I know that many of are ready to skin me alive for this. I know I promised no more late updates. I'm sorry!

I really don't deserve you guys. You're always there for me, and I always let you down... (whaaaaaaaaaaah :( sniff sniff) I'll really try and update more often. At least once a month. Or fortnightly. Please stay with me! I really want to give you guys a good fanfic.

Thank you guys for your reviews. (epic unicorns, Rukia harem, 1superkawaii, yuniee, zenachi, sairypetshogun, onlyluna, , rinya-sesshomaru, blade321, Sailor Panda, Violentkitty, IcePrincess95, xdayanarax, Rukes and aririn)

Special shout out to: GamerGirl1993, Beijing Girl, CrazyDesiStarGirl, Rukes, sueryu89, seiketsu, whispered25, xdayanarax, Acetone, grenadaman, kirku, rukiaharem, rukes, IcePrincess95, gaamatsu96, Rabid Faries, Zee Zee the Dreamer, UnheardAgony, Bleach Barbie, Nes77, Sailor Panda, epic unicorns, onlyluna, koneko zero, Ai-kitseneko yuurei. You know why. (Wink wink).

My special thanks to mindy101, YuzurihaNoRyuu and alinda arch you guys are the best.

Chapter six. (mentions of hookers and drug dealers)

[Bleach belongs to kubo]

Rukia felt herself getting dragged along the corridor. I have to stop. What the hell? Why isn't my body obeying my head? Stop right here Rukia! Dig your heels in, girl! Don't let this poor excuse for a human being treat you this way!

Still no dice. What on earth? His secretary? Is he joking? She looked at the long black silky mane called his hair, looked at the rigid set of his shoulders. Nope! He doesn't seem like the sort to joke.

Byakuya had no idea what has gotten into him. During his unforeseen trip to México, all that he had thought about was a beautiful pair of arresting, violet eyes and the deceitful woman they belonged to. Why? He thought to himself. Was he by any chance experiencing some sort of attraction towards her? The idea was preposterous! He must be touched in the head to even think of such an unbelievable reason.

He just wanted to keep a close eye on her that's all. She might be a spy. And he wanted to ensure that Hitsugaya won't get hoodwinked by her. The man was a prodigy! He was an incredible genius in his field. He didn't want such a man to fall for her womanly wiles or vices! Yes! That was all there was to it. As soon as he landed, he decided to hire Ms. Ukitake as his assistant. After all, his current predicament provided the perfect excuse. And as the saying goes, keep your friends close and….

Besides, he'd heard the rumours of her and some character in the PR department. One day here and already so blatant about her affairs. How many men did it take to satisfy her? She needed to be shown that men were not put on earth to be fooled around with. And he was just the man for the job.

He stopped suddenly and looked back at her. They'd reached his office. She seemed out of breath and a little dazed. He pulled her inside and shut the door. He towered over her despite the miserable inches her pumps added.

"I know your kind. I'm not going to let you get away with whatever it is that you're scheming. And don't even for a second try your act on me. I am onto you. You better watch yourself Ms. Ukitake. I'll be dogging your every move," Byakuya growled.

Rukia didn't say anything to that. Oh! But she thought a lot of things all right. And none of them were nice. Could someone be so totally blind? So hard-headed and full of themselves? Well, she had better believe it, there was a prime example right in front of her eyes. There was no way she would reply to that. If she could, she'd have told him to stuff it and left right now. But she was sure he'd fire either matsumoto or Renji. She couldn't allow that to happen. Besides, her father was also there to consider. And she was never known to back down from a challenge. She'd show him that not all women were callous like the ones he'd come across. How can he generalise? She had met some cruel men in the past, but she wasn't denouncing his entire sex was she?

Rukia looked at him. He seemed convinced that she was hatching a devious, mastermind plot. Guess the only way to prove herself to this arrogant ass would be to stick it out. She'd be the most efficient, trustworthy secretary ever. Starting now! She'd show him just how professional she can be. She'll treat his threat like water off a duck's back.

