Before I kick off this new chapter, I must give a huge shout out to this amazing lady, K5Rakitan - thank you so much for not only being a dedicated reader of 'A Side I Never Knew', but also being a dedicated reviewer too. You've given me solid feedback on every chapter, which is truly a pleasure any author can have.
For you Kaiba fans out there, K5Rakitan has a story of her own featuring our favourite brothers, it's called 'Kaiba's Prostitute'. I would highly recommend giving it a read, there is plenty of steam and sauciness on offer, if that's what your down for. Plus, I personally love the main OC, Joan, I think she's a great character to get to know.
And speaking of characters, let's see where we are at with Skye and Seto in this chapter - onwards we go!
Seto and Skye had enjoyed a few quiet drinks in the hotel bar, discussing the merits of Austen versus Gaskell and other topics that eventually spiralled into many other conversations, before both decided they needed sleep before their long flight home. It was rare for Seto to feel so intellectually stimulated, especially regarding literature, but Skye proved a very worthy match. Her ideas, though unconventional for a typical English graduate, were well thought out and he respected that greatly. She didn't subscribe to the popular notions and offered some more original thoughts. They disagreed and agreed plenty, and when it was time for the evening to retire, they still couldn't quite finish what they were talking about.
Then came the next morning when they had gotten ready quietly, as though the events of the night before were now a great secret that couldn't be mentioned again, in case it meant having to have an adult discussion about it. Even sat on the plane to head home to Japan, the two sat in silence. Seto continued to scribble on paperwork, while Skye mused on what she could teach her class of sixteen to seventeen year olds. She struggled between introducing them to a bit new and different in literature, or sticking with a good staple that she knew worked in every education system.
Seto spotted her daydreaming and gruffly asked, "What are you contemplating now?"
"Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams." Skye murmured in reply.
"Which year group?"
"The sixteen to seventeen year olds."
"They should know Shakespeare by then. Give them Williams."
"My thoughts exactly." Skye smiled a little. It had been a very long time since the two had enjoyed each other's company. She dared admit to herself that it was a small shame the weekend was ending and they were returning to normality.
Seto for his part looked at the young woman across from him. He wondered if this would be the last time he would be accompanied by a woman who didn't bore or irritate him - perhaps Skye would be amenable to attending more events with him? It certainly seemed like a possibility, for Skye was a lot less nervous around him than when they first met again. There was a glow in her cheeks that he had not witnessed since they were young.
Sensing his eyes on her, Skye looked up from her lesson plans and tilted her head a little to get his attention back from his thoughts. "Seto?"
"If I asked you again to any events I need company, would you join me again?" Seto blurted out almost, as though he needed to say it before he talked himself out of the idea.
Skye thought for a minute. Had he asked her over a week ago, she might have made an excuse not to. But this weekend had changed things. Seto of course would never have meant to, yet he had become her white knight of sorts. It wasn't romantic, it wasn't even the buddings of a friendship they used to share. It was simply that at her most vulnerable, he had done the unusual and shown her some mercy. So for that, she would agree to assist him if needed, but she would never allow herself to hope that he could ever be the sweet boy she used to cherish.
"If you need me." She finally answered, bowing her head once more to concentrate on the work she had at hand.
It was the answer he wanted, but Seto couldn't help feeling awkward now. He hadn't asked her on a date or anything of that nature, so why did it feel like he just had, and that her answer wasn't enthusiastic? Why would he even want her to be more than just willing to accompany him?
Shaking his head in an attempt to empty out his mind of the thoughts rattling around, he too returned to his own work and the rest of the plane journey went on in silence.
When Skye arrived back at the orphanage, she was pleasantly surprised to see her children waiting outside for her, with Ricardo, Daisy and Lee keeping them patiently at bay. She barely had time to exit the limo before she was swarmed, shouts and cheers of her name filling her ears, and thus filling her heart with joy.
"Miss McLaughlin, Miss McLaughlin! We heard you went to New York!"
"Was it awesome?"
"Did you get to go up the Empire State Building?"
"What about -"
"Alright, alright, let a lady catch her breath before she answers your many questions." Skye laughed out loud, hugging the children that had flung their arms around her and slowly but surely pushing through the children to go inside the orphanage. The other adults were grinning with mirth as she approached with at least one child hanging onto each limb available. Before the adults could catch up, Skye shooed the children back indoors. The youngsters obeyed and ran back inside, giggling excitedly among themselves about what activities they could get up to before the weekend was done.
Daisy gave Skye a wry smile and reached forward, taking one of Skye's bags, which the younger woman allowed with a smile of gratitude. "I bet you wished you stayed in New York now, missy."
"Truthfully, I really missed my little ones." Skye replied almost breathlessly as she recovered herself from the raucous greeting she had received. ''How have you all been? I hope the kids didn't give you any trouble."
