Sorry I didn't post sooner, I had way too many papers to write.
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.
A few minutes later the maid entered the room on a knock and, with a deep bow, helped her into the exquisite dress. Apart from introducing herself and asking how she wanted her hair, she did not say a word to Bulma or make eye contact for that matter. It was not that she was rude, but instead it was she kept treating her like she was important, and she was but the maid didn't know that. She was just one of the many refugees. Her identity as The Tinker was better kept a secret in case Frieza had spies here. It was agreed upon even before the finer details of the escape had been established. Perhaps she needed to remind the King of Jerks of this and make sure he understands its importance.
No one must think she was any more important than the others. With time Frieza would forget about his missing harem, even if she did fake everyone's deaths there was still a chance that Frieza would learn of their survival. He may not care if he found out about a few survivors but he most certainly would care if he found out she lived. He would hunt her down and make her pay. She shivered with fright at the thought.
The ballroom was surprisingly, elegantly decorated as opposed to the starkness of the rest of the palace. It had gigantic crystal chandeliers with black and red crystals adorning them. The carpet was blood red while the dance floor looked to be made of obsidian. Tables and chairs were set up on the carpets and each person was assigned to a table that contained an equal number of Saiyen males and human females. Each night the table partners were switched so that each Saiyen male had a chance to scent out his mate if she was there. Anyone who found their mate would be permanently assigned to the lucky female's table so they could get to know each other better. Any matings were to be put on hold until the female agreed to it. They had been through enough trauma with Frieza, and Vegeta didn't want to make it worse by forcing them to mate before they were mentally ready.
"Bulma," ChiChi called waving her over to where she was sitting next to Kakarot. She was dressed in a rose colored pink gown that had material flowers placed sporadically along and under the bodice.
"Hi ChiChi, you look gorgeous girl!" Bulma gushed.
"Not as gorgeous as you! Where did you get that dress? Its stunning on you with your hair and eyes! You look like a girl and not a little boy for once." Bulma laughed nervously at ChiChi's words. She knew her friend didn't mean to insult her but the truth was she dressed the way she did to avoid Frieza's attention. Maybe now she was free of him she could afford to dress girlier. It couldn't hurt, although it still might get her the wrong sort of attention from the wrong person. However, she doubted that anyone here would attempt anything without her consent.
She thought back to what Vegeta had said to her about her being his mate, surely he wouldn't attempt anything improper. Besides her and her people mating these men was not what had been agreed upon. They were to be given shelter and protection in exchange for her coming to work for them. That was it, nothing more.
"Where are you sitting?" ChiChi said pulling Bulma from her thoughts, "I'm with Marcy and Mia over here with Kakarot, his brother Raditz, the tall one with the long hair over there, and Leri, the one with short hair and the handlebar mustache. They seem to be nice but who knows since some of Frieza's men seemed to be nice too, right before they would try to get you off alone to do stuff to you." ChiChi said seriously.
A growling sound came from Kakarot at the mention of this, " ChiChi, I vow to you that no one here will ever hurt you and the other refugees. The very suggestion that any of us would makes me want to smash something." Kakarot said angrily which was uncharacteristic of him. He grabbed ChiChi's hand kissed it and placed it on his heart. This caused ChiChi to blush and pull her hand away quickly. She told him to make himself useful as a Saiyen Protector and bring her a drink, which he hurried to comply.
Afterward, Bulma noticed that her friend kept shooting Kakarot glances and trying to be inconspicuous about it. Catching her friend's eye she winked and said, "You like him don't you, don't bother denying I saw you blushing like you are doing now. "
"I don't know what you are talking about, he may be kind and sexy but he is from a brutish race. I had enough of brutish races dealing with Frieza and his men. Why would I possibly want to be tangled up with someone from another brutish race." She enunciated this as one of the men near them sent another one into the wall over an argument they were having. The man who went flying charged the other man. Kakarot stepped in between them to break it up but got caught up in it and was now trying to pull the men apart.
"Oh for the love of the Goddess," ChiChi said, storming over to the men. She grabbed the two men fighting Kakarot by the hair and banged their heads together. "Listen up you idiots, I am sick of dealing with brutish, uncivilized men like yourselves. If you can't behave like gentlemen then you can leave this room and not come back until you learn that fighting does not solve everything." She screamed at them some more before walking back to where Bulma stood.