"Well sir, I'll do my best as your secretary. What is there for me to do right now?" Rukia's cool and composed reply was completely at odds with the turbulent emotions inside her.

Byakuya straightened up. He looked into her eyes. For a moment there, he'd seen her actual reaction to his threat. Her eyes were a brilliant violet, with a bright fire inside. He could almost read the insults running in her mind through those eyes. But a second later it was gone. He was now staring at a china doll face, with glazed blue eyes; she looked like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Byakuya decided that he wouldn't rest till he exposed her as a fraud. It had been a long time since he had been out for blood like this. Very long indeed. Too bad she was a woman. Hard broiled men themselves had no chance in winning against him; she had no idea who she was up against.

"Hm. First I want to you take down a dictate of the apology letter addressed to the royal family in Monaco. Then, I want you to type out the instructions for the merger. The files on the desk need to be assorted and stored. I need you to be well versed in the current dealings of the company. The information is available on the computer. I'll leave you with my daily planner so that you can arrange my meetings and lunches; it's on the desk in my office. I want my coffee precisely at 9 in the morning, and I expect you to have he sorted mail on my desk before that." Byakuya ended his tirade. He'd put the coffee and mail on the list because he couldn't come up with anything else in the heat of the moment. "Think you can handle that?"

If she was shocked, it didn't show on her face. It was still perfectly blank, devoid of any emotion.

"Yes sir. It'll be done," her reply was both meek and respectful, but Byakuya highly doubted their authenticity.

Just to rile her up, he added, "Oh, make sure it's done today. I'm sure you can handle it efficiently, if you can take time away from work for your illicit meetings." Byakuya watched with satisfaction as colour rose to her cheeks. "I'll be leaving now. I'm rather jet lagged and I have dinner plans." With that he swept out of the room.

Rukia swore that she could have broken a stack of bricks at the moment. What illicit meetings was he talking about? she then realised that the news of her and Shuuhei was spreading around. Her hands were tightly clenched. God the man was insufferable to say the least. He hadn't even bothered to ask her for her explanation, he just assumed that she was having an affair. And he could have dinner plans? With whom? Which woman is foolish enough to dine with that hypocritical monster? All that work to be completed in... She consulted her watch... less than three hours. Well, guess the gods decided that I've skived off enough today. Rukia flexed her fingers and rolled her neck. She eyed the mountain of files on what she assumed to be Renji's desk. Though he was a little sweet and clumsy, looking at the desk, she declared him a complete slob and bum. It was stacked with files. Some papers were haphazardly strewn across. She deduced that the computer mentioned by Kuchiki was somewhere underneath the mess. She's going to be here for hours. She decided that she would call her father and let him know that she'll be late, and to have dinner before her. She sat down to work. Ah … This was going to take some time.

Rukia worked like a girl possessed. She didn't even notice the time. By the time she was done with everything, including the meetings scheduled for tomorrow, she was drained. Completely. She looked at her watch and gasped.

It was almost 10. Oh god! She didn't even know if trains ran at this late hour. Why hadn't the cleaning crew come in? She got up and quickly collected her coat and purse that was dropped off by Matsumoto while she was leaving. They couldn't talk much because Rukia was really up to her ears in work. She locked everything up and put the key in her purse. She shoved it deep inside as if they were national treasure. She opened the door and stepped out. She noticed something on the door. It was a 'don't disturb sign'. That damn man must have put it there. It must carry a lot of weight when hung on the door of Byakuya Kuchiki's office. Because the cleaning crew hadn't poked their head in, and Matsumoto hadn't dared to remove it.

Dismissing the matter, she quickly made her way to the elevator. She got out on the ground floor and moved to the main door.

"Hey, stop there!" a voice suddenly boomed in the dead silent corridor making Rukia jump out of her skin. The reception area was the only one with bright lights. A man appeared from the corridor. A security guard from the looks of it. "What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"I was working. I am the Kuchiki's new assistant. I really had to get the job done. I'm sorry, but could you please open the door. I need to get home. My father will be worried."