Lee snorted. "Seriously, girl? You been to New York with the Seto Kaiba and all you concerned about is the kids after one weekend? C'mon, we wanna hear details!"
Ricardo shook his head and shushed the other two giggling ladies. "The children have been delightful, albeit impatiently waiting your return…along with some others."
Picking up on the subtle flirtatiousness in his words, which reminded her of their impending date they had agreed to before she left, Skye forced away a blush, not wanting to give away the game to Daisy and Lee just yet.
"I'm pleased to hear to it." She replied with a smile. She pointed towards the entrance to the orphanage. "Shall we catch up on a cup of tea?"
The adults nodded to each other eagerly and proceeded indoors. As they came through, Skye was further surprised by the amount of children and staff who stopped to greet her, to enquire after her weekend and wishing her well as she moved on. It was nice to feel liked, especially in a place where she had only lived in for a couple of weeks. That, and the drinks she shared with Seto the night before made the weekend conclude on a positive note. She just hoped there would be no more dramas from now on.
The next evening was Skye's and Ricardo's date. To one side, they quietly agreed that they couldn't wait and then asked Daisy and Lee if they would help covering again. The two women had squealed with excitement, almost clawing at Skye to let them help her get ready the evening after. Although their sentiments were appreciated, she gently told them that she would get herself ready. She wanted to calm herself properly, for her nerves had skyrocketed again and she was sure that at least one panic attack would surely hit before she even got to her date tonight.
Just as she was sat attending to her make up, her phone buzzed. Sighing in aggravation, she stormed over to her bedside where her phone was charging, slammed a thumb down on the home button, then she felt all irritation leave her and bewilderment take over as she read the new message. It was from Seto:
It may please you to know that my PA is no longer in my employ. We shall not be having mistakes like that again. I take it Roland managed to escort you home safely?
What the bloody hell?! Skye was absolutely dumbfounded. Since when did Seto Kaiba send out such casual messages, and to her of all people? She replied to him:
A relief to you, I'm sure. I just hope the next one is more attentive. Roland was especially careful as always and I am indeed home.
In a minute or less since she sent the message, a reply came through:
Very well. Until next time then.
Skye blew a sigh of relief. She wasn't in trouble and the conversation was over. Now she could focus on getting ready. Speaking of which, she checked the time and saw that she only had fifteen minutes before she needed to be ready. Luckily she had already decided not to do much with her hair and her outfit was already laid out neatly on her bed. She had decided to go for a red dress with capped sleeves. The floaty material finished its skirt in an asymmetrical fashion and above her knees. Not too formal, not too casual.
Checking her appearance in her bathroom mirror after putting the dress on, Skye bent over the sink and rubbed her chest, gently breathing in and out to sooth herself. It was a date she and Ricardo had mutually agreed to go on, they had already spent a while getting to know each other. Little to nothing should go wrong tonight. She exited her room with her purse and jacket in hand. Her pupils were busy occupying themselves as she came through the common room, but that didn't last long as all the young eyes present turned to her in admiration.
"You look beautiful, Miss McLaughlin." One of the girls, Ada, a pretty blonde with green eyes, said sweetly.
"You're very kind, my sweet." Skye replied with a gentle smile, stroking the girl's hair affectionately.
The eldest of the girls, Bianca, a cheeky redhead, grinned at her teacher and asked boldly, "Are you going on a date, Miss McLaughlin?"
Refusing to answer with words, but at the same time unable to hide her smile, Skye continued with putting her coat on. The girls 'awwwwed', while the boys pulled slight faces.
"What's the point on going on a date and dressing up nicely if that's how you won't always look afterwards?" Touma, a twelve year old with dark brown hair and grey eyes, grumbled on behalf of the boys who nodded in agreement.
While the young girls almost howled in protest, Skye laughed gently and patted Nathan on the shoulder. "I suppose if you wish to catch a girl later on in life, a little effort never hurts. And the same goes for you girls, too. Sometimes showing you can take pride in yourself makes you a more attractive catch."
"Ha! You won't catch me getting a girlfriend anytime soon. Who needs one?" Another boy, Friedrich, spoke up, cheekily sticking out his tongue at the girls, who crowed at him in protest.
"You may yet change your mind, my young one." Skye said wryly, finally finished with her jacket and checking she had everything. Then she addressed her children with a playful yet pointed stare. "Now Miss Jones and Miss Ruelle are going to be helping to keep an eye on you again tonight. I expect model behaviour from all of you and if I do hear of any mischief or deliberate attempts to make their night difficult, I will be dealing with you when I see you next. Are we understood?"
"Yes, Miss." The children all chorused.
"Alright then." Skye smiled. She felt a little guilty for leaving them yet again. She promised herself that she would make more time to get to know them all better when she had got all of her social engagements out of the way. "Goodnight, everyone."
