A quick shout out to my new follower for the this story, RandomCelebLover, thank you! Your support is greatly appreciated and I hope you're having fun reading this one so far.
Let Chapter 6 commence…
When Friday eventually arrived, Skye's nerves were definitely a lot more steely than they had been before. A week of dealing with children and any challenges they threw her way had built up a new-found confidence that she had never known was possible for her to achieve. She could tell the staff were also surprised by her resilience; even the receptionist (whose name Skye still hadn't remembered yet) seemed a little more friendly towards her nowadays.
What made the week even more special however was that Skye got to spend quite a bit of time with Ricardo. She wouldn't call it a school girl kind of crush, but she did like him quite a bit more than she usually would describe. Sometimes she wondered why she tortured herself with agreeing to be around him so much, letting her heart skip a little whenever he came within her vicinity. It just wasn't…normal for her to be in company with anyone at all. She liked having time for herself. Yet as soon as the conversations between her and Ricardo, she was reminded why. He was unassuming of their relationship and seemed entirely happy just to be in her company. A pleasant change, she thought additionally, seeing as the two men in her life who had been most prominent, had never expressed or hinted in anyway that they valued her being around.
A knock on the door brought Skye back from her thoughts and sipping on her lukewarm tea.
"Come in." She called.
The doorknob turned and opened to reveal Ricardo, a bewitching smile on his face. "So, this is the day to travel with the great Seto Kaiba, no lo es?"
"Si, I will be soon." Smiling, Skye walked up to the door and closed it after Ricardo stepped in. "So what brings you around this morning? Would you like a drink of some sort?"
"That would be very kind, thank you. As for me coming to see you, it is simply to wish good luck to you. It can't be easy preparing yourself for a trip with such a stern employer."
"Quite. Black tea?"
"Of course."
Skye blushed slightly at Ricardo's ever-gorgeous smile. Was there ever a time he wasn't witty and charming? Then she gave herself a mental slap on the wrist to stop daydreaming like a little girl and make the tea.
"I've noticed we are always so formal when speaking to one another. I'd like to think we are friends at least." Ricardo commented as Skye brought him his cup.
"A force of habit on my part I'm afraid. The only time I properly loosened my language was when I went to University."
"Understandable, at least you would have fitted in that way."
"More like it was a chance to get a breather from being a posh wanker's daughter." Skye grinned into her cup as Ricardo laughed out loud.
"Such naughty words, Miss McLaughlin." Ricardo's suggestive tone sparked a very pleasant crackle in the air, a minimal yet potent hint of sexiness that made Skye's mouth go slightly dry. Even she couldn't summon up the modesty to deny the way he was dressing her down with his eyes.
Flipping her hair to one side and flashing him a sidelong smile, Skye flirted back. "It's not what you say, it's the way you say it."
"Indeed. So if I asked you to dinner, how would you interpret my tone now?"
Skye took in Ricardo's confident grin and knew she would be utterly insane to say no to him.
"I'd say that I would very much like to stay after dessert." She replied quietly and with deliberate playfulness. Ricardo's grin expanded.
"The Saturday after you get back?"
"I'll look forward to it."
Both adults finished their tea, unable to take their eyes off of each other until it was time for Ricardo to leave. Skye showed him to the door, though she wished he stayed a little longer.
"I hope you have a good weekend." She said to Ricardo as he stepped outside of her room. He turned back to her and kissed her on the cheek, before looking her straight in the eyes.
"It'll get better when you return."
Despite her heart fluttering ecstatically, Skye kept herself composed. They waved each other goodbye. Taking a deep breath, Skye leaned against the door frame and put a hand to her chest. It was utterly ridiculous how a few words and stares could make her feel so giddy, but she absolutely loved the flirtation. It was like a new woman was allowed to blossom from within and enjoy the freedom of being how young she was.
A small 'ahem' disturbed her thoughts. Skye turned her head and a tall burly man with dark hair and glasses was stood waiting. "My name is Roland, Mr Kaiba is waiting for you in the limo. Do you require assistance with your luggage?"
"No. Thank you." Skye replied shortly, quickly walking back into to her room. Best not to tarry, she knew Seto hated loitering of any kind. Once she had her handbag, her small suitcase and suit bag in hand, she locked her room once outside, and then strode past Roland to find the limo. He followed silently behind her.
Once they reached the pristine black vehicle, Roland took her suitcase and suit bag and opened the door to the passenger side, revealing Seto sat with his arms crossed.
