Téa woke up the next day to the sound of the doorbell. She pulled on her silk robe and went downstairs to answer the door, but Margaret was already at the door. Téa walked up next to her and found the designer, James Patterson, holding her now light blue dress she had altered. She squealed in excitement and pulled him in the door.
Margaret laughed at her reaction and waited by the bathroom door to see how the dress looked.
When Téa stepped out into the living room wearing the dress and Margaret gasped. Téa was a pretty girl normally, but when she was put in an elegant gown like that she was breathtaking. James was at a loss for words. Téa was going to be the first celebrity to display any of his gowns to the world. She was definitely going to make an impact too. He felt so blessed to have been given the opportunity to dress her. He smiled and said, "I doubt Mr. Kaiba will be able to keep his hands off of you. When is the party?"
"Two more days," she replied, with excitement. Suddenly her face blanched. In two days, her engagement would be announced "officially" to the world. She saw how paparazzi used to follow Kaiba in his dueling tournaments. Was she going to be thrust into the spotlight like that? The thought made her stomach curl.
She had always hoped to become a famous ballerina, but generally ballerinas were not hounded by people wanting to take their photograph, or asked to make public statements. Suddenly she saw a hand wave in front of her face. She looked up to see Margaret asking, "Téa, are you alright?"
Téa smiled half-heartedly and asked, "Do you take credit?"
…
Téa placed the dress in her closet and called up Mai. Mai was going to pick her up and they were going to go to the café to talk. She heard the car honk, grabbed her purse and left with haste.
Once at the coffee shop, Téa took in a deep breath, she loved the smell of coffee. She loved it even more now that it reminded her of the passionate kiss she shared with Seto last night. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly, but it wasn't from the coffee.
Mai sat down with Téa in a booth, and Téa asked, "Mai, once the engagement is official in the eyes of the public, do you think I will be able to lead my normal and private life?" Mai took a sip from her coffee and answered, "I doubt it Téa. You are going to practically be Japanese Royalty once you marry Kaiba. Everyone is going to want to see you and meet you."
Téa sat her head on the table and let out an irritated grunt. Mai then said, "But, there are some perks to being married to someone as famous as Kaiba."
Téa lifted her head up slightly, to show that she was listening.
Mai continued, "Well, since you are marrying Kaiba, I am willing to bet that every dance school in the country will want you to be part of their alumni.
Téa rolled her eyes and replied, "I want to get into a dance school with my own merit, not simply because of association."
Mai started to laugh and said, "There really is no pleasing you is there?"
Téa rolled her eyes and asked, "Do you mind dropping me off at Seto's office? He only has about an hour before his lunch break and I want to bring him a cup of coffee."
Mai winked at her and asked, "Are you bringing him just the coffee, or are you bringing him dessert as well?"
Téa rolled her eyes at Mai's joke and then said, "Actually, he might want a cookie or something…" She called over the barista to her table. Mai frowned and accused, "I didn't mean a real cookie and you know it!"
Téa smirked and ended up ordering Seto a cup of black coffee and a piece of strawberry shortcake.
…
When Téa pulled up to Kaiba Corp, she walked up to the front desk and saw the lady who was rude to her on her first visit. She walked up smiling and greeted, "Hello Miss Webster. How are you doing today?"
Miss Webster recognized her immediately and asked, "Would you like to see Mr. Kaiba today?"
Téa nodded and replied, "If he is available at the moment."
Miss Webster nodded and said, "I will call him and ask."
Téa jumped up and asked, "Actually, can I call him?"
Miss Webster was surprised, but nodded. She handed Téa the phone and typed in the number to Kaiba's office.
Téa waited until Kaiba said, "Yes Miss Webster,"
Téa giggled and said, "I just wanted to inform you that your favorite tramp has arrived."
Suddenly Téa heard a man in the background laughing and she turned beet red. She didn't realize that Kaiba had pressed the intercom button in his office instead of picking up the phone. Miss Webster shook her head and got back to working on the computer.
Seto put his hand to his head in embarrassment. He could feel a headache coming on. He then explained, "I am currently in the middle of a meeting, but…" He was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Oh Kaiba boy, stop being such a prude. I would be delighted to meet your favorite tramp."
"Is that Pegasus?" Téa asked over the phone.
Pegasus replied back over the intercom button, "I see you have heard of me. Come on up dear, I would be delighted to meet you."
Figuring that she couldn't possibly interrupt up this meeting further, he said, "Tell Ms. Webster to give you the key." Kaiba then turned to Pegasus and said, "For the record, she is my fiancé."