"I thought you were one of Frieza's delicate pretties as he called them," a voice said behind Bulma.
Turning she discovered King Vegeta standing behind her, way to close for her liking. "I may have been one of his harem, but I've seen rude behavior in my time. I may not like it but I know how to deal with it." ChiChi said before Bulma could respond.
"Well it seems you can certainly handle yourself in a sticky situation like your friend here." Vegeta said to ChiChi, indicating Bulma. "Unlike you who stands up to those who can clearly kill her with a simple ki blast."
"Yes, ChiChi can certainly handle these over grown children. Are you trying to start a fight? I'll have you know most of Frieza's men were terrified of me and the ones who thought otherwise only needed a simple reminder…I know where they sleep."
"Funny, I could say the same thing about you Woman…I know where you sleep and you don't know where I sleep, but you will eventually. Perhaps sooner than you think and I'll just say this once. I know some very creative ways in which I can retaliate. But don't worry, you will love my punishment for your indiscretions, any you make in the future and also for the one earlier. I don't care that its your first day, you will learn respect, even if I have to bend you over my knee to get it Woman." Vegeta purred while not so discreetly looking down her dress then back up to her face.
"How dare you, you obnoxious jerk!" Bulma screeched, "I have half a mind to slap you again, no wonder you are single, no woman in her right mind would put up with you! You jerk, its rude to constantly grope and manhandle me. You are just like Frieza, doing what ever you please without the consent of the others involved. And for the record the name is Bulma, B.U.L.M.A. Not Woman, get it right!"
"Woman, I will do as I please I am KING, in case you forgot and as KING I demand respect. Trust me, you will learn to respect me soon enough and for the record I AM NOTHING LIKE FRIEZA. DO NOT COMPARE ME TO HIM." Vegeta growled predatorily. Abruptly, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming down he said, "Look, I understand you had it rough with Frieza but trust me when I say you all are safe with us. My men and I would rather die than let any harm befall you. You have my word; I personally will make it so you never have to worry about your safety again. Trust me, you all are the most precious people on this planet, there is nothing my men and I wouldn't do for you." Vegeta said this so that everyone would hear not just their group. While he and Bulma had been arguing the rest of the room had gone quiet, listening to their conversation.
Vegeta took Bulma's hand, kissed it and continued speaking. "There is one thing I want to confess to everyone. The reason we agreed to take you all in is because if you hadn't noticed we have very few women of our own among us. Many Years ago Frieza attacked a ship carrying nothing but women and children from our old, dying planet to our new one. It left us with a male to female ratio of about 30 to 1. We have been struggling because it took away many of our mates or future mates. We are able to sense our mates when we are brought in close proximity to them. Many of my people, who had mates or sensed their loss, chose to end their lives, rather than live without them. Frankly we didn't think it was possible that we could mate outside our species until ChiChi brought Kakarot some food and he sensed that she belonged to him."
There was a gasp at this as ChiChi stared at Kakarot in shock.
"So you are expecting us to fill the void of these lost females? You know some of us have had it worse than the rest and may never be able to tolerate the touch of a male let alone have sex with them." Bulma interjected quickly.
"We hope that with time and the help of your mates, you all will be able to function in a healthy relationship." Vegeta said, "Rest assured ladies, none of you will be forced to do anything you are not comfortable doing. All you have to say is stop and my men will. However, to ease your mind, I have already told my men that once they found their mate they were not allowed to actually form the mate bond with you until you gave your consent. They will have to earn your trust first. This being said, Saiyen males are very protective of their mates. If one senses that you are theirs you will be moved into their rooms to live together so you will become accustomed to their presence. I repeat they will NOT force them selves on you. This is not only for your safety but to prevent fights. Saiyen males are not just protective of their mates but territorial and I'd hate to have you ladies inadvertently causing avoidable fights because you are not near your mate."
"I can see your logic in that," Bulma said, "you promise your men wont hurt us?"
"You have my personal vow to the Goddess that anyone who harms you in any way will be cut up into small pieces and you can watch as those pieces are fed to a Swamp Slug." Vegeta vowed to everyone in the room but kept him eyes on Bulma, silently promising her something she did not quite understand yet.
