Seto glanced at his watch again. The clock read 6:48 pm. He turned his attention back to Kaiba Corp. quarterly projections and made a mark in red.

6:39 pm

He took a sip of coffee and made another mark, eyes skimming down the page.

6:40 pm

He scrolled his mouse noticing red marks. Realizing he had already red the page he was on he glanced at the clock again.

6:40 pm

That was it; he wasn't getting any more work done. Sighing heavily he turned off his computer and stood up. His phone pinged.

He picked it up and saw that he had a message from Serenity. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

Picture message. He frowned at the image of a sinking boat until he noticed the caption.

"Next time. I will win!" He smiled at the text, he couldn't help it. He was about to slid his phone into his pocket when he changed his mind.

"We still on for tonight?"

Her reply was swift. "Of course!"

He shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed his laptop off his desk. Outside his office door he stopped at the desk of his assistant Carl.

"What time are my reservations Carl?"

"A table for 2 at Espérance for 7 pm tonight."

"Will that be all?"

"Yes."

Carl nodded once and Seto turned to walk to the elevators.

Moments later he slid wordlessly into the back of the black town car parked in front of his offices.

Serenity waited for him on the sidewalk in front of her building. She wore a simple summer dress. Seto watched her from behind the dark glass of the town car. She was breathtaking. He had dated many women before Serenity, models, actresses, lawyers. None of them took his breath away just thinking about them the way Serenity had.

The driver open the door of the car and Serenity's smiling face came into view. Seto forced himself to maintain a neutral expression as Serenity unselfconsciously plunked herself down into the seat beside him. There was no sign that a month ago she had been released from the hospital. In that time they had grown close. Their relationship had also seemed to have taken on a decidedly different tone. Gone was the unsure, scared girl she had been replaced by a smart, confident, young woman. This was a woman he desperately want to get to know.

They rode to the restaurant in silence hands touching. Seto's heart pounded as he fought a sudden intense desire to pull her onto his lap and ravage her.

The memory of Serenity riding him, moaning as she climaxed sent a delicious shiver though him.

Conscious of her recent injuries he buried his lust.

The car pulled smoothly into an unoccupied space in front of the restaurant and Serenity stepped out of the car. Behind her he stroked one firm, possessive line down the small of her back as he guided her forward. He could feel her warmth against his palm through the thin fabric of her dress.

They sat across from one another at a table for two. The restaurant was dark and the atmosphere was clearly a romantic one. He took the entire scene before him in, glancing at the couples seated around them, candle light flickering on every table. He liked this place most out of all the restaurant's that his company owned. It pleased him to see her expression of delight when they had first entered. It surprised him that he cared what she thought. He turned back to Serenity just as the waiter glided silently up to their table.

"Do you mind if I order us a red?"

Serenity nodded. He ordered the wine and the waiter was off in a flash.

"This place is amazing Seto. I had no idea it even existed."

"I didn't until last year at least. It's gone through some changes. It's been updated and the menu tweaked. Fortunately they were able to keep the character of this place."

"Do you know what you want?"

"It all looks so delicious. But I definitely have to go with the steak." She replied without looking up from the menu.

The wine arrived and the waiter poured a glass for Serenity first and then Seto.

"Thank you George. We will be having the steak tonight."

"Very good sir." George gathered up the menus and slipped away from the table as unobtrusively as he had arrived.

"He seems to know you. How often are you here?" Serenity's question had caught him off guard so he picked up his glass and sipped his wine giving himself some time to think about how much he should tell her about his business life.

"I own this particular establishment."

"Let me get this straight. You own the Café where I worked. You donated a wing to a hospital. You own the Duelist Stadium, you own this restaurant, and next you'll be telling me you own an island somewhere."

"Well."

"No. No. What really?" Seto couldn't help but smile a little at her obvious shock. He wondered absently if he should tell her he owned far more than she had guessed and decided against it. She would find out eventually and that was enough.

"You don't have to look so shocked you know." Seto nearly laughed out loud at the look that crossed Serenity's features. He was about to point out that her expression only made her look sexier when a voice from across the room caught his attention.

He glanced toward the sound and couldn't help the emotions that slammed into him. He struggled to replace the emotion that threatened to overwhelm his usual emotional distance. That's when he saw her; she was beautiful, in a sexy black dress, every curve, every line accentuated to perfection. Her long legs ended in stilettos. Her wavy blue black hair framed a delicate face and striking blue eyes. He would always remember those eyes and that mouth. Her wide articulate mouth, at once seductive and dangerous. Her eyes were on his and she looked at him the way predator looked at prey and it put his hackles up.

"Aurora." His voice sounded distant as he whispered her name.

