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Illustration Credit: Whoever developed the virtual ring customizer on Jewlr.com Chapter 36: Get Out Michael opened the door to a red-eyed Nathaniel and a scowling Linda. Michael kissed Linda, then kneeled and wrapped Nathaniel in a comforting hug. Joan stepped forward to offer a hug to Linda but paused before she completed the motion. Something was off. "You," Linda snapped. "I can't even look at you right now. Get out." Joan crossed her arms. "I live here." She'd thrown on sweat pants and a T-shirt when she heard Linda was coming over, but she had no intention of leaving, especially not without her bodyguard. "I don't give a hoot. We're in this mess because of you." Michael rose to his feet. "I have no idea what you're going on about, but Joan stays. Especially if this has anything to do with her." Linda huffed and marched to the plush green couch, pulling Nathaniel behind her. She sat in the middle and waited with a heated, expectant glare and Nathaniel clinging to her side until Michael joined them on the couch. Joan sat in a matching armchair, on Michael's side of the couch. "Start from the beginning," Michael said. "You already know the beginning. That duel last night was broadcast worldwide, and all the kids at school are talking about it. They saw Nathaniel. They saw Joan. Everything." "You didn't have to follow me through that crowd," Michael pointed out. "Yes. I. Did. You said it was important to show support, you put on your stupid pouty face, and I fell for it because I didn't want to lose you." "Then why are you mad at Joan and not me?" "Because Joan's a whore, and because of that the kids at school called me a whore too." Joan rolled her eyes and Nathaniel burst into a fresh bout of tears. "Serious?" Michael said. "There's nothing wrong with being a whore. You can't let them get to you over that." "There's more," Linda went on, "Nathaniel lost a duel to those punks. They drew a penis on his backpack and then they threw his cards in the toilet and urinated on them, and as if that wasn't bad enough, they gave him a swirly in that same, nasty water." Joan shuddered. It was happening all over again. A little urine was the least of their worries. "You talk to the principal?" Michael asked. "She blew me off. Said this stuff happens to everyone at some point and that it will all blow over once a new fad hits." "It won't," Joan said darkly, "not until he switches schools at least, but doing that right away would defeat the purpose. They need to forget about that video first. I don't know how long that will take, but take my bodyguard tomorrow. I'll stay home all day. As many days as it takes, actually. Until Seto hires a bodyguard for Nathaniel, I'm not going anywhere." Linda's mouth dropped open. They all sat in silence before Nathaniel's wail broke the tension. "I want Uncle Seto! He's so tough, nobody defeats him!" "Not true." Joan leaned forward. "Everyone has a weakness, even Seto. Everyone wants something they can't have. If all you want is some ice cream, you're in really good shape, but those bullies are missing much more from their lives. They wish they had uncles as cool as Seto and Mokuba. They wish they had a whore for an aunt. They wish they had a stepdad as caring and fun as Michael. They wish they had a mom as protective and beautiful as yours. They also wish they were as smart and hardworking as you. They think they can take all those things from you, but those aren't things that can be taken. Do you want to know what Seto would say if he were here? Those bullies are vultures. They think they can take from you and offer nothing in return, but you're worth so much more than that." Nathaniel's eyes lit up. "Really?" "Really." Joan turned to Linda. "Let me give you Roland's number. He handles this sort of thing for Seto. I actually don't even have Seto's phone number. I get the feeling he doesn't like being disturbed by whores like me when he's trying to work." Linda blinked. "Then what was with all that Mrs. Kaiba talk?" "Mokuba wanted to call me something else, and that's just what we're going with for now. I hope Mokuba gets more comfortable with the word whore eventually, though. I like it." "What is a whore anyway?" Nathaniel asked. "Mommy won't tell me." "It's an adult who is so good at making other adults feel good that she gets paid to do it," Joan said. "Can boys be whores?" "Usually they're referred to as gigolos, but there are a variety of other terms used." "Oh. So what's it like being a whore?" "Dangerous," Linda cut in. "Don't even think about it." "Why?" Nathaniel asked. "You don't need to worry about that yet," Linda said. "However, since you still have