Sorry this took longer than I was expecting but craziness came up before the beginning of the semester and then I started school and yeah, you can imagine how hard it is to write during school. But, I knew I had to get this update out today because it is our lovely Queen's birthday! So in honor of Rukia's birthday, I give you this chapter. All I can say about it is, beware of the sexual tension up ahead!

As Rukia applied a small amount of mascara to her eyelids and a touch of gloss to her lips, she wondered if she should just tell Orihime she wasn't going to go. As both girls got ready for their night out clubbing and drinking with a couple of handsome businessmen, Rukia began to wonder why she had even agreed to accompany her roommate.

This was unchartered territory for her. The last time she had spent a night with that frustrating orange-haired CEO, she had picked the place and felt comfortable enough to actually enjoy herself (though she would never give Ichigo the satisfaction of telling him that). Now she was on his turf. This was the kind of thing he liked to do. And despite the fact that both Uryuu and Orihime would be there with them, she knew that nothing good happened at the sleezy clubs Kurosaki frequented.

So why was she meticulously fixing her hair and applying makeup she would normally never wear? There were a couple of different reasons. Part of it was because of the guilt she knew she would feel if she just abandoned her best friend. She also felt like she had to protect Orihime and letting her run around Tokyo by herself at night with two handsome gentlemen, one of whom was very obviously infatuated with her best friend, was not something her conscience would let her do.

The other reason had to do a certain Uryuu Ishida. Rukia wasn't blind. She knew that Uryuu had eyes for her roommate like crazy and she had seen how they had hit it off at the dance class. If Orihime wanted to get to know Uryuu better, she would need Rukia there to distract Ichigo and give them some alone time.

Of course, that meant while Uryuu and Orihime went off by themselves, Rukia would be stuck alone with Ichigo, something she had tried her best to avoid.

That was the only reason she was seriously hesitating, though she knew in the end what she would do. She would go clubbing with them, despite how nervous the situation made her, because Orihime was her best friend and one of the only people to actually stick by her side when things got rough with her brother's company. She had to do what would make her friend happy and that meant she would spend the night hanging out at a club with a millionaire bachelor.

She cracked a small smile when she realized how many girls would kill for the opportunity in front of her. The irony that Rukia was dreading what most girls would die of excitement from was not lost on her.

"Rukiaaa! Are you almost ready?" Orihime's sing song voice echoed across the apartment to where Rukia stood in her bathroom.

"Almost!" she called back as she put on a pair of dangling earrings Orihime had lent her, grabbed her black clutch purse, and walked into the living room. Her best friend was already there, looking absolutely gorgeous. It was times like these that she wondered why Ichigo ever had eyes for her when her best friend was right next to her.

Orihime had chosen a slim fitting, strapless red dress that she wore with black pumps and a black statement necklace. Her hair had been curled into large ringlets, which framed her face beautifully. Very rarely did Rukia ever become jealous of another woman's beauty, but she couldn't deny that small part of her that wished she could look like that.

"Wow, Rukia! You look amazing!" Orihime told her once she had seen Rukia's look for the night.

Funny, she had just been thinking the same thing about Orihime. "Yeah, right. I look like a trash bag compared to you."

"Oh, please. You look fabulous. I love that dress!" Rukia looked down at the purple number she had decided to wear for the night. The dress was slim and went down to her knees. The top was one-shouldered with a long sleeve on one side. She had picked it because she thought the dark purple color would go well with her violet eyes.

Before Rukia could counter Orihime's compliment, her phone buzzed on the table. She didn't need to look at the text to know who it was from.

"Is that them?" Orihime asked, not bothering to contain her immense excitement. Rukia smiled sweetly at her friend, knowing that it was stupid of her to even think about letting Orihime go alone before she grabbed her phone and saw the text from Ichigo.

"Yeah, they're out front."

"Great! Let's get going then," she said before she grabbed Rukia's hand in a vice grip and quickly ran out of their apartment. Rukia only just managed to slow her friend down enough to lock the door behind them.

When they walked outside, they saw a fancy sports car waiting for them, though it was different and slightly less extravagant than the car Ichigo had picked her up in for their date.

As Rukia went to open the backseat door so she and Orihime could get inside, the front passenger door opened and Uryuu exited the car to greet them.

"Hello Ms. Kuchiki, Orihime," Uryuu said as he bowed slightly, his eyes locking on Orihime, never straying once he got a glimpse at how good she looked. Rukia rolled her eyes. Is this how it's going to be all night?