The security guard was an old man with a daughter of his own. If she had ever come home this late he would've alerted the National Guard. He looked at Rukia, she reminded him of his girl, who had married and moved away. He missed her terribly.

"No problem, miss. But how're you going to get home? I hope you have a vehicle of your own. The streets aren't safe at this time of night. A young woman shouldn't be walking around alone."

Rukia understood the kind old man's concern. "I don't have a vehicle. So it's either the bus or the train for me. The bus stop's nearer, just a few blocks down. I'll take the bus." But the bus was slower. No choice now. Besides she didn't know the train timings. Buses are more frequent. "Don't worry; I know how to take care of myself."

The security guard grumbled something about 'young people' and 'foolishness' and 'independence' and such. But he still opened the door for her.

"Maybe you should wait and get a cab", the old man said, scratching his head. He still wasn't sure if he should be letting her go alone. He was wondering about the best thing to do.

Rukia was in a real hurry. Juu-papa would be truly anxious. She ran through the door. "Cab drivers are scarier. I'll be all right. Don't worry... (She looked at his name tag)... Mr. Carson." She gave him a smile. "Thank you and goodnight."

Rukia hurried down the stairs. The old man still stood there… dumbstruck by her kindness and smile. Nobody in this entire office had ever wished him or smiled at him. He prayed for safety and headed back inside, locking the doors.

Rukia looked around. Not a single soul in sight. Well... Not a single decent soul in sight. She could swear that the two scantily clad women at the corner of one of the buildings were hookers. She the saw two men near an alleyway arguing furiously in hushed tones, then one of them handed over something to the other.

The city was totally different at night. In the morning, it was completely crowded with cars and people. Now, very few cars flew by. Some of the restaurants and eat outs were open, but there weren't many people. She made her way to the bus stop, desperately hoping to catch one soon.

She stood there, clutching her purse in one hand and the lapels of her coat in the other. She cursed Byakuya Kuchiki six ways from Sunday.

She saw a trio of drunken men stumble from the corner of a building. She turned her head away, but kept a wary eye on them. They started wolf whistling and cat calling at the hookers.

"Come on baby, let's take me for a ride", one of them said.

"IF you have the cash", one of the hookers replied.

"Sure gals, I can take you both. I drew a very lucky hand at poker table today. What do you say?" he said. "How does 250 sound to you girls?"

The girls looked at one another and shrugged. They went towards the man. One of the other two tried to grope one of the hookers. She pushed him off firmly. "You'll have to pay me."

"Hey, Andy, come on man, give one to us. Aren't we your buddies?" the man implored.

"Get lost loser, I ain't gonna do nothing for you. Let's go gals", 'Andy' said walking away from the other two, with his arms around the girls' waist.

Rukia could sense that the two men were very angry at having been deprived of the fun that their friend would soon experience. They were grumbling to one another as they moved down the street to where Rukia was standing. Rukia became very still. She heard some shouts and yells from the alleyway, but her entire mind focused on the two men who were heading towards her. Fear and apprehension held her immobile. She prepared herself mentally. She had a premonition that something bad was about to happen and she trusted her instincts. Damn it, she should've gotten a pepper spray. She stood there as the men stumbled towards her. She knew the exact moment they spotted her. One of them came to a halt and nudged the other. They exchanged low voiced words, and started to move towards her. Rukia tensed up for a fight. She could kick ass. She'd learned self defence from the Uraharas. Besides, these men were drunk. Rukia was sure she could beat the hell out of them if they even dared to lay a finger on her. She clenched her teeth and waited for their next move.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Need some company?" one of the called out.

He reached out to grab her when suddenly he was yanked back. A really tall figure had just materialised out of thin air and was busy breaking her would-be attacker's nose. The other one tried to make a quick escape, but Rukia stuck her foot out and he fell over. She then gave a really violent kick to his stomach.

The man started to curse her for all that he was worth.

