Mary tugged Téa into a high-end restaurant next to the park. A restaurant she had seen a million times, but never stepped into. It was classically done, with flowers of the summer season and pine colored table cloths. The interior was dimly lit, electric candles lighting every floral centerpiece.
"Mary," Téa hissed, "there is no way I can afford to eat here. We're supposed to be saving money, remember? Because we are currently jobless?"
Mary waved her off, "We're celebrating. My treat." Actually, it was really only Téa who needed to watch her spending. Mary came from a wealthy family that made their fortune in dentistry. Both her parents were dentists and owned a large chain of dental offices around Japan. She wasn't nearly as rich as the Kaiba brothers but she was certainly closer to their scale than Téa ever would be.
"Mary-" Téa protested again.
Mary cut her off by pinching her waist causing her to let out a yelp as the hostess informed them that their table was ready. Téa had no choice but to follow Mary as they wove through tables. Well-dressed patrons were spread through the restaurant, snippets of conversations floating through the air. The decadent smell of herbs and garlic made her mouth water.
The hostess stopped them at a small table for two. Téa reached for her chair, when a smooth voice stopped her.
"Well, this is a nice surprise," Mokuba drawled from behind her.
"Mokuba!" Téa grinned at her friend. "I didn't expect to see you so soon." A man the same height as Mokuba stood beside him, his golden hair a stark contrast to Mokuba's dark mane.
Mokuba's grin was practically giddy as he stepped forward and hugged her. She's not sure why he seems so excited to see her, as it hadn't been that long since his birthday celebration. Mokuba's eyes took on a new form of interest as he spotted Mary.
"Hello there," Mokuba voice dropping to a smooth purr, "are you a friend of dear Téa's?"
Mary smile was dazzling and she flicked her red curls behind her shoulder before stretching a hand forward. "Mr. Kaiba, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mary. I am, in fact, Téa's dearest friend."
Mokuba gave her a dashing smile, taking her hand lightly in his. "Just Mokuba, please. Mr. Kaiba is my brother. You know, I believe that I hold the title of dearest friend."
"Not anymore. New York has a way of bonding people."
Mokuba smirked and asked, "Are you the dancer friend who will be auditioning for our dance team?"
Mary tilted her head, batting her eyelashes, "I am."
Mokuba's eyes lit up with delight and Téa cleared her throat loudly. She shot Mokuba a warning look which he answered with an innocent smile. She wasn't so arrogant as to warn him to stay away from Mary or vice versa, but she would make sure Mokuba would not trifle with her lightly. He had a reputation with women that she was well aware of and she had no interest in seeing Mary hurt.
"And who is your friend?" Téa asked pointedly.
"Ah," Mokuba gestured to the man. "Excuse my rudeness. This is Harry, a business associate of mine and Seto's. Harry, this is my dear friend Téa and new friend Mary."
Harry gave them a rakish smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Excuse me," Mokuba leaned over to speak to the hostess, who looked unsure of what to do with the menus. "Make our table set for five. These two will be joining us."
Téa opened her mouth to protest, but Mary beat her with, "Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude on your plans."
Mokuba moved fluidly, escorting Mary to follow the hostess who was gesturing frantically at some waiters. "I insist. I would love to hear all the wild stories about Téa in New York."
Téa smiled weakly at Harry who gestured for her to lead. The four sat down at a round table, with one chair empty between herself and Mokuba. "Who else is coming?" Téa asked, waving to the seat.
"Mokuba," a rumbling voice from behind. Kaiba stepped into her line of sight, answering her question. "I see you invited some more guests."
Téa's stomach clenched as Kaiba gracefully sat down next to her. She realized she was wearing the same exact dress from Mokuba's dinner. Almost the exact same outfit that Kaiba had seen her in last. She cursed herself, quietly smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. Kaiba's own gray suit was pressed clean, his sandalwood cologne wafting in her nose.