Pegasus gave Kaiba a seductive glance and said, "It's about time Kaiba boy. I thought you were going to invent yourself a robotic girlfriend for a while there."
"Too bad I hadn't thought of that first," Kaiba mumbled to himself, still feeling mortified at Téa's announcement.
The elevator dinged, signaling her arrival. Seto and Pegasus stood out of respect. When Pegasus saw Téa standing there he grinned. He recognized her and said, "I remember you. You're the DDR champion and friend's with Yugi Motou. You were cheering for him by the sidelines in duelist kingdom." Téa nodded and Pegasus continued, "She is an absolute vision Kaiba. What was it that made you ask for her hand in marriage?"
Kaiba lowered his head to hide his red face and replied, "She is unpredictable..." He didn't really want to answer, but he knew that once it was officially announced, he would be expected to answer similar questions. It wasn't really what he should have said, but he wasn't prepared for the question.
Pegasus laughed and responded, "I'll say, one minute she is Yugi's prize cheerleader and now she is your lapdog. What on earth did you do to tip the scales in your favor?"
Téa gasped in surprise, she couldn't how rude Pegasus was being to her.
Despite Kaiba's anger, he still wanted to try to get a contract with industrial illusions. "Pegasus, I am sure Téa has plenty to do today. Can we get back to business now?"
Pegasus smirked, "Certainly, we can. That would give Téa some time to disrobe for her next financier."
Kaiba pointed to the door and said, "Leave!"
Téa looked up at him in shock and her hands started to shake. Tears pooled in her eyes and threatened to spill over as she turned to exit. Seto stopped her by saying, "Not you Téa."
She turned back around and saw Kaiba stand up and look Pegasus in the eye. Kaiba repeated himself to Pegasus and said, "Leave."
"What about our contract?" Pegasus asked, "We haven't finished writing it."
Kaiba picked up the paper they were working on and ripped it in half. He then crossed his arms and stared Pegasus down. Pegasus smirked and replied, "Fine, I didn't really need this contract with you anyway. Just remember that Yugi had her first."
Pegasus walked out the door and smirked when he saw a stapler fly past his head.
When the door shut, Kaiba slammed his hand on the desk. There was only so much stupidity he could handle in a day.
Téa shakily sat his coffee and piece of cake on his desk. She was about to leave when he reached out for her wrist. She looked down at him and saw that his hand was cut. "Seto, you're bleeding," she said as he pulled away. She saw blood on the scissors sitting on his desk and realized that he accidentally hit his hand on them. She frantically started to search the office for a first aid kit. She finally found it in the bathroom and returned to his desk.
He sat there starting at the wall as if nothing happened. She went to sit on the desk so she could examine his hand, but instead he pulled her into his lap. Téa was surprised, but didn't let that distract her from caring for his injured hand.
As Téa wrapped his hand neither of them spoke. They simply sat with each other, sharing a comfortable silence. Finally Seto sat his head on her shoulder and asked, "Would you like to go out for lunch?"
Téa looked at him skeptically and asked, "Wouldn't you rather go get this cut checked?"
Kaiba shook his head no and replied, "I looked at it. It isn't deep enough to need stitches." Kaiba then pressed the intercom button and said, "I am going to lunch, Ms. Webster."
"Very good, Sir," Ms. Webster said over the intercom.
Kaiba sat the coffee and the cake in a mini fridge by his desk and grabbed his keys.
…
He decided to drive today to try to get rid of some of his pent up frustration.
They pulled up to a fancy restaurant called Godiva's Gourmet. Téa looked at herself, wearing a pink tank top with a pair of shorts. "Seto, I don't think I am really dressed for a place like this," she said nervously.
Kaiba smirked and replied, "You could be wearing a barrel and a fruit hat and they wouldn't care, as long as you are with me."
Téa hesitated, but she exited the car and followed him inside. Seto watched her as she sat down. He could sense her discomfort as she looked around the room. He let out an irritated sigh and asked, "Do you want to go somewhere else?"
Téa shook her head. She had already humiliated him enough today. She opened the menu and pretended that she felt fine. Kaiba knew she was still uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to argue about it. "The steak here is excellent," he commented.
Téa nodded and placed down the menu. After they placed their orders, Kaiba asked, "What's bothering you Téa?"
Téa played with the hem of her shorts and asked, "Aren't you afraid that I am going to embarrass you at that party coming up?"
Kaiba lowered his menu and replied, "Yes,but I am more concerned about the people I work with embarrassing me. Why would you worry about something as insignificant as that? Is it just because of that incident with Pegasus today?"