Her rescuer growled for him to shut up. Rukia then looked up into the man's eyes. It was the other one. The black haired cousin of the strawberry. K-Ka something. He was wearing a police uniform. And it just looked great on him. She stood there staring at him while he handcuffed the two guys.

Kaien was angry. He was in a murderous rage. What in the hell was the woman thinking, standing there alone. Looking like innocence and purity. Was she out of her god dammed mind? It was lucky that he and another patrol car were holding a stake out to catch a drug dealer. The man they were after was just a vendor of sorts. What they wanted was the farmer. The vendor was the key. The two patrol cars were in the alleyway, hidden. They'd been waiting for the dealer to show up. He and his partner were in one car, while the other car contained two more cops. They'd been waiting for a very short while. Usually the dealings went on at midnight. But this time, the dealer was a little anxious. He seemed to have realised that the cops were going to come after him. So he had decided to sell his last batch of drugs early. Unfortunately, he was caught.

Not by Kaien though, but by his partners. Why? You ask. Well because he hadn't been able of take his eyes off that beautiful girl from the moment she'd entered the street. While the other three cops were busy apprehending the suspects in the alleyway, he was busy staring at the woman. She was standing there like a sitting duck waiting for the losers to take pot shots on her. The moment he realised that one of the losers had spotted her, he was out of the car and running towards them. He caught up with them just in time. And while he was beating one of the assholes, Rukia had managed to stop the other one from getting away. She truly was something, but he was still angry.

"What in the hell are you doing here this late?" he growled when he was done cuffing them.

"I had to work very late. I was waiting for the bus." She looked a little scared. She damn well should be! "What about you?"

"I was working a case", he said pointing to the patrol car where their dealer and addict were being shoved in. "Uh..." Suddenly Kaien forgot what he was about to say. He said the next lamest thing. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine, you?"

Kaien had to laugh. They were on the street, in the night, standing amidst dealers and cops, and they were exchanging pleasantries. "Good. Listen. You shouldn't be walking around this late. As you probably realised it's not safe." He turned around and signalled his partner. "Let me throw these two in the car as well, and then I'll take you home in mine."

"There's really no ne..." looking at his determined gaze, Rukia gracefully gave in. "I'd appreciate that. Thanks."

Kaien helped throw the other two in as well. He then told his partner, very rudely, to get lost and drove the car towards Rukia. She got in the passenger seat without a single protest. They drove in silence for a few minutes.

"I a-"

"I wan-"

They had both started at the same time. Kaien laughed. "You go first."

"I just wanted to thank you for this. For taking time away to drive me home. I'm really late and my father will be worried. I know it was risky to be out in the streets at this time, but I had huge load of stuff to do and I hadn't realised that it was quite this late." Rukia stopped.

"No problem. I'm glad that you realised that it was unsafe. I wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty face." Kaien smiled at the tell tale blush that rose to her cheeks. She really had no idea how beautiful she was. He made a mental note to tell her every time.

"What were you going to say?" Rukia asked shyly.

"I just wanted to know if you have ever been a patrol car before," Kaien asked. "And I'd also like it if I knew what to call you," he said with a wink.

"It's Rukia Ukitake." She said, "And it's my first time in a patrol car. I've always wanted to sit in one." She had a little sparkle in her eyes. "I think you guys are the best. You keep the streets safe, and it's not an easy job. Many take your presence for granted."

Kaien smiled. She looked positively adorable. He recalled the times with Miyako, how she'd ridiculed his job. How demeaning she found it to be married to a cop. He was glad that Rukia didn't share her opinions.

They had gone back to the silence. But this time it wasn't the awkward sort, but more of the friendly kind. Kaien concentrated on the road. While turning into the street of their apartment, he felt a heavy weight against his arm. Rukia was fast asleep, her cheek resting on his biceps. His muscles flexed involuntarily. His loins stirred from pure lust. He gritted his teeth and willed himself to calm down as he parked the car.