"I ran into them right as we were being seated. Lucky, right?" Mokuba's tone was casual, but his eyes flickered with amusement.
Kaiba's gaze cut to her. "Garnder," he greeted with a nod.
"Kaiba," she answered a bit stiffly, "this is my friend, Mary. She's also a dancer."
Kaiba nodded at her while Mary addressed him, the "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Kaiba '' delivered gracefully. Téa swallowed for a split second wondering if she should have called him 'Mr. Kaiba' in front of his associates since she could very well be an employee of his in the future. She pushed down her anxiety about the faux pass and refocused on Kaiba addressing Harry.
"I hope you don't mind adding some more company to our table," Kaiba said. Honestly, she doubted he cared if Harry minded, but she was still concerned Kaiba himself minded that they crashed their dinner.
Harry shrugged easily, "I am always happy to have such stunning women in our company. Gives us such a pleasing view as we discuss business."
Téa refrained from rolling her eyes, keeping them trained on the menu. She sensed more than saw Harry's gaze roaming over her.
"Save that for later," Mokuba interjected, glancing at his brother, "I would much rather discuss less glum topics." She noticed Kaiba's clenched jaw loosened slightly. "So, how did you and Mary meet, Téa?"
Téa launched into the story with vigor, picking up Mokuba's cue to move the subject along. She described how she had been hopelessly lost, still learning the streets of New York City. She wandered for two hours desperately trying to find the costume store where she was supposed to pick up her outfit for rehearsal. The waiters set down a couple of bottles of champagne on the table, a sparkling glass being set in front of each of them.
"I was ready to just jump in front of a taxi, I was so cold and wet just to see if my body still had some feeling in it," Téa laughed.
"She was sitting down on a curb, people glaring and cursing at her when they almost tripped over her. It was really sad," Mary jumped in. "So, being a much nicer person than any of those New Yorkers, I grabbed her and bought her a hot dog."
"We realized we were both working for the same company and picking up costumes. Mary, of course, knew exactly where it was, while my horrid sense of direction led me to the wrong block."
"And we have been inseparable ever since, despite Téa's misdirection issues," Mary joked, sipping her champagne.
"Sounds like a GPS is your best friend," Harry smiled teasingly at Téa.
Téa smiled lightly, replying, "Unfortunately, yes. Sometimes even those can be unreliable. Much better to have a guide."
"Well, if you ever need another guide, I would be happy to escort you wherever you need to go," Harry flirted.
"Oh," Téa felt heat rising to her cheeks, "I…I doubt that will be necessary any time soon. I know Domino like the back of my hand."
"Then, perhaps you could be my escort around this unfamiliar city," Harry smirked.
"Seeing as you make business trips here all the time, I'm surprised you don't know your way around," Kaiba sniped. Kaiba glared icily at Harry who merely shrugged.
"No one knows their city better than a local," Harry replied coolly.
The waiter came to take their order preventing any further response. Téa had a feeling this was going to be a long dinner.
Kaiba debated the best way to kill Mokuba. Strangulation sounded appealing. Maybe hitting him on the head with something, like a brick or a big rock.
Kaiba knew his brother well enough to know when he was up to something. The fact that Gardner and her redhead friend was here meant he was definitely up to something. He believed him when he said it was a coincidence running into them here. However, Mokuba would normally never invite random friends to their table while they had a business associate with them. He certainly wouldn't have done it if they ran into any of Gardner's other friends.
Kaiba only half listened as Mokuba inquired after the redhead's history. She informed them of their family business, Vera Dentistry, which Kaiba himself actually went to. The family didn't run in the elite circles, explaining why Kaiba had never met her. She began discussing the business's new charity initiative when Kaiba slyly glanced over to Garnder who was listening intently to her friend.
She was wearing a dress he had seen before, a dress that tended to drive him to distraction. He remembered how it had slid up her thighs as she sat down in his car to go to Mokuba's dinner and had clenched his fist to prevent the temptation of sliding it up further. Her hair was different, left down rather than up, and he missed being able to see the graceful arch of her neck.
