby sitting in its carrier. She had placed it strategically in one of the chairs beside her bed so that if it woke up she would hear it. Deciding it was safe to risk a quick trip to the bathroom; she rolled out of bed and padded her way across the carpet to the door. As she wandered through the halls trying to remember which door led to the bathroom she pondered over the writing assignment she and Kaiba would be writing together. She supposed she should write the first entry when she got back to her room – God knows Kaiba probably wouldn't write a single sentence of this paper and Tea would end up writing it alone. Ugh, I'm so tired. Maybe I'll leave the first entry and write it tomorrow morning. Yawning, she entered the room she vaguely remembered Mokuba pointing out when he had led her to her room earlier.

In her lethargic state she did not notice the steam that seemed to fill the whole room. She made her way to the porcelain sink and turned the faucet on to wash her face. It was only when she looked up at the mirror and noticed that the cloudiness of it was preventing her from seeing her reflection that she froze. Without turning the water off she slowly turned gasping.

Kaiba stood before her with nothing but a pair of low riding pajama pants on. He had a towel near his hair which she realized he must have been drying upon her entry. Her gaze travelled along his body and she realized his upper half was still wet from his recent shower. Her eyes followed a drop of water that had been clinging to the hair at the nape of his neck and had dripped down. It rolled down his collar bone, and abs – which were a perfect six-pack, she noted – and disappeared into his …it's a good thing he has pants on…or is it? Damn he was fine.

Tea felt her body heat up in a way she had never experienced before. The heat coiled in her lower belly and made her heart race.

Kaiba coughed and it was then Tea realized she had been staring at his nether regions for some time. She blushed and brought her eye level up to his face…which looked kind of pissed now that she saw it.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked coldly. The temperature of his cool comment made the room feel a few degrees colder and Tea shivered.

"Um…Uh-" She stumbled over her words, not knowing quite what to say after she had just openly ogled him, "Well you see, I had to use the bathroom…and I, uh, didn't realize you were in here…" she trailed off as his look grew more venomous.

"I think that you should leave."

Damn, I think I just got frostbite! Tea was just turning to leave when her anger set in. How dare he take that tone of voice with her! Facing him once more, she set her face in a glare. "Seriously, what kind of person doesn't lock the door when the go for a shower anyways?" she asked sharply.

"The kind who aren't accustomed to having nosey, do-gooders reside in their household," Kaiba shot back just as angry.

Tea's blood boiled. All traces of arousal were forgotten. "Well sorry to have barged in on your scared ritual of towel-drying. I'm sure that even if you had been naked there would not have been much to see anyways." With that insult to his manhood, she swivelled around to storm out of the bathroom. She managed to get halfway to the door when something hard spun her around and pinned her to the wall.

Kaiba towered over her small frame, his eyes blazing in a mix of anger and…something else she couldn't name. Something primal. The sudden heat she had felt earlier came rushing back full force. Her head spun as she caught the musty, spicy, purely male scent that radiated from him. It filled her with desire and she wanted to wrap her arms around him, bring him closer and bury her nose into his skin so that the scent could completely envelop her. She nearly passed out when he brought his face alarmingly close to her own, his lips nearly brushing her ear. Her whole body became hyper-aware of his presence and her skin tingled as though electric currents were running over the parts of her he was close to. She trembled. His breath was heavy and hot against her ear as he spoke.

"I assure you I am not lacking in that department."

Oh I'll bet…

When he pulled away from her she slipped to the floor in a pool of jelly. Her head was swimming. It was only when she heard a slight chuckle from him that she dared to look up at her captor.

An amusing grin lit his features. "Look at you," he said smirking, "you're a puddle on my floor and I haven't done anything but come close to you."

Tea saw red.

"Fuck you and your arrogance!" she retorted. "Like you weren't just as turned on. You were breathing so heavily I nearly fell over from your puffing." She smirked as his grin turned upside-down. "Just admit it; I affect you the same way."

Kaiba snorted. "If it came down to it, I could have you melting into unconsciousness with only a look."

Tea's eyes blazed. "Are you implying that if we were to turn this into a…say, a game or challenge that you could beat me hands down?" she asked.

Kaiba pulled himself up to his full height. "That would be a definite outcome" he promised.

She grinned eagerly. "Then we need to set rules and a bet because I'm not going to back down to a challenge like that."

"Whoever is on the losing side of the bet at the end of each day writes the entry to the diary report."

Well, looks like I won't be writing the whole thing as I thought…

"Deal." Tea agreed. "Rules, anything goes, but no sex."

Kaiba quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not lowering my standards by letting you have me." She said simply.

"Likewise," he said coolly, "also, Mokuba must not find out about this."

"Agreed." Tea nodded.

They stood facing each other, not quite sure what else to say.

"I think," Kaiba started, "that you should write the paper for tonight."

Tea opened her mouth to protest but Kaiba stopped her.

"May I remind you that you were nothing but a gelatine substance a mere five minutes ago?"

Her chest deflated as she realized he was right. "Fine." She turned on her heel and went to the door. Before exiting she turned to him once more, "Tomorrow I will reduce you to nothing more than a limp noodle on the floor Seto Kaiba. Do not underestimate me!" She slammed the door behind her.

Preview for Chapter 4: Sunday: Venture

Mokuba decides it's time to take a dip in the pool.

This means Seto in a bathing suit…

And water-slick skin….

Oh the joys…. ^_^