school tomorrow, you do need to worry about finishing your homework." "I'll be right back." Joan got up and grabbed her phone from the bedroom. She gave Roland's number, along with Tamara's, to Linda. Linda then dragged a reluctant Nathaniel home to finish his homework. Chapter Song: David Rovics - Bullies Chapter 37: Bullies Seto couldn't concentrate on his work. The Summit seminars and workshops over for the day, he had eaten a quick dinner and retired to his suite rather than sticking around to socialize. He now sat staring at the emails his secretary found important enough to forward, trying not to think of his whore, how she was probably fucking the wage monkey for hours on end, how the wage monkey probably had a bigger cock and more stamina, how the wage monkey definitely had bigger muscles. Seto thought of that seed taking root in her. Maybe, in some way, perhaps in several ways, that seed was more worthy than his own. An ache spread through his fingers as he typed, working on automatic pilot and not really seeing the words in front of him. A video call icon flashed on his screen. Seto accepted it without thinking. His secretary wouldn't put it through unless it was important. A haughty 20-year-old blonde with half-moon glasses and malachite eyes popped up on the screen. Rebecca Hawkins. "Hey Kaiba!" "What do you want, cunt?" Rebecca flipped her hair. "Coming from a man who calls his fiancée a whore, I'll take that as a compliment. I've come to apologize anyway." "About damn time. So you admit to hacking my deck, then?" "Yeah, sorry about that. What you said during your duel moved me. I didn't see it coming. I thought . . . I thought you were just aiming to cause a stir over Facebook, and now I see there's so much more to it than that. I'll do this one free of charge, but it will take a couple of weeks to do it properly. Nobody will be able to reverse it once it's done, and there will be no way of tracing it back to me or Kaiba Corp." Seto smirked. "I expect nothing less." "And Kaiba?" "What?" "Congratulations." Seto ended the call and went back to plowing through his emails, emboldened by the recent turn of events. Wedding thoughts crept into Seto's mind, but he shoved them aside. Whatever his whore wanted, he would simply provide. After all, she would undoubtedly want to partake in several American peasant traditions, and that would leave little time for more posh forms of entertainment. Seto thought of the elegant weddings his adoptive father had forced him to attend and decided that the more ways Joan could make the scumbag roll over in his grave, the better. "Mr. Kaiba?" Just when Seto had finally gotten his mind back on his work, Roland had to interrupt. Seto turned to face Roland. "Speak." "A situation has developed, Sir." Roland went on to relay everything he'd discussed with Linda and Joan about Nathaniel, including Joan's insistence on providing Nathaniel with a bodyguard. Seto clenched his fists. Nathaniel had been such a happy kid, so innocent, like Mokuba at that age, before Pegasus had kidnapped him. "Roland, set my nephew up with the best bodyguard you can find and get me that principal's head on a pike." "Sir? May I suggest a more . . . legal course of action?" Seto rubbed his temple. "I meant figuratively." Sometimes it's difficult to tell, Roland thought, holding his tongue. "Get that nosey reporter on it." "Which reporter, sir?" "The one who badgered me with all those questions while you were detained." Seto hated how Tricia had pegged him, how she'd read him like an open book, and how he'd woken up to find the words he should have said himself staring him in the face, but he knew deep down that without her, he would have denied his feelings indefinitely. Tricia knew how to write an article with sympathy and gusto, something that would incite others to action. With any luck, Tricia's exposé would get the principal fired. As for the bullies, they needed to learn a lesson. Chapter Songs: "The Times They Are a-Changin'" by Bob Dylan and "Baby Bumblebee" by Unknown Chapter 38: Changes Two packages showed up at Joan's door on Thursday morning. Michael answered the door and signed for them while Joan's hands were soapy with dishwater. Despite Seto's admonition, she still felt obligated to do her own cleaning. Joan spotted the packages in Michael's hands as he walked back through the living room. "Mail! Mail! Mail!" "Yes, I am Male." Michael plopped the packages on the dining table: one tiny and one the size of three textbooks. Joan finished rinsing the dishes and dried her hands. "What a smart Male you are." "Smart Male, special Male, pretty Male." "Fertile Male." Michael grabbed Joan's hips and began dry-thrusting. "Yes