Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of it's affiliates.

Author's Notes: I'm elated that everyone likes this story...and as for the other's I've put out, I will get them updated as soon as possible. Kinda hard to juggle writing, my job, and my 9 week old, but i shall prevail!!

"All right, so we're going to finish going through with the merger and you're company will benefit from what you're doing." Bulma smiled happily as she finished her last conference with the owner of the company making the merger.

"Thank you for being so helpful with this whole thing, I know you must be tired from all the work."

"No, I'm so far from tired I could be considered overactive. Unlike my esteemed colleague, I don't get distracted easily."

"He chases anything in a skirt does he?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm..." Lifting her eyebrow, the older woman studied the girl in front of her then smiled. "How would you like to have lunch with me?"

"I...sure, I'd love to."

They were sitting in a nice restaurant when her client asked the first question.

"You like this man don't you?"

"Mrs. Smith, I don't know what you're talking about."

Mrs. Smith laughed softly then lit a cigarette. "I know exactly what I'm talking about. During the two weeks you two have been here, I have seen you so depressed it could have made me cry. The only reason I can see you being depressed about would be if you liked him."

"I...I do like him."

"Then go after him."

"I can't...he's not interested in me and he's lied to me every time we've talked. Except in the coffee shop the night before we came here. He drove me home and was the only person to see my artwork. I never felt as good as I had felt when he said that I was a good artist. It was like having my first crush all over again...but he didn't end up the way my first crush ended up."

"What happened with your first crush?"

"We dated for several years and I never had...intercourse with him so he started beating me during our second year together. By the time I had graduated from high school, I was convinced that I deserved every punch, kick, and slap I received. When my mother found out about it...she killed him. She was put in jail for it but got out on self-defense because he was going to hit her with a baseball bat that he'd been using on me."

"Oh my god...how did you survive all of this?"

"I barely did survive it. I thought I had loved him and had to start seeing a shrink until I got over the emotional trauma in my life. It took me nearly three years for the whole thing to fade...but sometimes I have dreams about him and I'll wake up in tears. It's like he's still alive and I can feel him...hurting me."

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, I'm not. I'm so happy that it's all over and I don't have to live through it anymore."

"Have...have you ever had another relationship since then?"

"No...I protected more than my heart since then."

"You're a virgin aren't you?"

"Yeah...I'm twenty-five and a confirmed virgin."

"You'll be very put-out when you finally have sex."

"I'm not planning on ever having sex. No man wants me and all of them think I'm crazy anyway."

"My dear girl, I don't know what you're talking about. When you two came into my office yesterday, I was almost embarrassed by the way he kept watching you. He wants you and I daresay that he might love you. It's up to you whether or not you'll find out if it's true."

"I'm afraid of finding out that he doesn't want me. Did you know that I almost slept with him the first night here?"

"Really? Is that how he got all those hickeys?"

Lowering her gaze sadly, she felt tears pricking her eyes as she shook her head. "No...I never got around to that with him. He got drunk that night because...I kicked him out of my room and called him a liar."

"Why?"

"He told me I was perfect."

"Oh...poor child. He does think you're perfect. If you can't see it in his eyes then you've been blinded by what your ex used to do to you."

"I..." She felt tears running down her face then burst into silent sobs. "I never had a man look at me that way before. I'm not used to it."

"Shh...honey, it'll be just fine, you'll see. Why didn't he come with you today?"

"Because we got into another fight and I slapped him."

"You slapped him?"

"He kept saying that I was flaunting myself in front of other men while we were in the pool. I wasn't doing anything at all and he got angry about something before throwing his towel on the ground and stalking off. The next thing I knew, he was standing next to my chair, scowling while I read my book. He grabbed my book and threw it in the pool...I was so confused."

"Were you wearing a bikini?"

"No...I had on a tankini and he didn't like it. When I protested about him throwing my book in the pool, he snorted then walked away again. Then he glared at me while I salvaged what remained of my book. I just didn't understand what his problem was."

"How many men were there?"

"Like...ten or fifteen."

"How old?"

"Ranging from...early teens to late forties...why?"

"That's the problem dear."

"But...there were other women there."

"And were they housewife looking women?"

"Kind of."

"Did you ever feel like someone was talking about you while you were there?"

"Once or twice."

"He was jealous then. All those guys were adding fuel to his fire when they started talking about you."

"Oh."

"And I'll bet there were a few comments about your legs and your butt."

"My butt?"

"Yes dear. Generally men will say things like, I want some of that ass...it enrages boyfriends more often than not. I'll bet he was afraid you were going to end up in a room with one of them."

"But..."

"And acting innocent about the whole thing enraged him more because he thought you were being coy. You say he chases women all the time yet he also asks you out a lot?"

"Yes...but what does..."

"It has everything to do with his normal dating game. He's probably used to all the games women play to get men to go after them and you...you're confusing to him."

"I never knew."

"Of course not dear. He's a man and men rarely let it known that they're confused. Now, what else happened that day?"

"Well...I went out to dinner with him in an effort to make him feel better but it only made him angrier and we got into our fight when we left the restaurant."

"What started it?"

"Me I suppose. I remember dropping my wallet and getting it then some man coming up to me and saying something I never caught. Then he starts walking away and growling obscenities under his breath that were rather insulting to me and any man that came near me."

"Really?"

"Yeah then I started yelling at him about how he'd been acting the whole day. He just stared at me blankly then frowned and said I was nothing but a tease. I was nothing but a fucking tease and he hoped I got what I was after. I slapped him then stared at him in horror because I thought he'd hit me." She shook her head then took a sip of her wine. "He just closed his eyes slowly before opening them and looking at me so sadly before tapping my nose with one finger and walking away. He made me feel like a little kid who had just talked back to their father."

"I thought as much. That boy is infatuated with you."

"I...never expected him to like me."

"Well!" Mrs. Smith grinned then leaned forward after putting her cigarette out. "This is great because I have just the thing for you to do."

"What?"

"You're going to..."

::::::well, there's an evil cliffhanger if i've ever done one before::::