Remembering Serenity he turned back to her, her eyes were turned in the direction of Aurora, tension written all over her. And then Aurora was standing in front of him and he felt himself rising and taking her hand, brushing it very gently to his lips before releasing it.

"Aurora, what a surprise, it's been a long time."

"Oh Seto it has been a while but I could never forget about you," she purred, her hand coming up to stroke his cheek. The electricity from her touch coursed through him.

"I can't believe it's you! As handsome as ever my love." Her voice beautifully accented in French brushed against his psyche, stirring up old memories. And old heartache.

"Serenity this is an old friend of mine, Aurora Marcillios. Aurora this is Serenity my girlfriend." He saw Serenity straighten at the introduction. He caught Serenity's eye, reaching up he grasped Aurora's hand, removing it from his face and holding it gently patting it.

"Girlfriend? Oh of course. I didn't even notice. All I saw was you." She smiled down at Serenity her perfect teeth flashing.

"You will have to excuse me for interrupting your meal, you understand." Aurora her attention back to him, ignoring Serenity.

"I will be in town for a few days so we must catch up." She reached into her purse and pulled out a card handed it to him.

"My personal contact information is on the back. I apologize for the interruption but I must get back to my dinner companion."

Her lips brushed his cheek. And she was gone, sweeping effortlessly through the crowded restaurant. Seto returned to his seat and turned back to Serenity. She picked at the corner of her napkin still watching the retreating figure rejoin her party. He wanted to tell her all about Aurora and how her appearance just now had meant nothing. That it had been a relationship formed out of convenience, when he was in a different place in his life. That he had been just as surprised to see her as Serenity had been. And then she turned back to face him and their eyes locked across the table and he lost the will to tell her. Their food arrived and they ate exchanging pleasant banter but he could tell her heart wasn't in it.

When they finished their meal they walked out of the restaurant. He slipped his hand into hers and he gave it a squeeze. She stopped and turned to him.

"It's a nice night. Want to walk?"

They walked hand in hand down the street. When they reached the gate to his estate he punched in the code and slipped through the gate.

"How does this place exist inside the City? It's enormous!"

He was about to reply to her when she spotted their destination and gasped.

"What a beautiful garden."

Once out of sight of the gate Seto left the winding driveway and headed out onto the grass. He pulled her over to a bench and they sat hands twined together.

"I want to tell you a story." She turned to him. He watched her out of the corner of his eye for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the dark shadows that fell across the trees dotting the grounds.

"About 7 years ago. I had just reached the age of majority and had positioned myself as one of the best duellist's in the world. I was also bringing my company out into the public eye for the first time since the death of my foster father. It was for lack of a better word, a difficult time. There were expectations put on me by the stockholders, the public and myself. One of those expectations was to begin to date. Around this time I also gained a certain reputation. Since I at this time was mostly interested in dueling and my company, it left very little time to date in the traditional sense. And so the media began to speculate about my lack of relationships. That's when I met Aurora. She was like no one I had ever met. At once beautiful and dangerous."

Seto paused briefly, noting Serenity's curious expression before pressing on."

"And so we dated for a time, both willing to overlook those things about each other that we detested. Until one day she was just gone with no explanation. I found out later she had returned to France to marry a rich Baron four times her age. At the time I was angry. I was angry for letting myself get close to someone and then duped by them. I was angry that she had left without explanation. But later I realized I wasn't really angry that the relationship was over. I was actually relieved. Because even though on paper we were a match we didn't love each other. Hell we didn't even really like each other. We were just using each other to make our businesses more profitable. When I figured that out I wasn't angry anymore and I started to look for someone with whom I had real connection and who I liked to be around."

He waited for a long time for her to comment on what he had just shared but she remained stubbornly silent. Her warm hand clasped in his the only indication that she was still thinking about what he had related.

He felt her hand shift and release his as she moved. He watched with wide eyes as she now stood before him, her figure silhouetted in the rays of the setting sun behind her. One leg positioned on either side of his, her hands laying gently on his shoulders as she leaned in to kiss him. Her lips were warm against his. He could feel something awaken just below the surface of his mind. He could sense the cold edge of his need a kind of primal violence wash over him. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her toward him. He could feel one of her knees now resting on the bench just brushing against his arousal. He wanted her. He fought the urge to tear her clothes apart and take her. His manhood driving into her again and again until she screamed her release. He didn't want to hurt her.

"I need you." The sound of her words surprised and excited him. His mouth met hers, and he tasted that need, the fierce and focused intensity of it. He slid his hands up her bare leg and under her dress. Her thighs were warm against his hands. He brushed his index finger across her slit. The cloth of her underwear already damp. She gasped breaking their kiss.

It's been so long.

He removed his hand and took her by the wrist, pulling her down on the bench beside him.

"Lay down."