yes, Male like you lots. Oh please make baby, oh please, oh please?" Joan reached back and started undoing his belt. "Whoa, I don't think we have time for this before I go to work." "Come on! I'm not going to see you again until after I come back from Japan." "OK, OK. I'll give you a quickie." Michael pressed Joan against a wall and dropped his pants. He lifted her dress to find that she wasn't wearing any panties and dove in. "So, you gonna bleed on Seto's dick this month?" "That's the plan," Joan said as Michael's thrusts commenced. "Hope he doesn't fire you over it." "I have a feeling he'll be happy knowing you didn't succeed yet." "But what if my sperm has super powers and you're already pregnant?" "Mmmm, sounds good." Joan and Michael lost themselves in the sex until Michael came. He pulled out and lunged for a roll of paper towels as semen dribbled down Joan's legs. They wiped up quickly, and Michael gave Joan a kiss before running off to work. Joan took a knife from the kitchen and cut the tape on the smaller box. As expected, she found a ring inside. The packing slip declared it to be tungsten carbide, visually indistinguishable from platinum and far more scratch resistant. Four synthetic heart-shaped stones arranged like a four-leaf clover were accompanied by laser-engraved names on the metal: opal for Seto, ruby for Mokuba, sapphire for Michael, and peridot for Marc. "Kaiba" lined the inside. Joan grinned as she examined the scintillating stones and highly reflective metal. She tried it on and found that it fit perfectly, though it felt rather weighty on a hand unaccustomed to adornments. Joan sliced open the second box and stared down at more scintillating crystals, these ones sewn onto dark green fabric. She lifted the garment and saw that they only lined the neckline and waist, leaving the rest of the gown simple yet elegant. A note came with it: Couldn't stop thinking about you. Hope this isn't too much. Don't worry, it's only glass – Mokuba It was too much, but Joan had to admit she didn't have much else to suit the occasion, and Mokuba had a better sense of appropriate attire than anyone she knew. She tried on the dress and slipped into it easily, finding it neither too tight nor too loose. The off-the-shoulder design accentuated her provocative clavicles. Joan strutted in front of the bathroom mirror, liking the dress more with every step. Mokuba must have been paying close attention to her size and preferences while they were shopping. Joan went to her home office and dug through her jewelry. She found a tarnished silver bicycle necklace and polished it until it shone almost as brightly as her new ring. She then headed to the bathroom and picked through her eyeshadow until she decided on going with a bold green and silver look to match her dress. By the time Tamara showed up, Joan was in the middle of doing her makeup. Tamara came dressed in a simple black suit, ready to blend in with the formal crowd. Joan let Tamara in and went back to her bathroom mirror while Tamara hovered. "Hey, did you read the news?" "No." Joan had been too busy tackling her manuscript submission queue the past two days to read much of anything else. "Oh. My. God. You should have seen the picketers who showed up at Nathaniel's school after this big San Francisco Chronicle article came out. They really put the pressure on. The school principal is getting canned so hard. They've already got a job opening posted online." "Sweet!" Joan applied some lipstick, dark and dramatic. "Roland got Nathaniel his own bodyguard, but hopefully that won't be necessary in the long run. The superintendent is holding an expulsion hearing for the bullies tomorrow, and Nathaniel's friends are backing him up." Joan froze. "For real?" "Kaiba's duel really inspired them." "I mean, that's awesome that Nathaniel's friends are backing him up, but what about the bullies? Given that they're just kids too, isn't expulsion a little much?" "It's just a hearing for now. Hopefully they'll get awarded Saturday school, which is really just another name for community service, or something like that instead of getting expelled." "I guess the times they are a-changin'," Joan said. Tamara laughed. "Are you going to start singing on me again?" "Maybe later." "I hope so. It's been years since I got to sing like that." Joan grinned. "Well, I won't stop you." Tamara took a deep breath. "IIIII'm bringing home a baby bumblebee!" Joan put the finishing touches on her makeup and joined in, "Won't my mommy be so proud of me!" They kept singing as Joan grabbed her laptop bag plus the suitcase she had packed for the weekend and subsequent trip to Japan. They loaded her luggage into the limo and