"Night, night, Miss McLaughlin!"
"Hope you have a wonderful time!"
"You do look really pretty!"
They didn't see her face as she exited the common room, for Skye's eyes brimmed a little with tears from their kind words. They were already winning her heart in so many ways she had not expected. For the umpteenth time since she began working there, she counted herself thrice lucky and more to have such wonderful young souls to look after.
Continuing along the corridors with a newfound sense of confidence brought by the encouragement of her little ones, Skye finally found Ricardo waiting for her, dressed smartly in suit trousers and shirt with no blazer or tie. Her weakness. He looked positively delicious, she thought, her mouth going dry.
Ricardo gave her a devilish grin and offered her his arm as she came into his proximity, his eyes evidently showing what he was looking forward to. "Good evening, Miss McLaughlin. Are we ready, si?"
Blushing a little from the attention, but at the same time keen to reflect her own keenness for this evening to come, Skye smiled broadly and replied, "Si, señor. Let us go."
She was ecstatic, almost delirious with how much fun she had had.
The evening had gone perfectly as far as Skye was concerned. Ricardo, the naughty man, had sourced out a Spanish restaurant ("For a taste of home." He had said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.) which served some of the most delicious tapas she had ever tasted. Then the food was constantly attended with glasses of wine, despite her attempts to warn her date that she was a lightweight. If anything, Ricardo encouraged her to keep drinking, for he seemed to like the fact that she was loosening up with every drop she consumed.
Then the restaurant seemed to be hosting a night of tango dancing. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Ricardo had instantly offered her his hand and the two stole the dance floor with some passionate latin ballroom. If Skye hadn't already been impressed with her date by that stage, for he had entertained her greatly with his knowledge and his stories of his childhood, then she was when the two danced together. He was a brilliant dancer, full of passion to boot. Every time his hands sought her waist, the frissons between them left her surprisingly wanting.
Soon the dancing stopped, the music began to quieten and the two teachers decided it was time to venture home. As they walked home, the two could not stop talking and laughing together, especially over Skye's lack of coordination brought on by the drink. She wasn't raving drunk, thankfully, but she was pleasantly tipsy.
"You are quite the dancer, señor. I had no idea that mathematicians could be so good with their feet." Skye complimented Ricardo as they quietly entered the orphanage, careful not to be banging too loudly in case they woke up the children.
"We are not just good with our feet, I will have you know, Señorita." Ricardo murmured huskily in Skye's ear. He was getting bolder with his hands, almost clutching her to him as the night went on. His hands were warm and welcome on her body.
"Oh yes, of course." Skye giggled, biting her lip as she turned to face him, her chest almost pressed up against his own. "That logically ordered mind of yours."
"That too, but not what I had in mind." Ricardo replied, his voice still husky and his smile still making Skye's heart race.
Sensing his desire, Skye quietened considerably, realising that the moment she had imagined with him was finally upon her. She had hoped to be a little less tipsy than she was, but that was beside the point now. Ricardo was here, his hands now gripping her waist tightly as though he were waiting, patiently, for her signal. He would not make the first move until he was sure this was what she wanted.
Taking his hands off her body, she then led him away from the reception, aware that there were security cameras active. Soon they came creeping into her dormitory, first tiptoeing through the common room, to then opening the door to her room. She shut the door behind them and made sure to lock it. Ricardo watched her curiously as she slowly swayed towards the middle of the room. Then his eyes widened when her hands took the bottom of her dress and lifted it over her head so she could discard it on the floor. She wore only red lace panties.
She spoke more softly this time, her eyes tempting her date come forward now that they were entirely alone. "Tell me, señor…how good are you with your mouth?"
Ricardo didn't need to hear the invitation twice. In an instant of the question, he had her in his arms and his mouth was on hers, then her neck, then her collarbone. One of his hands reached into her panties so that his fingers could press in. Skye smiled and bit her lip, tilting her head back.
Not as much Seto in this chapter this time and a shorter one, I admit, but the whole Skye-Ricardo thing needed to come to culmination. It won't last, but at the very least the tension will be gone and this chapter hopefully demonstrates a little how Skye deals with men - i.e. she doesn't get too close, but she will give them the pleasure they desire if the opportunity presents itself. Plus the alcohol is a factor. Seto will be quite central again in the next chapter, so please do be patient with me - I already have half the chapter written out, I'm just trying to find time to crunch in some writing, what with my new job on the way. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this one, if at the very least for the small amount of sauciness following Skye and Seto's very *ahem* interesting weekend.
Music inspiration was much easier this time. A little cheesy, but Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' was a good way to sound the vibe. I also thought 'Havana' was a kinky little number that seemed to fit.
Until next time!
xXxCometxXx