Rukia ignored the two lovebirds and tried to get in the car, but Uryuu stopped her.

"You can have the front seat, Ms. Kuchiki," he told her.

"That's okay, I can sit back here." Again, she made a move to get in, but was stopped short.

"Please, I insist." The look he was giving her made it known what his intentions were. He wanted to share the backseat with Orihime so he could talk more with her. Again she rolled her eyes at the pair's blatant interest in one another and got into the car on the front passenger side. When she did, she saw Ichigo grinning and shaking his head from the drivers seat.

"What?" she asked him curiously.

"Oh, nothing," he answered cryptically, the smile never leaving his face.

Rukia decided to change the subject. "So, no gentlemanly offer to open my car door for me?" she asked as she buckled her seat belt and the future Mr. and Mrs. Ishida slid into the backseat.

Ichigo scoffed at her question. "I know that if I even tried, you would just get angry and shove me away."

"Well, look at you! You actually learned something," she told him sarcastically.

Ichigo glanced at her out of the corner of eyes and shook his head. He then turned his attention back to the street and drove off.

"So, what? Was the fancy smancy car you picked me up in a few weeks ago in the shop?" she asked him, indicating the change in the ride.

"Well unless Uryuu and Orihime would prefer to sit in the trunk, that car is too small to carry four people."

"Ah, of course. So you switched from the two-seater expensive sports car to the four-seater expensive sports car," she retorted sarcastically. It was going to be a long night if she kept up this attitude. Fortunately for Ichigo, he was more than willing to deal with it.

"Well I do have the money to afford both." This time it was Ichigo with the quick remark, which made Rukia smirk at his cockiness.

All during their sarcasm-filled exchange, both Orihime and Uryuu watched the pair with knowing smiles.

And they think we're the lovebirds Orihime thought to herself.

After about a ten-minute drive, they arrived in front of a large building with a line of people waiting to get in that wrapped around the place.

"Well this place sure is bustling," Rukia said as she looked out the window of the car. Before she could react, her door was opened by a valet and a hand was offered to help her out. She ignored the proffered hand and exited the car along with the other three occupants.

"Wow! There's so many people here," Orihime commented in awe as she looked at the crowd surrounding the club.

"How are we even supposed to get in with this many people?" Rukia asked.

After giving his key to the valet, Ichigo came up behind her and smirked. "You're cute," he said with a chuckle before he led the three up to the door where, with one quick nod at the bouncer, they were allowed inside.

Oh, right. Young, famous millionaire. How could I forget?

And they didn't stop there. They waltzed right up to what could only be the VIP room and were instantly granted access there as well. Rukia almost forgot sometimes what kind of privileges came with being wealthy.

All four seated themselves on a swanky curved couch with a table in the middle. Almost immediately, a cocktail waitress came up and asked what they would like. Uryuu and Orihime ordered their drinks and then Ichigo asked for a glass of their finest Scotch.

"And for you?" the waitress asked Rukia. She thought about going with a simple martini, but then she remembered who was paying for everything.

"I'll have the same as him," she answered as she pointed at Ichigo. The waitress then nodded her head and left to go get the drinks.

"I didn't know you drank Scotch," Ichigo commented, quite impressed with her for a change.

She smirked at him. "I've never had a glass of Scotch in my life."

Immediately his face fell and he gave her a look of exasperation. "Did you really only order it because you knew it was expensive and that I'm paying?"

"Can you not afford it?" she asked innocently. Oh, she was loving this. She'd make him pay in one way or another for forcing her into a situation that made her come along tonight.

"No, I can definitely afford it. I can afford every bit of alcohol this club has."

Rukia doubted that, but she didn't say anything.

"I just wish you would stop swindling me out of my money just because you can," he said. He actually sounded genuinely irritated for once.

Despite his irritation, she wasn't done messing with him. "Didn't you tell me on our little date that I could have anything I wanted?" she asked with fake sweetness.

He knew she was playing him. She was using his words against him to get what she wanted. And she knew that he wouldn't hesitate in giving her everything, because she had him wrapped around her finger.

Rukia Kuchiki was a lot smarter than people gave her credit for.

Ichigo slowly scooted closer to her and leaned in so that his face was only a small distance away from hers. Despite the closeness, Rukia wasn't backing down and for once he was thankful for that.

"You're a vixen," he told her in a low voice. "And you can have anything you want."