"I suppose you are prepared?" He asked gruffly, not in the mood to try and say good morning.
"As requested." Skye slid into the back seat. When Roland shut the door after her, she straightened her black pencil skirt. Seto noticed today that she was wearing a pair of heels, which accentuated her long slim legs.
"And you are finding the work here to be reasonable to complete?"
Picking at her nails, Skye thought carefully about how she wanted to answer. After all, her employer was hardly chatty to begin with and was probably even less so now as it was morning.
"I'm enjoying it."
"Hn, a standard answer."
"Less is more, is it not?" Skye quipped back, letting her irritation of him get the better of her. But as soon as the words left her lips, the regret was almost instant. She shouldn't have stooped low as he to be rude, she thought.
But to her surprise, Seto smirked.
"At least working with those kids has meant you haven't lost a backbone."
Skye rubbed her temples gently. Once they reached the hotel, at least she could retreat to her hotel room…
"What do you mean only one room has been booked?" Seto growled at the terrified receptionist. Skye in the meantime could feel her own mood getting worse. Luckily, she and Seto had a relatively quiet and almost pleasant plane journey to New York before arriving at the hotel. He continued managing his business, Skye made lesson plans.
But as everything went downhill once they arrived the hotel, for it had transpired that Seto's PA had only booked one hotel room. Skye dreaded to think of the firing that the girl would receive when he would return, yet she had to admit that she would be exactly the same in his shoes. Where the bloody hell was she supposed to sleep for the next couple of nights?
"I'm so sorry, sir, that is definitely what was requested by your PA in her email. Had we known that you needed two, we would, of course, have booked another. I would usually offer another room free of charge, but we have no spare rooms available." The young woman squeaked, looking around desperately for her manager.
Seeing that Seto was close to boiling point and potentially causing a scene, Skye stepped forward and said to him, "I'll find another room somewhere else in the city. I'm sure there will be some space somewhere."
"Don't be ridiculous." Seto snapped, looking from. "She is here with me as a guest and this was not her mistake. Now what can you do to rectify this? I am a busy man and I don't have all day."
Thankfully, an older, well dressed gentlemen came through from the office behind reception, looking surprisingly calm in the face of Seto Kaiba's fury.
"Please accept my most sincere apologies, Mr Kaiba, we are of course honoured to have you staying here with us. However, as my colleague has said, we have no other rooms to offer your guest" The man cast a sympathetic glance in Skye's direction. "So I can only offer you this: I would be more than happy to allow your guest to stay in your suite, at no extra expense. I can also take the charge we would have made for your guest's room off of your bill."
At this point, Skye felt all calm she had managed to maintain for so long go out of the window. Share a room with Seto Kaiba? For many women, this would be a dream come true, Skye was sure. But this was her employer. If anyone, anyone, caught wind of this, who knows what rumours could spring forth.
"Would you be able to bring a spare bed also?" Clearly on the same wave length as her, Seto looked to the receptionist and the manager. The older man shook his head.
"We do not have any spare, I'm afraid, this has been a rather busy period recently."
Seto looked to Skye, who now was looking slightly pale and stressed. He had half a mind to do as she suggested and send her elsewhere to stay. But then what real harm could come of them sharing one room for two nights? Besides, it would only cause more work and stress anyway if he sent her away. He meant what he said before. It wasn't her fault the PA had been incompetent and clearly, Skye was no happier about this than he was.
"Very well. We will accept that offer. I in the meantime will be having serious words with my PA." Seto finally decided.
"Of course, Mr Kaiba, and please accept my apologies again for not having a more flexible contingency. We hope you enjoy your stay." The manager handed Seto two card keys and then snapped his fingers for a concierge to come for the bags.
"Let's go." Seto muttered to Skye, picking up his briefcase. Surrendering her suitcase and suit bag to the concierge with thanks, she followed him to the elevator. The journey in the elevator was in painful silence until the doors opened to reveal beautifully decorated penthouse suite.
Skye had to admit that she did sometimes miss the luxury of hotels such as the one she was now stood in. It hadn't been uncommon when she was younger to be travelling with her parents for various conferences and events; she had almost forgotten how nice it was to simply detox herself in the loneliness of a hotel room.
Clearing his throat, Seto got Skye's attention. He looked a bit uncomfortable as he opened his mouth to speak. "Do you need to use the bathroom to freshen up? I will do so later on for dinner."