He felt a gaze on him and moved his eyes to scan the table. Mary still held Gardner and Harry's attention, but his little brother looked at him with raised brows. Kaiba felt his chest tighten as he realized that Mokuba had caught him blatantly staring at Gardner. He glared at his brother causing Mokuba's mouth to twitch slightly and turn his attention back to Gardner's friend.
The food was brought out and conversation continued to carry on. Kaiba answered any questions when directly asked, but mostly focused on his food and allowed Mokuba to lead the conversation. As Mokuba grew older, it became apparent that any people skills that Kaiba sorely lacked, Mokuba inherited. He became an asset in situations like this that didn't require a more dominating approach. While Kaiba excelled at directing people, Mokuba excelled at charming them. He became a partner that Kaiba had been lacking for years and greatly improved relationships among their business partners and employees.
It didn't escape his notice that Gardner possessed the same skills as his brother, effectively enthralling Harry as she talked about her time in New York, sipping delicately from her champagne glass. Kaiba could see her bewitching his employees at business dinners and every one of them staring at her in want.
"How lucky you are Mr. Kaiba, to have two such lovely ladies wanting to work for you," Harry addressed him as the topic of the dance team auditions arose. Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he took in Harry's slimy grin.
"I'll hardly be involved with the team. Our coaches and Valentine will be making most of the decisions."
"A shame. I'm sure any man would like to be closely involved with them," Harry said with a predatory gaze.
Kaiba felt his body ready in the same way when he entered a boxing ring. His spine straightened and his limbs loosened as he reached for his water glass. "People are always looking to join Kaiba Corp. considering our resources and superior technology. Especially failing companies who are looking to get out of a bind," Kaiba stated frostily with a pointed gaze.
Kaiba was going to inform Mokuba that there was no way he would be partnering with Harry. He did this dinner more out of Mokuba's request than any desire to partner anyway. Harry was the President of a videogame company that hadn't turned a profit in the last five years. Kaiba had been looking into videogames and Mokuba insisted that this would be a perfect company to take over and shape into another branch of KC. Kaiba had been reluctant to take on a sinking ship, believing they would be better off just creating their own division rather than re-working another company. Mokuba insisted on looking into their options and Kaiba relented.
After this dinner, he felt confident that Mokuba would no longer be interested in this company either if Harry kept staring at Gardner like a fucking morsel.
Harry's smile was forced as he replied, "Yes, well, KC was built by the late Mr. Kaiba. You are fortunate to have had such a strong foundation."
Kaiba felt the beginnings of a snarl when Gardner interrupted their pissing match. "I'd hardly call Gozaburo Kaiba a 'strong foundation.' Kaiba Corp. was a weapons manufacturer until Mr. Kaiba built it into something completely new. The success of the company has everything to do with the man sitting in front of you and nothing to do with Gozaburo."
Gardner held Harry's eyes, her own like chips of ice. He had never heard her use that tone before. He couldn't believe that she was using that tone to defend him.
Harry tilted his head, clearly surprised by her words. "I didn't realize that you knew Mr. Kaiba's father."
Gardner didn't waver. "I've had my experiences with him."
Harry's eyes gleamed with new interest, "Remind me, how do you know Mr. Kaiba, again?"
"Mr. Kaiba and I attended high school together," Gardner brought her water glass to her mouth.
He wondered briefly at the added title to his name. However, the heat in his groin indicated he didn't mind the added honorific, especially if she said it under much different circumstances.
"Gardner is close with some other duelists," Mokuba smiled, although it didn't meet his eyes, "I met her through Seto when we all attended some Duel Monsters tournaments. Which is going to make her a fantastic addition to the Duel Monsters dance team."
"You really need a name for it," Mary teased. "You can't just keep calling it 'the dance team'."
"I agree," Gardner hummed and smiled teasingly at Kaiba, "perhaps the Blue Eyes Dancers? Or maybe the Dancing Dragons?"
