Disclaimer-Yugioh does not belong to me. By the way, I was mistaken about this being the sequel to As Beautiful As You. My bad! It's actually the sequel to Crowd Of Stars so this one is actually the third in that series! Check that one out for sure! On with the story!
"So Serenity, you have to tell me, just between us girls, how torrid exactly was that affair you had with Seto Kaiba?" Serene asked her.
Serenity blushed. "You can't ask me things like that now that you're with my brother! Shame on you!" she scolded her.
"This has nothing to do with me. It's just that you sprung this news on me at your wedding without mentioning it before. You know I love Joey, so spill it sister, all the details." Serene said.
"Okay, okay. I admit I kept that from you, but it wasn't intentional. It was right when I was trying to decide which of them I liked more. They were both so different, Tristen so gentlemanly and tender, Seto so completely opposite..." Serenity began.
"Did you sleep with him?" Serene asked.
"Serene! Oh my gods, I can't believe you asked me a question like that! Yes...yes, I slept with him once. He was my first." she said.
"What was it like? Come on, you can tell me." she said.
"Well, you met him. What do you think he's like?" she asked.
Serene searched her mind quickly for the memory of their meeting. There was no way someone would ever forget meeting the tall redhead if they'd ever had. He was the epitome of cool, levelheaded seriousness, but somewhere lurking beneath his intense blue eyes smoldered an intensity that could probably be both exciting and unpredictable.
"I'm not sure exactly. There's an air of mystery about him." Serene said.
Serenity blushed again. "Well, there was no mystery about the way he made me feel that night. I'd never known a man to be so loving, yet so incredibly passionate until my first time with Tristen. If you hadn't hooked up with Joey, I would've definitely reccomended him to you." Serenity said.
"Hey! I thought I heard my name being mentioned in there. Seems like I got back just in time." Joey told them.
"You have terrific timing, big brother. I was just about to go freshen up for tonight. I'll give you and Serene some time alone." Serenity giggled.
Joey closed the door shut behind his sister, locking it and leaning against it for a moment. "That's the best idea she's had all day. I've been waiting to spend time alone with you again." Joey said.
Serene smiled. "Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?" she asked him.
He smiled and crocked a finger at her. "Come here and find out." he said.
Humoring her cute blonde lover, she walked over to meet him, taking his offered hands. He pulled her into a loose embrace, carressing the side of her face before lowering his mouth to cover hers.
Skimming her tongue across his lips, she felt satisfied when she felt him shudder and deepen the kiss between them with a moan. She loved the feeling of his silky blonde hair underneath her fingers and his warm, moist mouth against hers.
He grasped her waist as he pressed her up against the door, flooding her senses with the memory of his long, lean body against hers. He had been curious about Seto Kaiba after meeting him, she'd admit that, but she knew there was no way he could ever make her feel the way her Joey did...
It felt good to do something different for a change, Seto thought, as he knocked back the drink he'd ordered from the bar. Not usually a drinker, the club he had ended up in seemed to just call for that sort of behavior, telling himself he could send for his car before ever thinking of driving home.
Feeling slightly warm and tipsy from the effects of a few drinks, Seto frowned as he saw a crowd of familiar faces hustle into the darkened club. It was Yugi and his friends Tea, Joey, his business partner Serenity and her best friend Serene.
Not surprised to see her accompaining them, his frown turned into a smile as he realized the opportunity that had been laid before him. True, she had arrived there hand in hand with that dog Joey, he thought, but he would be sure that it was him she would be thinking about later that night.
He noticed them heading towards the bar to pick out a few karoke songs to perform and his plan of action was put into play for him. He watched with a wicked grin as Joey and Serene playfully picked out a song to sing together.
Leaving her for a moment to run to the restroom, Seto stood and walked over to her. She noticed him right away just as he had intended, his blue eyes even more noticeable than ever with him wearing a dark sapphire turtleneck, tailored black slacks, black boots and metallic silver ankle length coat.
"Hello, Seto. It's nice to see you again." she said.
"The pleasure is mine. It seems as though I chose just the right time to be at this unusual nightspot. Are you and your friends going to try some karaoke? I've never done that myself." he told her.
Serene blushed. "I haven't either, but I've been told that I'm a decent singer." she said.
Seto laughed. 'Yes, so have I, but I'm not sure being overheard by your kid brother in the shower qualifies. I'm sure I'll find your singing voice enchanting, Serene." he said.
Seto looked up with a smirk as he saw Joey approach them with a frown.
"Don't you have anything better to do than follow my girlfriend and I around? She's not a duelist, you know." Joey growled.
Seto smiled. "Unlike you, Joey, I have many more interests, and may I say, talents, than just Duel Monsters. Thank you for the conversation, Serene." he said.
"You're welcome, Seto." she told him, as he walked away.
Joey glared at his rival's back.
"It figures that we'd have to bump into him in your hometown. You'd think with all the money he has, he'd send somebody to spy for him." Joey said.
"You're just being suspicious, Joey. It was just a coincendence that he was here. I don't see why you dislike him so much. He seems very nice." she said.
"Yeah. That's what my sister thought too, until she found out by accident that he was seeing her to strength his public image." he said.
"I don't believe that. Serenity would have told me about that if that was true." she said.
Joey narrowed his eyes at Seto, who was sitting in the corner of the bar on his cellphone. "I still don't trust him." Joey said.
As he took her hand to lead her back over to where the rest of the group were sitting, he had given her a lot to think about. Serenity had mentioned overhearing this condition from some of Seto's servents, not wanting to believe it herself.