She smiled wickedly at that. She would always be victorious when it came to him. Ichigo didn't move from where he was sitting so close to her and for once Rukia didn't mind. She was starting to realize that despite how much of an annoying prick he could be, he was head over heals for her. That meant she could use him to get whatever she wanted. And he would knowingly let her. She didn't think she was cruel enough to take complete advantage of it, but she liked knowing she had that kind of power.

The sound of a throat being cleared snapped Rukia out of the reverie she had been in like a bucket of ice-cold water. She realized the kind of game she and Ichigo were playing. She realized just how close he was to her, both physically and emotionally. She realized how they must've sounded to Uryuu and Orihime, who had been watching them the whole time.

Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment when she saw her friend's knowing smile. She would never be able to live that one down. Orihime would be pestering her about it for weeks.

Before the awkward and embarrassing silence could stretch on any longer, the waitress arrived carrying their drinks and set them down on the table. Rukia quickly grabbed her glass of Scotch, knowing that, despite the fact she had never tasted the drink before, she needed some alcohol in her system, and fast.

She took a small sip of the drink and admired its taste. "Wow, this is pretty good."

"I would think it would be a little better than 'pretty good' considering how much I paid for it," Ichigo said with a smirk. Rukia chanced a glance at him and noticed that he seemed to have shaken off their little moment exceptionally well. Although, Rukia figured, he was probably enjoying it a whole lot more than she was.

If there was one thing Ichigo Kurosaki was not ashamed of, it was toying with women. He looked completely at ease and Rukia could feel her power slowly slipping. That smug bastard.

After a few minutes of idle chatter (or rather, Uryuu and Orihime's conversation and Ichigo and Rukia's uncomfortable silence), Orihime set down her drink and shyly asked Uryuu if he would like to dance with her. To no one's surprise, he gladly accepted, and they were gone, leaving Rukia alone with the man she wanted to be as far away from as possible.

She had let her control slip earlier, but she wouldn't do it again. The alcohol running through her veins, however, had other ideas, she would later realize.

"So, do you want to dance?" Ichigo casually asked her.

She scoffed at the idea. "I would hardly call what those people are doing down there dancing. You might as well ask me if I want to go grinding. It's easier."

Ichigo smiled at the opportunity she gave him. "Well, do you want to-"

"Don't you dare even think about finishing that sentence, Kurosaki," Rukia interrupted with a dangerous tone.

"Boy, you sure are a whirlwind of emotions tonight. One minute you can't get enough of me, then the next you're turning me down like usual."

Rukia had to use immense strength not to let herself get flustered at the mention of earlier. "I would hardly call whatever that was a few minutes ago 'me not getting enough'."

"You sure? Because it looked like you were all over me. Just ask Uryuu and Orihime," he said cockily as he leaned back and took a sip of his drink.

"Shut the hell up, Kurosaki. You're not that irresistible. Believe it or not, some women can control themselves."

"Yeah, and I would not consider you one of them."

Rukia angrily glared in his direction as he merely smirked back at her. Oh how she hated his pompous grin. He acted like he was the most desirable man on this planet and it grated on her nerves like no other.

She took an angry swig of her drink and coughed at the burning sensation that it brought. Why had she agreed to come? So far nothing good had come of this night and now she was stuck alone with a cocky bastard she was unfortunately forced to call her boss.

"Hey, take it easy. I'm just messing with you," Ichigo said as he saw the signs of her internal struggle.

"Well I would really appreciate it if you would stop messing with me!" she angrily yelled at him. She hated how pathetic that sounded.

"Fine. I'm sorry. Do you need some water?" he asked gently as she continued to cough.

"No, I'll be fine. I know how to drink alcohol."

Ichigo was about to tell her that it was pretty obvious she didn't know how to drink Scotch, but he didn't want to upset her more than he already had.

Once Rukia had calmed down both from her coughing fit and her anger, she finished the rest of her Scotch and asked for an apple martini. She downed that and then another one as Ichigo was still nursing his first glass of Scotch. The only way for this night to end quickly would be to wash it away with alcohol, she figured. She had told herself she didn't want to get that far gone, but it was the only solution to her problems at the moment.

Seeing that she was about to order something else, Ichigo stopped her. "Maybe you should take it easy for a little while."

"Take it easy? I haven't had that much, I'll be fine," Rukia said with a slight slur of her words.

"I'm serious, Rukia. We've only been here a little while and you've already had three drinks. One of which was a very expensive glass of Scotch. I'm not saying you shouldn't have anything else the rest of the night, just try and take a bit of a break for now."