continued singing on the ride, switching to different songs when they grew tired of each one and teaching each other ones they didn't know yet. Chapter Songs: David Cook - Time Of My Life, Shanice & Jon Secada - If I Never Knew You, and Lifehouse - You and Me Chapter 39: Charity Ball The moment Joan stepped out of the limo, Seto grabbed her and kissed her hard. The longer they spent apart, the more he burned for her touch, and actually touching her granted such sweet release. Seto lingered on her lips until Mokuba barged between them. "Hey Seto, quit hogging her!" Mokuba examined the ring on her finger and kissed her left hand before moving up to her lips, his fingers trailing over her exposed neck. While Mokuba still locked lips with Joan, Seto took her hand to get a closer look at the ring. There in all their glory, four birthstones adorned her ring finger. Seto's opal and the wage monkey's sapphire opposed one another in position but equaled one another in size along with Mokuba's ruby and Marc's peridot. It strangely comforted him to see all four of their names engraved there, proof that he comprised part of Joan's team set in stone, or rather metal. Joan drew back to look at the brothers, noticing how they matched perfectly in their simple black suits with cerulean shirts and black ties. Joan wondered if this was by coordination or coincidence but decided not to question it. She linked arms with the brothers, and they headed up a red carpet together. Cameras of every description tracked their every step, and reporters shouted for attention. Seto stopped at one to answer a few questions, and Joan flashed the rocks on her finger, explaining how she'd told the brothers no conflict diamonds and they'd come up with this. She did not, however, mention anything about her original, long-gone diamond ring passed down from Michael's grandmother and stolen by her ex-boyfriend. Though the thought crossed her mind and caused her some discomfort, the steady contact of the brothers kept a buoyant smile on her face through the entire red carpet ordeal. Once inside, Joan found herself giving the same ring speech to CEO after CEO. Conversations quickly grew routine and tedious, never delving into anything beyond the physical as the game developers politely excused themselves to approach exciting new faces. Waiters with trays of hors d'oeuvres floated through the crowd, and Joan grabbed as many as possible out of sheer boredom. A cutting remark from Seto towards a young man with magenta hair and honey eyes snapped Joan back to attention. She looked to Mokuba for an explanation. "Leon von Schroeder, the younger brother of Zigfried von Schroeder," Mokuba said. Joan's eyes lit up. "Brothers?" "Don't even think about it," Mokuba warned. "Leon and Zigfried cheated in one of our big Duel Monsters tournaments several years ago." "Come on," Leon whined, "you know that wasn't my idea at all. Zigfried talked me into it." Joan took a good look at Leon and turned back to Mokuba. "Don't worry. I prefer guys who take at least some responsibility for their actions. Besides, the pink hair isn't doing it for me." Seto smirked. "Even my whore has better taste than your family, Schroeder." Leon blanched. "Let me guess," Seto said, "your older brother talked you into dyeing your hair to match his. At least when I talk Mokuba into something, it actually looks good on him." Leon rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, those suits do look pretty good on you two." Seto's hand snaked around Joan's waist. "I wasn't talking about the suits." "Yeah, um . . . I'm going to just step over here now. Bye." Leon left. Mokuba sighed. "Seto, do you think we could actually make friends with people for a change?" "Why, so we can invite them over for hanky-panky playtime?" Mokuba looked aghast. "No. I mean like for regular stuff. The stuff we missed as kids." Seto closed his eyes. He'd hoped that building Kaiba Land together and letting Mokuba run around with Yugi's geek squad would have filled that void, but clearly it hadn't been enough. "Mokuba, nobody's stopping you from making friends." "I know, but I look up to you, Seto. When you don't like someone, I feel like I'm not allowed to like them either. I know it's stupid, but I feel like if I want to make real friends, ones we don't pay, I can never introduce you to them." Joan blinked. The brothers had entered a staring match. All their feelings started bubbling to the surface: too real, too intense. Should she even be here right now? "Excuse me. May I borrow this?" Marc showed up and pulled Joan away before either brother could protest. Marc guided Joan to the dance floor and led her in a slow waltz, easy for her out-of-practice