He thought about waking her up, but then decided against it. She looked extremely exhausted. Besides, he wasn't going to pass up on a chance to carry her upstairs. He gulped. There had never been anyone other than Miyako to whom he had been attracted. But he felt a pull towards this one. He was in deep deep trouble here. He was extremely attracted to this girl. But so was his idiot of a cousin, Ichigo. He growled. No way was he going to let him have Rukia. Well, he had an upper hand now.

He laid her head back, got out of the car and came around to her side. He carried her out of the car, bridal style, into the apartment. He checked the letter boxes for The Ukitakes' door number and was delighted to discover that she lived across the hall from him. He carried her up the stairs and to her door. He gave it a couple of taps from his shoes. The door opened immediately and there stood a tall distinguished man with white hair. His brown eyes took in Kaien's uniform and Rukia's inert form and drew his own conclusions.

"Oh my god! Rukia! Is she alright?" the man was distraught. "What happened?"

"Sir, nothing has happened to her. She's just fast asleep. Can we put her to bed before we talk," Kaien asked politely.

The man led Kaien to Rukia's room where he put her down. Her father then pulled the sheets over the girl. Both men quietly exited the room. They walked back to the living room. Mr. Ukitake asked him to sit down and went fetch a glass of water.

"My name is Juushiro, I'm Rukia's father. What happened?" the man asked once they were settled.

Kaien told him everything that had happened.

"Good lord. She called and told me that she will be working late, but I didn't expect her to be this late. It's a good thing that you were there Kaien." Juushiro looked really grateful. "I'm sorry that you've had to go home late because of us."

Kaien laughed. "No need for worries. I live across the hall. I'm your new neighbour."

"Is that so? Oh well, I never expected that." Juushiro looked at him. There was a few seconds of silence in which Kaien allowed Juushiro to look deep into his eyes and judge his character. Every protective father does that. Kaien didn't flinch or blink.

Juushiro must've decided that he was trustworthy, because the smile returned to his face. Kaien and Juushiro talked for some more time, genuinely enjoying each other's company. Then Kaien left. He entered his own apartment and checked his messages. Ichigo had left one to say that he'll be working late. Then there was one from his sister and one from Ichigo's father. Kaien took his clothes of and entered the shower. His thoughts focused on Rukia. He turned the water to cold and winced at the torture that he was subjecting a part of his anatomy to.

Rukia got up to the sound of her alarm. It was seven. She was a bit disoriented. She got up groggily and realised that she was still wearing yesterday's clothes. It took her a few minutes to completely recall yesterday's events. Hisagi...Strawberry... Byakuya…Work...Late…Bus…perverts…The handsome cop.

Her thoughts came back to Byakuya and she jolted from the bed as though electrified. She quickly got in the shower and dressed for work. She came out into the kitchen and was shocked to find the cop from yesterday and her father happily enjoying pancakes. Juu-papa was the first to notice her.

"See Kaien, what did I tell you? Prompt as clockwork," he smiled at their guest and motioned for Rukia to sit down. She saw that a plate of pancakes was already laid out for her. She sat down and could feel the 'Kaien's' eyes on her. So, Kaien was his name. She then looked at her father. "You shouldn't have taken the trouble to prepare breakfast. You need to rest," she told him.

Both men laughed at this.

"Kaien, didn't I tell you that those words would be the first from her mouth?" Juushiro smiled at Rukia, "my dear, Kaien prepared these for us," and then his eyes grew stern. "Rukia, I still have a bone to pick with you for what you put me through yesterday. I almost lost my mind when I saw Kaien carry you in."

"I'm really sorry, Juu-papa." Rukia truly was. She didn't mean to worry her father so. "A lot happened at office yesterday. And I think you should know that I work for that Kuchiki now." She blushed when she realised that Kaien had carried her to the bed.

"Huh? What happened? I thought that you were with Toushiro."

"Byakuya Kuchiki happened," Rukia said, wolfing down the pancakes as fast as she could. "I need to be at the office soon, I'll tell you everything tonight." She turned to Kaien, "thanks for yesterday and for the pancakes now, I'm running late, I better leave."