Téa shook her head no, and lowered her voice, "No, It's not just that…Seto, look around this restaurant at the girls."
Kaiba did and gave her a look that clearly said, 'What about them?'
She then explained, "Seto, all these girls are gorgeous. They all look like super models or famous actresses. I am just your average girl and that is going to make me stick out like a sore thumb. I don't know about different forms etiquette or decorum. People are going to look at me like I'm a …."She couldn't seem to find the right word…
"Tramp," Seto answered in an amused tone.
Téa let out a sigh and replied, "Yes."
Seto reached out for her hand, and explained, "Téa, you will stick out at the party, but it won't be because of the way you look. You are going to stick out because you are genuine, inside and out. And, I just so happen to find that extremely attractive,"
She smiled halfheartedly and bit her lip, even with him being supportive, she still didn't feel right about it.
…
The day of the party had arrived. Seto had taken the day off in order to keep an eye on Téa. He was afraid that she would get "cold feet."
He had the three hideous suits delivered to a set of models from Piercing Tatts Magazine (I made it up.) He pulled on his coat and smirked. Isabelle was going to regret messing with his family.
…
James was so excited about getting his name out there as a designer, he asked to help her get ready for the party. She allowed it and they had just finished pulling her hair up into a curly updo. Téa stepped into the bathroom to put on her dress, while James waited outside. Téa pulled on her dress and was horrified to find that the dress didn't hide the bruise on her arm. Not knowing what else to do she stepped out and showed James the bruise.
James picked up the concealer and started to cover the purple mark. "I know it is not my place, but Mr. Kaiba didn't do this to you? Did he?" James asked nervously.
Téa shook her head and replied, "No, but the guy who did leave that mark now has a matching one, thanks to Seto."
James laughed and replied, "Good for that jerk!" He then placed a pink sapphire heart necklace that matched her ring and continued, "Mr. Kaiba bought this for you. It seems to me that he wants you to be the shining star at this party." She reached up and traced the small white stones around the large pink sapphire. Now go on, Mr. Kaiba is waiting for you."
Téa took a deep breath and walked downstairs to meet him.
Kaiba was leaning against the front door reading over his speech one last time, when he heard someone coming down the stairs. He looked up and saw Téa walking down in a stunning light blue dress. The color of the dress highlighted her eyes, while the jewelry complimented her natural rosy coloring. The fabric was light and seemed to float as she walked. When she reached the bottom step she nervously greeted, "Hi…"
"Hello," he replied in a momentary stupor, "y…you look…." Kaiba searched for the right word, several came to mind, 'beautiful, gorgeous, lovely, elegant, stunning, enchanting, divine.' Finally he settled with, "you look healthy." Kaiba mentally cursed himself, any of the words he thought previously would have been acceptable…But, he called her healthy…like she was a vegetable or something. Why couldn't he just tell her she was the most breathtaking woman he had ever laid eyes on?
She reached out to brush his bangs out of his eyes with a humored smile. He closed his eyes when her hand brushed against his forehead. "You look handsome too, Seto," she replied feeling a bit more confident that things were going to be okay tonight.
…
The limo ride was there felt long because neither spoke. Kaiba was trying to memorize his speech and Téa was trying to come up with a backstory as to how they met. She knew that once Kaiba made the announcement, there would be questions. She didn't want to lie, but she certainly couldn't tell them he purchased her, like an animal in a pet store.
When the car pulled up, the chauffer walked around and opened the door for the two. Téa curiously looked over Seto's shoulder and saw hundreds of people being held back by ropes security on both sides of the red carpet. Flashes went off like crazy as reporters and paparazzi took pictures of the couple exiting the car. When Téa exited the vehicle outside of Seto, she shied away from the cameras and tried to hide slightly behind Kaiba.
Kaiba wrapped his arm around her and whispered, "Keep your head up high and smile. The people here can practically smell fear." She did as he asked and turned her head when she saw three punk rockers wearing the tie dyed suits. She started to laugh and that gave her enough comic relief to be able to enter the building with Seto.
She was in awe as she entered the fancy ballroom set up. There were murals on the ceiling that looked as if they were painted by Michael Angelo. All the walls were white with gold trim and there was a balcony on the right hand side of the room.
As expected, several people there were curious about the beautiful woman on Kaibas arm. The women in the room were especially curious. Many of them tried to flirt with the young CEO, but he was usually uninterested. Of course, in the past he had the pleasure of a woman's company. But, he never chose to be in a serious relationship until now. He adjusted his necktie nervously as he saw some of the women he had sexual liaisons with in the past. He hoped that they would keep their mouth shut about their past, but somehow doubted it. He was going to have to stick by her the whole night, to make sure she wasn't hurt.