She raised an eyebrow at the command but did as he asked. Her head pillowed on his lap, hands clasped at her waist, her legs dangling over the far edge of the bench. He twisted out of his suit jacket and folded it carefully slipping it under her head as he stood. She watched him like a hawk, her expression unreadable as he walked around to the far end of the bench. Kneeling on the ground he pulled her forward he pushed up her dress and with one deft movement pulled down her panties.

"What are you-"

She gasped as his tongue touched her he wanted to touch, to taste, to explore and exploit every inch of her. His finger slipped into her, feeling she was hot and wet. She trembled as he explored, sucking and licking until she erupted. Her hands grabbed at his hair as she moaned, he only gripped her hips tightly and continued to slide fingers into her his teeth gently nibbling.

"I want you inside me." Her gasp was barely above a whisper, but to his ears she had practically shouted it. He could feel the blood roaring in his ears, his arousal a knifes edge away from completely overtaking him.

Take her! Take her now!

His need screamed at him.

They hadn't been together in that way since that first time over a year ago. He had managed to contain it during previous dates with Serenity because she was still recovering. But as she watched her gasp and writhe in front of him he could feel his control slipping.

He pushed a second finger into her, sucking harder on her clit. Her body bowing up in a trembling arch, her breathing ragged as she neared the precipice again.

He watched as helpless pleasure raced through her trembling body.

His resolve broke. He lifted her from the bench and deposited her on the grass.

He shifted away, unbuckling his belt and sliding his pants down his hips.

Serenity lay sprawled, on the soft green grass, her dress pushed up around her waist. He straddled her, ran his hands over her face, her throat, her breasts. Enough control remained that his hand skipped over her side.

She lifted herself up on her elbows, her lips meeting his, kissing him greedily. Her lips were like a firebrand searing his soul. He drove himself into her. Shoved her knees back and drove himself deeper. She cried out as his hands held her hard against him. She broke the kiss with a gasp and bit his neck.

"Harder." Her voice spurned him into some sort of madness. He ravished her body, her mouth. He pounded into her as she cried out in another release. As her muscles pulsed around his length he felt his own release building fast. He took her hands, linking their fingers above her head. She was hot and wet, her voice in his ear all whimpers and moans. Each desperate thrust, brought him that much closer to orgasm.

He couldn't stop, couldn't think as a raw need coursed through him clouding his vision in a red haze until the only thing he could see or feel was her. His blood beat in his ears and then his body peaked. His orgasm like a tidal wave washed over them both leaving them both shuttering and breathless.

In the glowing moonlight he collapsed in a heap on the grass next to her. Her body like his was slick with sweat. Half-dressed and disheveled they lay in silence for a time.

"Uh. I'd say wow but that's cliché."

He felt Serenity shift onto her side beside him. He turned his head so he could look her in the eyes.

"Oh did I bite you?"

Her hand was gentle as it caressed a somewhat tender spot on his collar bone. He barely noticed. He was mesmerized by the way her hair fell about her shoulders as she inspected the mark on his collar bone.

I love her.

He blinked at her. She froze pulling her hand away and blushing.

"What?"

"What?" He parroted.

She grimaced at him.

"I've seen that expression before Seto Kaiba. That's a dangerous expression. That's the same expression you had on when you did that thing to me last week."

"That thing? Hmm. There have been many things. You will have to refresh my memory Serenity."

She poked him playfully in the ribs.

"Oh I see the truth now. You're really a pervert. Which I guess is okay because you're my pervert."

He was shocked. It was the first time she had ever referred to him as hers. He smiled inwardly to herself as she started looking around for her panties. They redressed in comfortable silence and walked together towards the house hands intertwined.

When they were close to the house Serenity stopped and realised his hand. She put her hand on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

"I don't think I ever thanked you for doing everything that you've done for me. Really Seto you are amazing. Don't take this the wrong way but I feel like I want to always be around you. I am excited to see you and here about your day. You are an important person to me. It scares me a little just how much I like you."

He kissed her then. Hands tracing the line of her spine until she shivered under his touch. His entire body tensed as her hand slowly inched its way down from his shoulders toward his groin. He held in a groan as her fingers brushed gently against his already engorged penis. When her hands started undoing his belt he sighed ending the kiss.

He plucked her hands from the waist of his hands and twining them with his.

"I thought you were still recovering?"

She pouted at him, lifting her shirt so he could see the jagged pink scar on her torso.

"See I'm all better now." She stepped close to him. So close that he could smell the heaty scent of their previous lovemaking on her skin. She was already wiggling her fingers trying to free them from his grip.

"Alright then."

He pulled her forward into the house. The sound of her laugh making him smile as they made their way hand and hand to his bedroom.

I am happy.