Music Lover's Alert: "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby

Warnings: Strong sexually suggestive themes. Consider this a teaser. I hope to leave enough to give you an idea of the relationship dynamics, but not so much that those for you who can't stand lemons would be put off by it. For those of you who love lemons, they will be in the next chapter… right where we left off!

Chapter 2 Sorting

Joan, Penguin, Pretty Pictures, Sean, and Tulip sat around a huge round oak table. Over the past four years, they had formed a secret organization with the intention of helping the world re-gain the liberties it had lost. At the suggestion of Penguin, the publicity guru of the organization, Pretty Pictures and Tulip had adopted code names. However, Joan and Sean opted to continue using the names they had known all their lives for most circumstances. Joan had a second alias, Kari Rakitan, but she only used it when signing legal documents to protect the location and identities of her friends.

Several file folders were strewn haphazardly over the huge oak table. Tulip picked up a thin one with "Kaiba Corporation" printed on it and tossed it into a stack with several other thin folders.

"Hey! You didn't even open that one!" Joan protested. Her gold-specked blue eyes flashed slightly with indignation.

Tulip brushed a strong of long sand-colored hair that had fallen out of his pony tail out of his face and tucked it behind his ear as he straightened his glasses. "Kaiba Corporation is essentially clean. They had a shady history in the arms business, but otherwise… we've got bigger fish to fry."

"All right," Joan conceded. She leaned over the table and rested her chin in her hand. "Continue."

Tulip picked up a larger file and opened it. "Bestle Corporation: produces cheap candies and chocolates. They cut down most of the Amazon rain forest to grow cocoa beans. Their farmers work fourteen hours every day to earn starvation wages." Tulip snapped the file shut. "That's something worthy of tackling, right?"

Everyone around the table nodded and Tulip tossed in a tall stack of thick folders. Then, he picked up another one. "Schroeder Corporation: Produces electronics, appliances, and cars. They incorporate weak fuses and generally practice shoddy workmanship so that their products break down shortly after purchase."

Several snickers issued forth from the group.

Penguin rolled her eyes and said, "We knew that."

"Yeah, but do you want to do something about it?" Tulip asked.

"Of course," Joan answered.

Tulip tossed it in the thick stack of folders. Then, he picked up another. "Pattel Corporation: Makes plastic dolls and other toys. They use child labor in mainland Asia to manufacture them. Plus, they use harsh chemicals in the manufacturing process that produce toxic fumes throughout their factories. They also expel several tons of sludge into nearby rivers daily."

"What territory are they in?" Joan wondered.

"China," Tulip replied.

"Figures. Let's tackle that one," Joan said.

They continued to sort through the files until they were all categorized into two stacks. The companies they chose to pay attention to were those who committed the worst crimes against humanity. Coincidentally, they were also the largest companies and the most powerful members of the corporate oligarchy that now controlled the world.

When all the files were sorted, Pretty Pictures yawned and said, "Finally!" Her dark curly hair and rich olive skin made her look like a sleepy exotic princess.

"OK everyone. Tomorrow is going to be another long day. In the morning, we'll single out one of our high priority corporations to target. For now, let's get to bed.

The team captains nodded and went their separate ways. Since they were all living and working together in an abandoned military facility that had once been used to train thousands of soldiers, they did not have far to walk to reach their beds. Sean, the handsome red-headed leader of the action team, had received his own training in this very facility. However, thanks to the advanced satellite weapons provided by Stellar Defense and a few highly trained agents, massive numbers of soldiers were no longer needed or desired by society.

Sean sighed as he walked through the nearly empty hallway. The life he now led was not the one he expected to lead. After serving in the army, he expected to settle down with a pretty girl or three and live happily ever after. However, due to the missionary attitude of their organization's leader Joan, he couldn't even flirt with a woman. Sean turned the handle on the door to his room and opened it. What he saw inside made him freeze. There, in his bed sat a familiar blonde in unfamiliar clothing. Sean blinked a few times before the black lingerie that greeted his eyes fully registered in his brain. "Tam!?" he asked in surprise.

Chapter 2.5 Honeymoon

Seto and Serenity left the wedding reception feeling a little tired, but still alive and excited. At least, Serenity was excited. She had seen several penises during her internships in nursing school changing bedpans, but she had never seen her husband's penis. Mai had given them an encouraging wink as she left the party, which made Seto more nervous than excited. When he saw Mai wink, his mind raced, wondering what his sister-in-law had discussed with his wife. He only hoped that he would not be too much of a disappointment to her.

Seto and Serenity got into the Kaiba Corporation business jet, which had been temporarily furnished with a king size bed. Then, they prepared for takeoff by fastening their seatbelts in the white leather seats that always sat in the jet. It would take several hours for the plane to reach France, their destination, so they would have plenty of time to enjoy the flight. Serenity squeezed Seto's hand as the plane ascended. "I can't believe our first time is going to be above the clouds!" she squealed.

"You know, we could always do this another time," Seto said, keeping his voice as steady as possible.

"No way!" Serenity cried, gazing at Seto with hurt in her luminous olivine eyes, "wait, that was just a joke, right? Please tell me you were joking."

Seto's electric blue eyes locked onto hers. She looked so innocent and vulnerable… maybe even more vulnerable than he felt. Perhaps this would not be so bad after all. "Of course I'm joking. Tonight, I want nothing more than to make love to you," he said with as much tenderness as he could muster. Then, he sealed his statement by kissing her gently.

Butterflies flitted inside Serenity's stomach as Seto kissed her. He always knew how to make her feel loved. However, Serenity wanted more than his soft and caring touch. She wanted him to sweep her off her feet and carry her to bed where they would rip off each other's clothes. Then, he would thrust himself into her with passionate desire. However, Seto was treating her like a china doll rather than a fully grown, healthy woman.

Serenity noticed that the "fasten seat belt" sign was turned off, and reached over to unbuckle Seto's seatbelt without breaking their kiss. She rubbed the exterior of his light blue tuxedo pants, hoping to arouse him enough to awaken his carnal instincts. To her dismay, Seto just moaned a little and squirmed rather than making any moves to claim her.

Finally, Serenity broke the kiss, unbuckled her seatbelt, and stood. She took him by the hand and said, "Come on! Let's take this to the next level!"

Closing Notes: This was originally two chapters, but I spliced out the stronger lemon portions and put them in the next chapter.

I have had absolutely zero guesses on the "forgotten" marriage vows. There is still plenty of time to make your guesses before the answer is revealed and I will accept multiple winners, so please guess! I am looking for something in particular, but I'll take any phrase that gives the general gist of what they left out.

By clicking "next" I certify that I am of legal age to view erotic content in my locality. I understand that if I am not of legal age, I should go up to the top of this page and use the drop-down menu to skip ahead to chapter 4.