Mr. Yakiota signaled Kaiba that it was time for his speech. Kaiba took Téa's hand and pulled her over to the side of the stage. "Wait for my signal," he instructed as he walked to the middle of the stage.
'Signal?' she wondered. She stayed there and watched Seto deliver his speech.
Kaiba stood up there confidently and said, "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for coming out to celebrate the ten year anniversary of Kaiba Corp's merger with Yakiota Industries." The crowd clapped and he continued, "Ten years of business between any two companies is an accomplishment. However, considering our future projects I anticipate that this is only the beginning for our two companies. Speaking of Beginnings…" he paused knowing that this was the moment the media was waiting for. Rumors of Kaiba being engaged spread like wild fire after the incidents with Miss Webster and Yugi, "I would like to announce another merger on the horizon."
He signaled to Téa to come up on the stage and she shook her head. He noticed the nervousness in her eyes so he walked to the side of the stage and extended out his hand to her. She hesitantly took it and he announced, "I would like to introduce you to (come on Kaiba, think of an adjective) my muse (close enough) Téa Gardener." He looked over to Téa and saw her smile softly. Then, she looked down when a slight blush started to glow. Kaiba wrapped his arm around her and she placed her left hand on his chest. Unknowingly giving the media a perfect view of her engagement ring. He then continued, "We haven't set a date, but we are getting married."
Téa wasn't expecting the reaction to this announcement. Suddenly cameras were flashing so fast it was almost blinding, people cheered, some of the more daring reporters even tried to climb on the stage to get a better shot. When that happened, Kaiba pulled her behind him just in case his security team couldn't handle the onslaught.
The security managed to get the crowd under control, Kaiba turned the microphone back on and asked, "Téa would you like to say anything?"
Téa looked at him shocked and shook her head no. Kaiba chuckled slightly, as did the audience. He handed her the microphone and she looked down at it in terror. Kaiba didn't know this, but she had extremely bad stage fright when it came to public speaking. She looked up and struggled to say something…anything…Finally, she managed to squeak out, "Hi." She then handed the microphone to Kaiba and tried to leave the stage. He caught her wrist gently and she turned around looking like a dear in headlights.
Kaiba mentally panicked and said, "I would like to take the time now to ask Téa to share the first dance of the night with me."
Téa let out a breath of relief and nodded. He walked over to the disk jockey and asked him to play, "All of me," by John Legend. (A/N Youtube 'Meryl and Maks Foxtrot' to see an amazing dance to this song.)
If he couldn't outwardly say how he felt about Téa, he could at least show her. He walked to the middle of the dance floor where she was now standing and waiting. He whispered to her, "Do you know how to foxtrot?" She nodded and smiled. He took her hand and placed his and on her lower back. The music started to play and their feet seemed to have minds of their own.
Téa was amazed at how wonderful a dancer Seto was. Since he seemed to be able to lead properly 'unlike her other friends who were constantly stomping on her feet,' she allowed her mind to drift as she danced. She silently wondered if there was meaning behind the song he chose. It seemed to relate to them somewhat and he did call her his muse. He spun her around and she instantly smiled. If only she could dance like this all the time. He dipped her and she could see the passion in his eyes, he really did feel something for her.
They expected the crowd to join them eventually, but they never did the entire song. The women looked on with pure jealousy and the men looked on in complete confusion. The idea of Seto Kaiba getting married, was foreign. Much less getting married to someone he truly looked like he cared for. Seto Kaiba wasn't known to care for anyone, other than his brother of course. Many a girl had tried and failed to gain his affection. How did this Téa Gardener somehow manage to steal his heart?
The dance finally came to an end and the crowd clapped. The next song started to play and many of the other couples started to dance. Several business men and women wanted to speak to Seto, so they moved away from the middle of the dance floor. They sat at a table as one by one Seto talked with different business associates. After about three of them Téa whispered, "Seto, I am going to go get me something to drink. Do you want anything?"
He shook his head and replied, "I will get it for you. What do you want?" He didn't trust that one of his business associates would try to spike her drink.
"A cup of lemonade, if they have it." She answered.
He chuckled and said, "It's on the kiddie menu, but they have it." She blushed at his comment and watched him go get their drinks.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see three women surrounding her. They had to be the most gorgeous looking women she had ever seen. There was a redhead wearing an emerald color dress which elegantly blended with her green eyes, a blonde wearing a sparkly red dress with blue eyes, and finally a girl with ebony colored hair wearing a short white ball gown. She smiled at the three and greeted, "Hello, I'm Téa. What's your name?"
