Chapter 2:

"Why are you getting dressed up?"

Seto finished buttoning his shirt and slid on his peak lapel jacket. Tom Ford. Black Silk Canvas. One of many fine suits he'd acquired over the years. A recommendation from Hideki nonetheless. He held up a couple different ties while standing in front of the mirror.

"I have a business dinner."

Mokuba eyed him incredulously over the top of his Ipad. "I've never seen you fuss this much about how you look…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Seto turned around, ties in hand. "I was named in the Top 5 of Japan for best dressed entrepreneurs."

"It's a girl isn't it?"

Seto pursed his lips. That obvious, huh? Maybe if he'd already picked out a tie it wouldn't have looked so bad. But there he was trying to decide between a textured black or solid black tie. He'd even considered a pop of color, but he was already making this decision too difficult to widen the field.

"You remember that pop diva whose concert you got backstage passes to…?"

"I get backstage passes a lot of places, Seto."

Point taken. Seto walked over to the couch where his brother sat, deciding on the textured tie. "Britannia Gilders." Mokuba tried to hide his smirk. "Don't think for a second I didn't recognize your sneaky effort to push that."

"She's a really good singer." Mokuba still wouldn't look at him. "And I liked when she was around."

"It won't be like that this time."

Mokuba shot him a glare. "That's your fault."

"I'm well aware of my past transgressions."

"You should probably know she's engaged too."

Seto's jaw nearly hit the floor, but he turned his back so Mokuba couldn't see. "To who?"

"Some baseball player…"

He busied himself with knotting his tie and taking another look in the full standing mirror he'd propped against the wall. He broke up with her. And some other guy got smart about keeping a woman like that on his arm. Not something he could afford to feel bad about. It just struck him as odd that she still accepted his dinner invite…

"It's a business dinner, Mokuba." It was more for him to tell himself that again. "Hopefully, she'll agree to an impromptu concert at Kaiba Land."

"Good luck with that…"

Seto tousled Mokuba's hair as he headed for the door. "Call me if there's an emergency."

. . . .

Candlelight reflecting off his wine glass as he raised it to his lips, Seto stared at the entrance of the restaurant. 7:45pm flashed on his cellphone as the reminder binged. He wouldn't have blamed her for standing him up. At least he had a good wine to keep his mind off things. A fantastic red blend from Rhone. Fruity, hints of cherry and black currant. Spicy, tinged with anise and pepper. Leaving a velvety chocolate aftertaste that lingered on the tongue.

A commotion up front interrupted his reverie. He craned his neck and caught a glimpse of a gorgeous blonde being escorted his way. Wine burned down his throat as he accidently took a long drink. He tried to choke down his sputtering while his eyes skimmed over lithe, elegant legs strutting in silver stilettos with a draping chandelier embellishment. Working his way up her black cape sleeved dress, tight against her slender body, he noted the diamond necklace that rested just above her breasts. All neatly tied together with an Audrey Hepburn bun that looked like she'd just stepped out of "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

Britannia Gilders wove through the seated tables, greeting other celebrities with a kiss to each cheek. If he wanted more time to stare at her, it would have been easier if her blue eyed glare wasn't sinking daggers into his neck.

The host pulled her seat out for her, which she gracefully accepted. Setting her clutch on the table and folding her hands together, she trapped him in her gaze.

Repressed memories were beginning to be a problem. He wasn't prepared for how beautiful she looked, and he was afraid he'd make another mistake that would make her leave.

The waiter coming over saved him from having to speak. "What can I get you to drink, Miss Gilders?"

Figured…she'd been here before. Probably frequented it.

Seto took his chance as Britannia began glancing through the wine list. "A glass of Gerard Bertrand Clos du Temple Rosè." Her eyeroll smacked the smirk from his face.

"That would be fine. Thank you." A silence passed while Seto hid himself in his wine glass. "Ordering my favorite wine doesn't guarantee I'll agree to anything."

"It was worth a try." Seto set his glass down before he finished it. "You look unbelievable."

"And compliments are even less likely to work."

Seto grumbled with frustration. He should have known she still held a grudge. "Think you're being a bit icy, Brit-"

"You lost the right to call me that years ago."

"Fine." Seto cleared his throat, busying himself with folding his napkin on his lap to avoid her stare. "Shall we get to business?"

"That's the only reason I'm here."

Seto began to miss the sweet, sing-song way she used to talk. While she still brightened up the room, it was a cold light she radiated. Like the moon in wintertime. Tender beams glinting off the snow but offering no warmth in the night. His chest ached at the thought of being the reason she changed…

"As you may have heard, my company took a hit financially and publicly. I am hosting a duel tournament to promote my newest theme park and attempt to rebuild my image." Seto paused as the waiter returned with her wine. He gestured for another to be brought for him. "And I couldn't help thinking who better to feature before the semifinal and final than the Darling of American Pop Music?"

Britannia sipped her wine, letting it sit on her tongue before swallowing. "It's short notice…"

"I can get advertisements out by tomorrow morning."

"It's no concern about my ability to draw a crowd." She tried to hide a small smile when he chuckled at her arrogant remark. "But convincing my crew to put together a show in just a few days might require me to cancel part of my Midwest tour next month."

"I realize I'm putting you in a tough spot. But there's a chance of a high payout should things go accordingly."

"Money is money." Britannia drummed her fingers on the table. "I just owe them a long break if they pull this together for me."

