"Damnit!" Nami leaned down to pick up her comb from the bathroom floor. Washing it off, she sighed. "Why the hell do I keep dropping everything today?" The answer was obvious, although she could never bring herself to say it… even if she was alone in the apartment. It was because Sanji wasn't with her last night.

The countless dreams she had of him overnight left her feeling sexually frustrated and restless. Not helping was the fact that he only gave her a gentle kiss last night. Although she enjoyed his tenderness, she also knew how passionate he was capable of being. When she woke up, she had been panting with her back arched and hands knotted in the sheets, craving his touch.

If Sanji knew how bothered she was this morning, he would probably make a meal of it. Wait, no… He wasn't like that. Nami considered that if she was feeling this agitated, he was probably feeling the same… if not worse.

Pulling her hair half up and fastening it with two clips, she checked the time. 7:20am. She needed to hurry if she was going to stop at Sanji's to pick up her lunch and still make it to work on time. "I wonder how his night went," she wondered out loud.

Sanji rubbed his eyes as he went out on the balcony for his third smoke break of the morning. At least he finally finished making Nami's lunch. It would be horrible if she showed up and he didn't have it prepared for her yet. Lighting his cigarette, he took a deep drag and exhaled. The nicotine would only be a temporary balm for the agitation he was feeling.

Last night was hell. There was no other way to describe it. Sanji felt he did the right thing leaving Nami with a tender kiss to prove he wasn't a pervert, but he didn't plan on how strong he would crave her overnight. No matter which way he turned, the scent of citrus was all over his bed. As a result, he would repeatedly wake up reaching out for her, unable to find her. When his alarm finally went off, he was lying on his stomach with his pelvis pressed into the bed, wishing it were her flesh.

Now he was a wreck. Mondays were usually easy for him. Today was going to be difficult, he could already tell. Sanji checked the time on his phone. 7:27am. "Please come soon," he mumbled.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Sanji quickly extinguished his cigarette and practically ran for the front door. He took a deep breath before opening the door. What he saw could've stopped his heart. Damn!

Nami stood at his doorway, facing away from his apartment. At the sound of the door opening, she turned towards him. Her hair was half up, exposing most of her beautiful neck. The pearl earrings seemed to light up her eyes. What captivated Sanji the most, though, was her emerald green wrap dress. The way the neckline crossed between her breasts created an alluring view of her cleavage. Combined with the tempting bow tied at her waist, she reminded him of a gift that he desperately wanted to unwrap.

"Good morning!" Her voice was honey. Her sweet smile made Sanji feel like his insides were melting chocolate. When concern crossed her face, he wanted to beg for her smile to come back. "You look so tired." Seeing her pout made him think of her lips against his chest. "Didn't you sleep well?"

He shook his head in response. "Me neither," Nami confessed. She took a step into the apartment and pushed the door closed behind her. Sanji was still hanging onto the door handle, causing him to take a step towards her and lean forward. With her arms behind her back, Nami brought her lips close to his ear and whispered, "I missed you last night." Hearing him sigh made her smile. "Did you miss me?"

"You have no fucking idea." His voice was low and hungry. Nami shivered. Sanji wanted her. He wanted to pick her up, wrap her legs around his waist, and push her against the door. He wanted to pull open her pretty green dress and kiss, lick, suck, and bite her flawless skin. He wanted to feel her muscles tighten around him. He wanted to hear her moan and scream his name.

Nami gently touched his cheek, interrupting his thoughts. Closing his eyes, Sanji took a deep, calming breath. "Will you be okay with waiting until tonight?" Her soft voice made him feel guilty for even thinking of being rough with her. He nodded as his hands hesitantly reached for her. She gently kissed his neck before continuing, "I really want you right now, but then I would be late for work."

Sanji still had his eyes closed as he focused on her soft lips against his neck. Wait a minute… "late for work." He blinked. "I almost forgot your lunch," he said quietly. Before pulling away, he kissed her behind the ear and breathed, "Can I just say that you look absolutely stunning today." Nami blushed as she watched him walk to the kitchen to get her lunch.

When he came back, he took her hand and bowed deeply. Kissing her knuckles, he stood up. "Until tonight then." He smiled and gave her the bento. Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to want to take my time with you, so be ready," he said in a hushed voice.

"I'm looking forward to it," she responded seductively and turned to open the door. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled. "Thank you for the lunch! Have a good day, Sanji." The way she purred his name left him weak in the knees.

10:30am… Sanji was in his office at work, going through the supplies inventory. Seeing Nami improved his mood somewhat, but he still felt easily agitated. He had only been at work for about half an hour. All of those minutes were filled with images of a red-haired goddess in an emerald green dress and what he wanted to do with her. He must have tried going through the inventory list at least four times before realizing that he was daydreaming and had to start all over again. The office phone rang and he immediately picked up without looking at the ID. "All Blue, how can I…"

A gravelly, large voice came over the line to interrupt him. "What is the meaning of this, you little punk?!" It was Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin. She must have read Pudding's termination letter.

Sanji took a deep breath and put on the most pleasant, polite voice he had. "Ms. Charlotte! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He was going to need a cigarette after this performance.

"Don't give me that sweet tone, you little brat! I asked you, what the meaning of this is?!" The image of a giant mouth spitting the words out into a phone came to Sanji's mind.