That had been the weekend that they had spent together in Las Vegas, the weekend he had proposed to her. She remembered Serenity telling her that as much as she had loved Seto and Mokuba and wanted to be a part of their family, she knew her heart really belonged to Tristen and that was who she ultimately chose instead.
She could understand now what Serenity had seen in him, the tall, mysterious, redheaded duelist. Just from looking into his eyes, she could tell that he was very intense, but had incredible depth as well. A rare combination, Serene felt drawn to him even though her heart belonged to Joey. They shared a smile between them as she squeezed his hand lovingly under the table.
"We may have a late night tonight, Serene, but I definitely know where I want to be tonight." Joey told her.
"Where's that?" she asked.
"Nowhere but in your arms, my love. That's the only place I want to be." he said.
"I feel the same way." she said.
"Okay, lovebirds. You two are up next. Are you ready?" Tea teased.
"You're one to talk. I saw the two of you trying to sneak out of the men's room without anyone noticing." Joey told Tea and Yugi.
The couple blushed in unison, with their shared memory of having to run to the restroom at the same time and Tea letting out a small shriek as Yugi grabbed her wrist to pull her into the men's room with him.
Feeling a little less timid than usual, he pressed her up against the wall, plundering her startled mouth with his own, raisinf one of her legs against his hip to make it easier to delve his hand beneath the material of her very short skirt.
"Yugi..." she whispered.
"Not too loud, we don't want to get caught...be good or I'll have to drag into one of the closed stalls and have my way with you." he told her.
He smirked at her as she let out another low shriek on purpose, keeping his promise to punish her. She stared down at him with widened eyes as he locked the door behind them, falling to his knees and raising her skirt to her waist to reveal her to him.
"Yugi..." she whispered.
Pleasring her with his mouth until she was quivering with need, she locked her arms around his slender form as he took his own plasure, the couple attempting a discreet eascape afterwards. They had seen Joey on the way out, the three of them exchanging knowing glances.
"Joey, it sounds like we're up next." Serene reminded him.
"Excuse me, are you Joey Wheeler?" the bartender asked as he walked up to the table.
"That's me." he said.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a call for you at the bar." he told him,
"Okay. I'll be right back, everyone." Joey said.
Serene let out a gasp as she was told by another bartender that it was time for her song. Not really wanting to go onstage without Joey, she went anyway when she was told that they would lose their slot unless she did.
Thank goodness Joey's part in the song doesn't come until the chorus. Blushing so hard she was about to turn a cherry red, Serene coughed to clear her throat for the song they had chosen, Baby, Come To Me by James Ingram and Patti Austin.
Thinking back in time, when love was only in my mind, I realize...ain't no second chance, you got to hold on to romance, don't let it slide. There's a special kind of magic in the air, when you find another heart that needs to share...
Where is Joey, Serene thought, what's taking him so long? She just knew she couldn't face the embarrassment of singing the whole song alone and began to inwardly panic just before she heard another voice join hers onstage. To her surprise, it was not her Joey that walked up, but Seto Kaiba instead.
Baby, come to me. Let me put my arms around you, this was meant to be and I'm oh so glad I found you...need you every day, got to have your love around me. Baby, always stay, because I can't go back to living without you...
Having always been one of her favorite songs, Serene lost herself in the moment with the captivating duelist as he began his part of the song.
Spending every dime to keep you on the line, that's how it was...and all those walks together, out in any kind of weather, just because...there's a brand new way of looking at your life, when you know that love is standing by your side...
Looking up into Seto's eyes as he took her hands in his during the chorus, Serene didn't even notice that Joey had returned from the bar, his mouth open in surprise when he saw the two of them onstage together. She found herself completely lost in his smile and in the singing voice that he had boasted of having. She nearly swooned as he began to sing again, him grasping her shoulders to keep her steady.
The night can be cold...there's a chill to every evening when you're all alone...
She smiled at him, as he nodded to her to sing the nex tpart, feeling an overwhelming need to be close to him.
Don't talk anymore, becuase that i'm here to keep you warm...
Applause broke out int he bar as the pair shared a smile, rocking together as they finsihed the last chorus.
Baby, come to me, let me put my arms around you...this was meant to ne and I'm oh so glad I found you. Need you every day, got to have your love around me. Baby, always stay, because I can't go back to living without you...
The pair shared another smile and a laugh as they accepted the audience's applause, Seto politely leading Serene down off the stage. Joey was right at the bottom of the stage, waiting.
"I'm so sorry, Serene. I couldn't get whoever it was off the phone with me. You sounded wonderful up there, no thanks to Kaiba here." Joey said.
Seto snorted at him. "You protest too much, puppy. If it had been me, I wouldn't have left my lovely comapnion for any reason." he told him, walking away.
"Damn that Kaiba! He really pisses me off!" Joey sneered.
Seenity sighed. "Well, I'm ready to call it an early night. I'm still exhausted from the plane ride." she said.
"Yugi and I are going to check into my dance academy dorm hall to spend the night if that's okay with everyone." Tea said.
"That's fine. The three of us were planning to sleep in anyway. Serene's first appointment tomorrow isn't until two." Joey said.
Standing up to help Serene on with her coat, Joey was too tired fromt heir flight to notice Serene looking over at Seto for a moment in the corner before they all left.
Seto smiled. He had accomplished his goal for that evening. He might not be going home with the lovely Serene that night, but he knew he would not be far from her thoughts. And if the phone calls he had made since their duet proved fruitful, the look in her eyes that had been there onstage would soon only be for him...