The blonde in the center of the trio said, "My name is Airey," she pointed to the redhead and continued, "This is Marcy and the other one is Ebony."
Tea bowed her head and said, "It's a pleasure to mee…."
Ebony interrupted, "Cut the crap Téa! We would all like to know what you did to get Kaiba to choose you over us."
"That is right, he has slept with all three of us at one point or the other in the past. Your pretty but we don't see anything spectacularly beautiful about you. You don't look overly wealthy nor have we ever even heard of a businessman named Gardener. So it has to be something you're doing in the bedroom," Marcy interjected.
Téa sat there in shock. She started to feel extremely self-conscious and cringed as she saw Kaiba returning to the table with a scowl on his face. As he was handed the drinks he saw the three women harassing Téa. He heard what Marcy said, and he was furious. He sat next to Téa and turned to the three women asking, "Don't you have anything better to do with your time than pestering my fiancé."
He figured they would leave but the blond one…what was her name….air head decided she was going to get her answer no matter what, "Why did you choose a simple girl like her, when you could have a goddess? This doesn't make any sense. What could you possibly see in her that we didn't have?"
Kaiba reached grasped her hand under the table, which made her look at him. He answered, "A heart. Téa is a genuinely caring person with dreams and goals that didn't revolve around marrying someone rich. She isn't afraid to stand up for those she cares about and has even been willing to sacrifice herself to protect the ones she loves. Also, as you so rudely pointed out, she hasn't had any work done like the rest of you. If I wanted to marry someone made of plastic, I would buy a doll from the store. Téa is real and I happen to find that incredibly attractive. I doubt there is a part on any one of you, that hasn't been worked on. Now if you don't mind, I would like you three to get out of my sight before I have my security team drag you off."
Marcy and Ebony backed off. But Airey stood her ground and said, "You wouldn't dare."
Kaiba pressed a button on his coat and commanded, "Get her out of my sight."
Two men came up behind her and picked her up to pull her away. She thrashed about to be put down and when they finally did, she turned to the head of security and said, "You tell Mr. Kaiba that this isn't over. He hasn't heard the last of me." She then stormed off to her car.
Téa looked close to tears so Kaiba whispered, "Do you want to go home now?"
She nodded and he helped her up. When they got to the limo, Téa broke down completely in the car. Seto handed her a handkerchief from his pocket and she wiped her eyes. Kaiba whispered, "Ask me anything you want. I will tell you everything."
Téa only had one question, "Did you really sleep with those 3 girls?" She looked him in the eye as if she was afraid he was going to lie to her.
He admitted, "Yes, I slept with them. But it didn't mean anything."
"It didn't mean anything! How the hell could it not mean anything? Sex is supposed to be intimate. It is supposed to be with someone you love!" Téa screamed.
Kaiba knew that nothing he could say could remedy the situation so he answered, "Téa I have been alone for so long, I barely know what love is. The only type of love I have ever been really exposed to was brotherly love. Before you came along, when I came to these things if a woman wanted to have a good time and I found her pretty, I would go with her just to be able to feel something in my life. It would be a onetime fling and I wouldn't contact her again. Haven't you ever been so lonely that you would do anything to feel the warmth of another human being?"
Téa shrugged, although she wished she hadn't known about those women, she had to admit she felt bad for Kaiba. She tried her best to calm down and asked, "Are you going to just toss me to the side of the road once you sleep with me."
"God no Téa, you are going to be my wife, which means you are going to be family. I would never be able to so easily discard you. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did!" Kaiba answered honestly.
Téa saw her reflection in the car mirror and cringed. "Seto, am I really going to be enough for you? In marriage I expect you to be faithful to me. Do you really think that you could be with only one woman for the rest of your life?"
He pulled her close and whispered, "Only if that woman is you. Téa, in case you haven't already noticed I am absolutely crazy about you. You are the only woman I have ever met that could keep me on my toes. I never know what to expect from you, and I like that. It keeps things interesting. When you walk through the door, I can't seem to think straight. You are just so… beautiful (Finally I said it) I can't help but feel breathless around you."
Téa finally stopped crying and now had a half smile on her lips. She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. Although, she still felt like crap, she knew that Seto had a hard time talking about how he felt. If he was willing to share all this with her, maybe she could trust him. She wrapped her arms around his torso and whispered, "Thank you, Seto." She shut her eyes lazily.
They pulled in front the Kaiba mansion and he ran his hand through her hair, "Anything for you Téa, now how about we get some rest." She nodded and let him carry her to their bedroom.