"Not for the moment, but thank you." Skye replied gently. She walked over to the large windows that gave way to the most spectacular views of New York city. "I'd forgotten how big New York was. It feels odd to see everything from so high up again."
"It's a decent view." Seto grunted. "When was the last time you came?"
"Before I went to University I think. One of many conferences, I'm sure you're familiar."
"Unfortunately so."
A more comfortable silence than the last filled the room as the two adults stood staring out at the city.
"What were your plans for later?" Seto asked after a few moments, wanting to move things on.
Skye looked at him, her expression thoughtful. "I thought I might do some more lesson planning and then take a walk around the city. And you?"
"Just more paperwork." He muttered, taking off his tie. "Would you join me for dinner?"
"Oh? Would you not prefer an evening to yourself?"
"All the restaurants in New York will be busy and at the very least I can have an intelligent conversation with you, rather than listening to mindless nonsense."
Makes sense, I suppose, Skye thought. It would be rude to turn down an invitation as such where she was a guest, free of charge. Perhaps this was his way of being polite, though he still sounded rude.
"When would you like to eat?"
"7:30. I'll ask the hotel to ring for a table somewhere."
"Ok." Skye checked her watch. 2:40pm. Plenty of time to do what she wanted for the afternoon. Gathering her belongings from where they had been left with the concierge, she went to the living area of the suite and began her work. Relieved that he had a few hours to himself also, Seto went to the bed and opened his briefcase, ready to settle down and crack on with some intense hours of paperwork.
Skye inhaled and exhaled deeply as she approached the restaurant later that evening. She had chosen a dark blue wrap dress with long sleeves and stopped just above her knee. The neckline was plunging, even slightly daring for a fairly conservative young woman as herself, but Skye deemed it acceptable as it didn't reveal much other than her neck and a bit of her shoulders. All in all, it was a relatively tasteful number to attend dinner in, especially at the place Seto had chosen. It was for very high end clientele, the sort Skye was used to going to when she was living with her family. It wasn't her preference, but she understood the etiquette.
As she stepped in, a male waiter approached and offered to take her coat. "Name of reservation please, madam?" He asked.
"I am accompanying Mr Seto Kaiba." Skye replied quietly, fiddling with her neckline. She couldn't help it; it felt like eyes were on her, possibly from people who knew her family and might report back to them sometime, even though the idea in the logical side of her brain seemed ludicrous.
The waiter smiled and gestured towards the back of the restaurant. "Of course. Please follow me madam, Mr Kaiba is waiting for you."
Her legs knees began to quake a little as she walked through the restaurant towards Seto's table, but Skye kept her face perfectly still. She hoped most people who might recognise him wouldn't mistake her for anyone special in his life; the last thing either of them needed was their faces splashed across every newspaper and magazine with the word together in bold.
Eventually Seto came into sight and Skye had to admit, he looked good. He had chosen a charcoal grey suit with a matching tie, simple and flattering. He for his part looked at Skye and kept looking. She blushed under his intense stare, hoping she was misreading what it meant. Men were men. If they liked what they saw, they didn't look the other way. Even Seto wasn't blind to a woman's attractiveness.
"Miss McLaughlin." Seto greeted her stiffly, getting up from the table out of habit.
"Mr Kaiba." Skye responded softly, thanking the waiter as he pulled out a chair. Once the pair were seated, the waiter asked for an order of a beverage. A curt reply for wine sent the waiter off almost instantly. When he returned, he had a bottle of Rioja open and poured some of its contents into Seto's glass.
Seto took a quick sip to taste and the waiter asked, "Is the wine satisfactory, sir?"
"Yes." Seto gestured for the waiter to fill Skye's glass. She accepted the drink, but halted the waiter with a gentle hand just before the glass reached halfway.
"I will be back momentarily to take your food orders. Thank you, sir, madam." The waiter said, before bowing and walking away. Skye took a nervous sip of her wine before settling it back down on the table. The wine coiled in her chest at first, before sending fiery tendrils through her veins and then making rest in her head. Only then did she feel herself relax, but only a little bit.
Looking at Skye's mostly empty glass of wine, Seto eyed her suspiciously. "Is the wine not to your taste?" He grunted.
"The wine is lovely. I'm unfortunately unable to drink much of it before I find myself indisposed."
"You're a lightweight?"
"Only when it comes to the drink." Skye smiled and chuckled a little. "Perhaps teaching will help me to learn."