"Whatever do you mean, madam?" He feigned innocence. A smirk formed on his lips. Thankfully, Big Mom wasn't able to see him through the phone.

"This letter saying that you fired Pudding!" She practically yelled the words. Sanji pulled the phone away from his ear. "Two years ago you were trying everything under the sun to marry her. What the hell happened to you?! You don't want to marry her anymore?"

The blond man cleared his throat before responding. "That has nothing to do with Pudding's termination, madam." He was surprised that his voice sounded as calm as it did. "Pudding has repeatedly not shown up for work without calling in an excuse. It is restaurant policy that if the employee does this three times, then it is grounds for dismissal."

"What do you mean she hasn't shown up for work?! She's left here around the same time every day for the past eight days! I see her leave!" Sanji briefly wondered if Big Mom was flailing around on her chaise lounge as she argued. The thought almost made him laugh.

Suddenly, Sanji's phone vibrated on the desk, signaling a text. Seeing it was from Nami made him smile. Then he read the text: Check the news! Included was a link to a mobile news site. Opening the news article, Sanji's smile grew even more.

Five minutes ago… Nami sat at the desk in her cubicle, gathering data for the noon report. She had been at work for about two and a half hours. The day was going slow, but it was only because she kept getting distracted by tight, lean muscles, a low, deep voice, and a warm mouth that tasted like tobacco and chocolate. Letting out a sigh, she noticed that she was thinking about him again.

"Nami!" Robin hurried into her cubicle. She appeared to be excited. It wasn't an expression the older woman usually wore. "Did you read the news yet?"

"No…" Nami arched her eyebrow. "Should I?"

"Yes! Right now!" Robin motioned to the computer. Nami entered the site for the news team in the building. What she read made her jaw drop. In large font, the headline read:

CHARLOTTE HEIRESS SECRETLY MARRIES RESORT OWNER

MERGE BETWEEN CHARLOTTE BRAND AND GERMA 66 DISTRIBUTORS FALLS THROUGH

Scrolling down through the article, Nami couldn't help smiling in amazement. Pudding had secretly eloped with the owner of the Dressrosa Resort and Casino, Donquixote Doflamingo. "So that's where she's been!" she whispered to herself. "I need to text Sanji right away!" She sent the link, but then paused. When the hell did they meet?

Last Tuesday… "We'll see about that, cookie." Pudding's tone was threatening as she turned and left Sanji's apartment. Her white peep toe heels clicked as she walked down the concrete hallway. She rode the elevator to the ground floor and quickly exited the building.

That stupid cookie! Here he was finally worthy enough of her and he was no longer interested in marrying her? Didn't he know how many guys had thrown themselves at her feet?

Pudding turned the corner, engrossed in her angry thoughts. Just as she was about to cross the street to meet her driver, she heard him yell, "Watch out, Miss Charlotte!" Speeding straight towards her was a silver sports car. Her large round eyes resembled that of a deer caught in headlights. The car screeched to a halt as Pudding closed her eyes and screamed.

"Oi, oi, oi, lady! You should watch where you're walking." Pudding slowly opened her eyes to see a man with short blond hair and pink sunglasses getting out of the driver's seat. His extremely long legs unfolded from the low seat of the sports car. As he stood up, she noticed his pink feather coat and black loafers. The man chuckled, "Ufufufu… Don't you know how dangerous it is to play in the street?"

A small blush began to form in her cheeks. Pudding was smitten…

Back to the present… Sanji read through the news article Nami sent him while only half listening to Big Mom shout obscenities into the phone. Pudding had eloped with the owner of the Dressrosa Resort and Casino. Good for her! She finally found someone she deserves.

"Sorry, madam, but I really don't think this conversation has any meaning." Sanji started laughing. With Pudding secretly married to Doflamingo, the merger between Big Mom and the Vinsmokes had completely fallen through.

"What are you talking about?! How dare you speak to your future mother-in-law that way!" She continued to yell into the phone.

It was Sanji's turn to interrupt her. "Have you read today's news yet, Big Mom? I think you may find it very interesting." He could hear one of Big Mom's thugs running in to tell her the news about Pudding. When the woman started screaming, Sanji just smiled and quietly hung up the phone.

Zeff walked into the office. He had overheard the conversation. Sanji turned and nodded to the man. "It looks like you won't have to worry about Big Mom bothering us again, old geezer."

"Good job, chibi nasu." Sanji smiled. It wasn't often that the old man praised him.

"Just one thing," Sanji scratched his goatee in thought. "What did Big Mom threaten you with that was so bad that you had to hire Pudding?"

"Oh, that…" Zeff straightened his long mustache. "She threatened to either close or buy out the restaurant."

Sanji frowned. "And you believed her?"

"There are some forces in this world that you never want to test, chibi nasu. People with power always find a way to get what they want, even if it involves something illegal." Sanji thought of how Arlong was not only able to get out of prison, but he also got out on bail after he attacked Nami. The old geezer continued, "I would never be able to forgive myself if your dream was taken from you when I could have prevented it."

Sanji nodded. "Thanks, old man."

"Shut up!" Chef Zeff turned around and went back towards the kitchen. Sanji noticed the small smile under the old geezer's beard.


A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Next chapter will probably be the last, unless I decide to write another epilogue. We'll see!