Kaiba raised a brow and felt a smile tugging at his lips. "I'm not in charge of the name."
Gardner scoffed and said, "So you'd be fine with them naming us the Dark Magicians? Or the Red Eyes Kickline?"
"Valentine wouldn't dare."
"You're right," Gardner nodded thoughtfully, "we're much more likely to be named after the Harpies if Mai is in charge. Much more fitting."
"I don't know, Gardner. I think Blue Eyes suits you." She released a full laugh, the sound almost knocking him out of his chair.
"Seto's right," Mokuba said, dragging Kaiba's attention towards him. Mokuba looked like the cat that caught the canary. "Blue Eyes definitely seems to be fitting…for the team, of course."
Kaiba straightened, realizing he had been leaning towards Gardner. He sent his brother another warning glance before turning back to his food. The dinner passed without any more bloodshed, especially since Kaiba had zero interest in pursuing any business interests with Harry. They stood and left the restaurant, Kaiba giving Harry a stiff nod and a breaking hand-shake in dismissal as Mokuba continued to chat with the dancers leading them a few feet away from the restaurant's entrance. Harry tried to rope him into another dinner, but Kaiba simply said "Doubtful," and made his way towards the small group. Kaiba swallowed hard as he heard Mokuba offering them a ride home, insisting it was much safer than taking the railways late at night.
Mary accepted with a grateful smile, complimenting him on his superb manners. Kaiba almost rolled his eyes as his brother puffed his chest. Gardner looked torn between looking concerned and wanting to laugh.
"It's been a long day," Kaiba sighed. "Let's go." He walked a few steps ahead of the group when he heard a small squeal behind him. He whirled to see Gardner's thin stem heel stuck in a crack in the sidewalk, arms frantically moving in a windmill motion to regain her balance. Mary moved towards her but Kaiba got there first, steadying her with his arm around her waist, her face close to his chest.
"I thought dancers were supposed to be graceful," he rumbled.
Gardner snorted into his chest. "We are. On-stage. Unfortunately, that trait doesn't transfer off-stage for me." Her stem came loose from the crack and she stepped back, cheeks tinged with pink. He immediately missed the feel of her, then shoved the feeling down.
Mary's eyes flitted between him and Gardner. Kaiba tugged on his suit jacket. His brother was practically vibrating with amusement, clearly fighting back a smile.
Kaiba thought strangulation would be the best way to kill him. Much more satisfying than a brick to the head.
Gardner thanked him with a small smile and he gave her a stiff nod in return. The night was cool and clear as the group made their way to his car. Kaiba didn't miss how Mokuba maneuvered them so Gardner sat in the front with him, and he and Mary climbed into the back.
Mary gave Kaiba directions to her apartment, only a short distance from where Gardner was living. Mokuba, ever the gentleman, opened Mary's car door and escorted her to the front door. Kaiba watched awkwardly as his brother continued to flirt with the redhead as they stood under the overhang of her apartment building, and he wondered if all women sought a man who could converse so easily with anyone they met.
"Is it selfish of me to hope that Mokuba won't ask Mary out?" Gardner asked suddenly, still gazing at the couple.
"Depends on your reasons, I think," Kaiba answered.
Gardner hummed. "I don't want Mary to get hurt. Your brother has…a reputation, no offense. And if things between them went badly, it would just create a lot of friction that I don't have the energy to deal with." Gardner didn't meet his eyes and continued to stare out the window.
Kaiba shrugged. "I don't think that's selfish, per se. You want to protect your friend and your friendships. If something happens, you just have to trust that they're both mature enough not to let it affect your relationships with them."
He paused before saying, "For what it's worth," Gardner turned to face him, "I don't think Mokuba would do anything unless he was genuinely interested in your friend. He'll probably talk to you about it before he ever does. He respects you too much and probably has the same fear that you do."
Gardner studied him for a minute and then replied, "You do know him best. So, I guess I'll just have to trust you too."