Juu-papa and Kaien both got up. They looked like they had something to say.

"Rukia, we have decided that Kaien will drop you off and pick you up from now onwards. He said that it won't be a problem," Rukia tried to protest but her father continued, "and I'll really be happy to know that Kaien's there to keep you safe. Will you please do this for me?"

Rukia could never say no when he asked for something with those eyes. "Yes, Juu-papa."

"So that's settled then," Kaien said.

They both said their goodbyes and headed out. Kaien quickly ushered her down the stairs. He opened the door to the patrol car, "your chariot awaits, my lady."

"Why, thank you kind sir," Rukia played along as she got in.

They were cracking jokes and getting to know each other while the radio played in the background. Suddenly they both stopped talking as they listened to 'bad boys' by the inner circle. Rukia and Kaien started to laugh hysterically then. Rukia pretended to hold a mike and lip synched to the song perfectly. Kaien laughed and joined in. They were at the signal. Both Kaien and Rukia were too busy laughing. Suddenly Rukia felt the back of her neck prickle. She turned around and looked out of the window. She could swear that someone was watching them.

"What's wrong?" Kaien asked.

"Oh nothing! Maybe someone must've walked over my grave." Rukia smiled at him

The signal changed green and pretty soon they were at the Kuchiki Corporation. Rukia got out and bent over to say thank Kaien.

"Now remember," Kaien said "you are to call me once work finishes, I'll come to pick you up ok? Now take care, see you later," Kaien said as he drove off.

Rukia entered the building. It was twenty minutes past eight. Without losing a second, she quickly went up to her new office. She sorted the delivered mail and started with the coffee. She was re-reading all her transcripts and notes just to make sure everything was perfect.

Exactly at nine o'clock sharp His Highness entered the room. He gave her a look of utter contempt and barked 'coffee' at her, before entering his private office.

Rukia gritted her teeth and rushed to fetch him a cup. It took all her effort to keep herself from throwing in a huge spoon of salt into his cup. Once she entered, she saw that he was going through the mail. She put the coffee down and waited for further orders.

Byakuya didn't want to be impressed damn it. But he was. She must've stayed all night to bring the office to such a state. He hadn't even recognised Renji desk from before. He wanted to ask when and how she got back home, but bit his tongue from doing so. If he did, then it would suggest that he gave a damn. And Byakuya didn't. He really didn't care. He decided to throw her into more work. He didn't want to see that cool, efficient face of hers. He wanted to see the strain, the frustration, something that would prove that he had gotten under her skin.

He had seen her in the patrol car at the signal, acting foolishly with that cop. She had been smiling and having a blast. God! Even a cop? How many men did she have in her bed? Damn it! He wouldn't go easy on her!

"What are you standing there like an idiot for? Go and get your notepad. We've work to do."

Rukia was truly tempted to throw the scalding coffee on to his lap. She gave a tight smile instead and said, "Right away, sir." She got her notepad out and went back in.

Form then till evening, she didn't realise the time go by. She didn't even have time for lunch. But Byakuya did. He ordered her to bring in a salad and tuna sandwich for him. When she placed it on his table, without any hesitation, he gave her a bunch of letters to be typed out.

That evening, Rukia was again the last to leave. It was six already and Byakuya had left at 5. She called Kaien and went outside to wait for him.

Kaien pulled up in front of the office in his patrol car. She jumped in. she saw that there was a takeout from Mac Donald's.

"I noticed how exhausted you sounded on the phone and grabbed something to eat," Kaien said with a smile.

"You are godsend!" was all that Rukia managed before she attacked the food.

Kaien grinned at her and started the drive home.

I know this chapter was a classic case scenario. The tough boss gives her a hard time and the efficient secretary pull through. I'll see to it that the story won't be a remake of every other boss-secretary romance. Other than that, I want your opinions. Please let me know. :) :)

Oh the pesky little detail regarding the grammar. Ignore it please, I beg you.