Seto didn't disguise his snort. "Try being a CEO."
"I am fortunate enough to make such a career choice. Children are not nearly as irritating as adults."
Smirking, Seto raised his wine glass to her. "After my PA's fuck up, I might have to agree with you."
"Now that is a sentence I wasn't expecting so soon. You've just improved my day." Skye teased.
"Don't push your luck." Seto wasn't sure if he meant for the statement to sound a little more threatening, but he decided that the half-playful tone was just fine.
Out of nowhere, Skye's slight wine-head thought it would be a good idea to grin at the great Seto Kaiba. Luckily, her employer didn't seem to have any objections and even continued to smirk at her. Then she reminded herself that she was still in public and technically at work. This wasn't play time for her. Discreetly, Skye slowly let her smile die down and filled her other glass with water from the jug already on the table.
So this is Skye McLaughlin with her first taste of freedom, Seto thought, humoured by the way Skye seemed to flit between moments of hesitance and confidence. Dare he say it, that moment they shared was almost flirtatious, and even worse coming from him, he enjoyed it. Perhaps if he plied her with more wine, he could figure out what it was that was holding her back.
"What does the opening entail of tomorrow?" Skye finally found the courage to ask, deciding that Seto was looking a bit more relaxed enough not to bite her head of.
"Fairly standard. We and the guests dine first, speeches are made, and afterwards for the rest of the evening comes carnage."
"Oh? Any particular kind of carnage you were hoping for?"
Seto raised an eyebrow. "There are kinds of carnage?"
"In my humble experience of events involving adults and alcohol," Skye took a quick of sip of wine, fuelling her wine-head even more, "There are at least three types: a fight, a break-up, or a pass-out."
"Adults and alcohol, huh?" Seto looked a little amused at his own thoughts, loosened by the wine he had drunk. "Does that include dinners between two as well?"
"Only if the couple in question are involved. I would have thought such an occasion result in a decent evening of rumpy pumpy instead." As the last few words left Skye's mouth, she clapped a soft hand to her mouth and cringed. Damn the bloody wine. She always got too chatty on the drink, and the kind of chatter that she used was anything but innocent.
Meanwhile Seto had to bite his inner cheek to stop himself from laughing out loud. "Naughty Miss McLaughlin using such naughty words. And how English as well, using such a phrase as rumpy pumpy."
"What can I say, English is a subject I love. I told you I wasn't good on the drink." Blushing profusely, Skye set aside her wine glass and took some sips of water.
"Depends on your definition of good on the drink. I'm quite enjoying this." Seto teased. Skye looked at him, an expression of surprise on her face before she composed herself.
A few moments of silence fell between them. Seto couldn't help noticing the way Skye was playing idly with her hair and staring into space. It was like the first time they met as teenagers, and all the other times they spent together after. Even now, she could still daydream. But even better for him really, because the wine and his inability to ignore how pretty she was right now, meant that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Get yourself together, He snapped at himself. She was his damn employee, for christ's sake, not a date. But then you let yourself into that trap by inviting her, He further scolded himself. Then Skye began fiddling with the necklace that dangled on her exposed neckline and Seto had to swallow his own glass of water to help steady himself. It really was a beautifully cut dress, especially at the part where it dipped and hinted at her breasts underneath the fabric…
The waiter finally made an appearance and asked for their food order, much to Seto's relief. Once the orders were made, the evening proceeded with more silences, some small talk, and occasional moments where they came close to flirting with each other again, but not quite meeting that peak, for the fact that they were employer and employee was ever present in their minds. Yet sometimes, they couldn't help straying. Skye especially could feel the way Seto's eyes kept coming back to her, intense and almost revealing what she didn't dare to give thought to.
Adults and alcohol, indeed.
Phew. I'm a little hot and bothered myself at this chapter, especially with that little restaurant scene. It's amazing how saucy and loose tongued can get (three guesses who anyone :3). Fancy having two fairly steamy conversations with two self-confident and witty men. Skye's having a busy day, to say the least. And then there's the gala: how are she and Seto going to cope, especially as there's plenty that could go wrong, and then this new found tension between them? Guess you lot will have to wait until the next chapter (wink wink).
Otherwise, hope you're all enjoying the holidays while they last. Won't be long before I'm back at work myself and no doubt my creative energy will be a little stretched once again. Best make the most of it!
xXxCometxXx