As quickly as he appeared, the king vanished from Bulma's side leaving her to chat with some of the other guests at the party. Saiyen males gradually introduced themselves to her and the other women near her. She met Tom and his twin Ato who were identical except for their unusual hair. One had bright red hair while the other had green hair. Another Saiyen named Snip also introduced himself to her. He had hair that pointed up like a stalagmite on his head. He was explaining that he was one of the envoys charged with taking goods to other planets when a bell rang signaling that dinner was ready. Bulma looked around for her seat in confusion, none of the tables seemed to have a place for her.
Someone wrapped an arm around her from behind, causing her to jump, and said, "Woman, come with me, we have our own special table. "
She turned to see Vegeta; he really needed to stop sneaking up on her like that, "Why do you keep singling me like this, what makes me so special?"
"Ah, my dear Woman, do you remember our conversation when we first met? I called you something, what was it?" Vegeta's voice took on the tone of a teacher explaining something to a student.
Bulma thought back to their first meeting, she had been so flustered from the kiss, that she barely remembered the conversation. Then it hit her, her face took on a shocked expression.
"It can't be…I can't be your mate," she stammered.
"Oh but it can be and you most certainly are, I knew that my mate was near the moment you stepped foot on this planet. I also sensed you coming closer when I was waiting to meet with the Tinker. I'll have to admit, I did not expect you to be the same person but I see it as a pleasant bonus. Beauty and brains, not many are as lucky as me but of course I am the king so naturally I would be graced with a mate with both. The moment I saw you I knew you were mine." His voice in her ear made her shiver, during their conversation he had maneuvered his body so his arm was around her shoulders and his tail was around her waist. For some reason, it made her feel safe and cherished but she'd never tell him that. He guided her to a smaller table that was set for two, which she hadn't noticed before.
Vegeta helped Bulma to sit but not before taking the opportunity to graze his hand across her butt one more time. She sent him a glare and he couldn't help but return it with a smirk. It was just too much fun touching her in different places to get reactions from her. It brought out her fire and that fire seemed to do things to him; things that he didn't dare voice aloud. Besides it was way more fun toying with his prey. She was just so delectable and he just wanted to eat her up.
"Do you have to keep doing that?" Bulma asked.
"Doing what, my little tinker?" Vegeta asked playfully with a smirk as he sat down next to her.
"You know."
"Oh you mean this?" Vegeta said placing his hand on her upper thigh. "Or this?" he said pretending to knock his napkin onto her lap. He bent down to pick it up and turned his head so it was level with her breasts. He quickly dipped his head towards her and placed a kiss on her breast before righting himself with a smirk.
"You jerk! If you think I'm going to mate with you, you've got another thing coming." Bulma hissed, not wanting to cause a scene. Instead she kicked his shin from under the table, causing him to grunt in surprise.
"Now, now, that wasn't very nice my little tinker, remember we are at a feast and not alone." He laughed, her kick was so weak it did not hurt him. However, she needed to learn who was boss around here, he moved his hand higher up on her thigh and gave it a squeeze.
"Arggggg," Bulma growled and discretely placed her hand on his penis and gave it a light squeeze. I'll show him, turn abouts fair play! Bulma thought inwardly. We'll see who gave the last laugh! She proceeded to discretely, gently stroke him.
He tried to put a hand on her wrist to stop her but she quickly said, "Now, now King of the Jerks, in your eagerness to get us seated alone together, you set up our table at an angle that it would look rather odd if you put your hand in your lap for any length of time. Right? People may look over and think you are up to no good what with how close you have us sitting. As it is some might think you are up to no good with your hand under the table like it is." She gave him a smirk of her own to which Vegeta growled. She was right in his eagerness to be alone with her he had placed them so that if his hand was under the table for any length of time it looked like he was groping her, which he had been doing but his people didn't need to know that. He had told them they had to restrain themselves yet he was not setting a good example for them. He had promised her people safety from groping and rape yet he was giving them no reason to trust him currently. He growled again and settled for draping his arm across her shoulder. After another stroke, she removed her hand from his surprisingly hard member. Man, what am I an untried boy? One touch and she already has me harder than Kakarot's head. I guess I'll have to make her pay later, now I have to sit here through dinner like this. He growled and did what a sappier man would do, he pouted inwardly of course though. To the rest of the world he remained his stoic self.
So what do you think? I finally had Bulma give Vegeta some payback.