"You're acting like I've never drank anything before. I'm an adult and I can handle this," she said defiantly as she waved over the waitress before Ichigo could stop her. This time she ordered two of the club's specialty shots, which Ichigo knew contained a good amount of vodka. When they were brought to her, she downed them both fast and leaned back on the couch with a hefty sigh.

"I feel better now." She sounded sleepy, which Ichigo knew alcohol could do to some people. Sure she was relaxed, but he wondered how many more drinks would it take before he would have to hold her hair back as she puked, an experience he wished he could avoid.

He looked at her cautiously as her head turned toward him and she eyed him with a strange look in her eyes.

"What?" he asked once he was tired of her curiously looking at him.

"Have you always had that dimple?" she asked. Well that was certainly not what he was expecting.

"What? I don't have a dimple," he told her.

"Yeah, you do. It's right there," she said as she reached up and poked him in the cheek.

Well, she was at the very least quite tipsy. He knew she wouldn't have the audacity to poke him in the cheek while she was sober. She would probably be mortified with herself.

He was surprised when her hand lingered on his face as she curiously traced a line from what was apparently his dimple all the way to his lips. In any normal circumstance he would be readily enjoying this, but he knew that this was not something she was doing sober and that deterred him.

"You're an asshole," she whispered as she scooted closer to him and sat up from where she was leaning on the couch.

"Rukia," he said cautiously as her face came closer to his. It was similar to what he had done to her earlier, but he knew her intent was wildly different from what his had been.

"Just shut up and let me be for once," she said as she leaned in even farther while her eyes fluttered closed. Now Ichigo really knew what she was trying to do. Everything in his brain told him to stop, to push her away, or do something to keep them from doing something stupid. This was not Rukia. This was halfway drunk, loopy Rukia. And he should not take advantage of the situation, no matter how badly he wanted this.

But he couldn't do it. He had waited so long to feel her lips on his and he couldn't let the opportunity pass no matter how much of a jackass it made him. He had left women alone in his home after a one night stand, he had told women that he wanted nothing to do with them over text, and things even worse. Kissing a slightly drunk women who supposedly hated his guts was hardly the worst thing he ever did.

He thought he had changed since he had met her, but when her lips were centimeters from his own, he knew he hadn't changed at all.

Just as she was about to lightly press her lips to his, she stopped. She didn't move or embarrassingly look away once she realized what she was about to do. She just sat there, with her lips a breath away from his.

Thinking that this meant she wanted him to take some initiative, he tried to close the space himself, but her hand on his chest stopped him. He backed away and looked at her with confusion.

Her face showed a small smile that Ichigo thought almost looked sad. She sighed before she told him the words that felt like a brick had dropped on his head. "You're breaking your promise."

He was stunned at that. He couldn't deny that she was right, but he was shocked that she was coherent enough to not only remember his promise to keep his hands off of her, but to use that promise to stop the both of them from doing something they would regret later.

Ichigo realized in that moment how much of an idiot he was being. He was going to just kiss her while she wasn't sober without any regrets. If he had done it, she would've probably never have spoken to him again. And that he just couldn't have.

"You're right," he told her. "I won't try that again."

"You better not," she said with a dangerous tone. She still seemed groggy, but she knew what he was thinking and she still had enough of a conscience to point it out to him.

"I won't. I don't break my promises."

She looked as though she was skeptical, but still impressed he had restrained himself. She made to move away from him, when he quickly grabbed her arm and made her turn toward him in surprise, their distance from the other still dangerously close.

"But I will say this, Rukia Kuchiki." His voice was dangerous and low. If she were anyone else, she would've been frightened by the animalistic look in his eyes. "If you come on to me like that again and don't stop yourself, I won't hold back."

She understood immediately what he meant and she believed him when she saw the heat in his eyes. He wanted her. Bad. And if she were to initiate it, she had no doubt he would take it all the way. The ball was completely in her court now.

She only wondered if his restraint would really last him as long as she planned on keeping him around. This game was only just beginning.

Before I get a bunch of reviews asking me why both Ichigo and Rukia were kind of jerks in this chapter and both not making the best of decisions, I just want to point out that there is this lovely thing called character development which is largely why this chapter is the way it is. It doesn't have to do with the main plot, but it will definitely be important later. And, if you're wondering why drunk Rukia was just like 'i'm going to kiss Ichigo now' that will also be addressed (probably in the next update). I hope you liked the steaminess and I apologize for not giving you an actual kiss, but don't you worry, it's coming ;) Tell me what you thought!