"I can give you fifty percent of ticket sales-"

"Let's take a look at that once we have an idea how many are attending." Britannia finally let her icy façade slip. Her features seemed to soften a bit as she relaxed. "We'll get to work by tomorrow afternoon."

Seto breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't imagined it would go so smoothly. But with that out of the way…he needed to find something else to pass up the time as the waiter brought out the first course. He felt nerves creeping up as he took a bite of caviar from his sabayon.

"How have you been…?" The words left his mouth quietly. He wasn't sure she heard him!

"Can't complain." She twirled her spoon around her bowl. "My career has run off in ways I didn't expect… I just released my third album with a song charted at number one for the last two months. Third time I've received that distinction. Sang the national anthem at The World Series…"

Seto couldn't help himself. At the mention of The World Series, his eyes flickered down to her hand then back to her face. Trying to see if a diamond glinted in the candlelight. Trying not to be obvious.

"I broke the engagement off two months ago." His face felt hot as she fixed him with an irritated glance. He tried to sputter something, but it all came out unintelligible. "With your obvious staring, you should have just asked."

A sense of relief washed over him. He couldn't wait to tell Mokuba his information had been outdated. "I apologize for my rudeness."

"I wouldn't have agreed to dinner if I'd still been engaged."

"I think you would have." Seto smirked. "Even if it was just curiosity to see how your old flame is doing."

"I don't think I've been that curious about you." She took a long sip from her wine. "Haven't bothered to google you in the past three years."

"No need to. I make headlines all over the world – it's impossible not to hear how my life is going."

"Hard to believe it was this charming personality of yours that I fell for."

"I'm well aware that my good looks were what kept you around."

"Actually, it was your credit card."

The ice cracked as she began to laugh. Lips parting with a big, toothy smile that dimpled her cheeks. He watched her from over the rim of his glass, transfixed. The warmth she radiated. Enchanting as the candlelight flame that danced in the middle of the table.

Course after course followed. Their conversation carrying on about work. He found himself inclined to just listen to her talk about the ups and downs of getting herself record deals and venue bookings. The other artists she had met – the ones she liked and especially the ones she disliked. How she spent six months in a pop group that specialized in song covers. How she tried pop-rock and dance music but ultimately went back to her usual genre.

"I adore the artists that produce those kinds of songs, but I think I struggled with the image part of it the most. How I should dress or present myself. Guess you could say I didn't fit in." Britannia's eyes widened as the waiter exchanged her plate for another one. "How many courses did you order…?"

Seto cut into his filet. "I think nine."

"That's one way to keep me around for an evening."

She didn't miss a beat – continuing on about her successes in defining herself and her initial mistakes. How she tripped on a wire during one of her first solo performances and broke her ankle on stage. The tabloids were most concerned with the expletives she let out when it happened…

"My manager ripped me apart after. I spent an entire day crying over how my career was over." Britannia took a moment to savor the salted caramel mousse she took a bite out of. "Meanest thing that man has done to me. I toughened up quickly after that."

"So now the show goes on even if you break something?" Seto chided.

"I just don't curse anymore when a performance goes wrong." Her laughter forced a smile on his face. She took another bite from her dessert, but her eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry. I've been over here eating this without asking if you wanted any!"

Seto polished off his second wine glass. "I don't have much of a sweet tooth to be honest." He chuckled to himself, feeling the alcohol go to his head a bit. "Well…at least not for desserts."

Panic washed over him as the words slipped out. But her lashes fluttered as she fixed him with a desirous look.

"That sounds like a conversation best had over another bottle of wine…" Britannia mused.

Not wanting to lose the moment, Seto quickly pulled out his credit card as he saw the waiter from the corner of his eye. He asked the man to add a bottle of that rosè to his bill while he was at it. "Is that an invitation?"

Her face flushed with color and she wrinkled her nose. "Um. No. Just thinking out loud…" She seemed relieved when the waiter came back with her bottle. Seto glowered at the man for being so fast… "You didn't need to buy that for me."

"Consider it a thank you for helping me."

Seto stood, offering his arm to her. With a grin, she curled herself up against him like she used to while walking out of the restaurant. He liked the envious, gossipmonger expressions that followed him. A cool blonde in a tight black dress was just his type. And he hoped the tabloids tomorrow had a good headline for their stepping out together.

"Dinner's on me next time," Britannia said as they waited for the valet to bring up their cars.

"I'll have to find room in my schedule for that…" Seto glanced sidelong at her. "This week and next need my attention."

Britannia let out an annoyed sigh. "It's always like that with you…"

"I do have a business to reestablish-"

She leaned in close, fingers gently pulling his chin as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I can't promise I'll be around when you finally find time."

Seto stood, dumbfounded while she took her keys from the valet. His skin burned, seared from her red lipstick kiss. His heart thudded against his ribcage, threatening to spill out onto the pavement. He shook his head and walked over to where she slid into her white Maserati Quattroporte.

"And I thought it was an attractive car before you got in." Seto gave a low whistle while leaning in her window.

Britannia revved the engine. "Don't look so impressed. I'm sure you own one of these too."

"Mine's black."

She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "See you tomorrow, Seto."

Hands in his pockets, Seto watched her drive off. It may not have meant she forgave him, but it was enough to take a weight off his shoulders. And enough to make him look forward to seeing her around more often.