legs to follow. "Have those boys been giving you trouble?" "Nothing I can't handle," Joan replied. "Oh really? You looked a little lost there." Marc spun her into a twirl and caught her again. "It's just . . ." Joan spoke slowly, caught between focusing on the dance and the Kaibas. "Their childhood was so different from mine. They have wounds I'm not sure I'm capable of healing." "As do I. It's not your job to do that for them, nor for me. Some wounds never heal but become part of who we are." "That's bullshit, Marc. You and the Kaibas wiped out my agoraphobia. Granted you probably didn't understand what you were doing at the time, but you did it all the same." Joan couldn't tell if her agoraphobia was gone for good, but at the moment, she felt invincible in Marc's arms. "That's only because you made the choice to let us help you." "So what about you? Will you ever make the choice to let me help you?" A tiny smile quirked Marc's lips. "We're not to that stage in our relationship yet." "Really?" Joan briefly removed her hand from his shoulder and held the ring before his face. "This says otherwise." "Not sure why Mokuba insisted on including me there, but I'll admit I'm flattered. You're becoming quite important to me." Joan gave a slight shrug. "We wouldn't have met without you." "It's still overkill, but fine. Let's see where this goes." Marc finished the dance with a deep dip and sensuous kiss. "Disgusting!" one bystander declared. Catcalls and wolf whistles ensued, drowning out jeers, but Joan paid them no mind as she enjoyed the way his powerful, graceful muscles rippled under her hands. Mokuba and Seto came over to witness the spectacle. Marc spoke into Joan's ear so nobody else could hear. "Let's give them a real show." They went into a slightly faster foxtrot, and Joan managed to keep up; the waltz had warmed up her legs well. Marc's dark walnut eyes captivated Joan as she savored the moment. The noise from the crowd died down as the observers became enthralled by the performance. Marc released Joan, spinning her into Seto's waiting arms. Whispers abounded as the CEO of Kaiba Corp. took control. For the first time in his life, Seto felt grateful for the excessive ballroom dance lessons his adoptive father had forced on him and Mokuba so they could make a good impression at events like these. His flawless precision kept Joan in step as she followed his lead. Seto handed Joan off to Mokuba, again generating whispers from the crowd but fewer this time. With such a smooth exchange, some of the bystanders missed the moment and only later realized that she had taken on the younger Kaiba brother. Even Joan had difficulty distinguishing between their dance styles. However, Mokuba's movements felt more fluid and natural, as if he had spent more time cultivating his skills outside of lessons. At the end of the song, Mokuba bowed to Joan and kissed her hand. Hoping to see something more scandalous, the disappointed gawkers lost interest. Chapter Songs: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Mr. Pinstripe Suit and Dark Waltz - Hayley Westenra Chapter 40: Magic Mokuba and Joan entered into another dance: a quickstep that took all of Joan's concentration to follow. She reveled in the challenge, relieved that nobody commented the few times she faltered. Mokuba passed her back to Seto, who passed her back to Marc. Another waltz set in, and Joan made her rounds again but suddenly found herself in the arms of an eccentric-looking man with a plume of white hair extending from the bridge of his nose to high above his forehead. The rest of his hair was long and dark, falling below his waist. Amethyst crystals that matched his eyes sparkled on either side of his forehead, and he wore an unusual white and blue outfit. His high cheekbones granted his face a somewhat ghoulish appearance. "My dear, has anyone ever told you that you have an aura of pure light?" Joan had heard this statement several times before, but usually it came from an elderly hippie woman. "Yes. Most recently at a book festival in LA." "Well, it's true. You simply must join my society." "Excuse me. You are?" "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Master Sartorius of the Society of Light." Joan took note of the strange man's green and yellow jade earrings tipped with curved, pointed ivory. A few gold beads gleamed between the stone ones, and Joan remembered Seto's warnings about obnoxious magical artifacts. "I'm sorry. My schedule is entirely booked for the foreseeable future." Joan made a gentle attempt to pull away from him. Sartorius' grip on her waist tightened. "Ah, but come with me and I will make you a queen to bring about a bold new destiny for mankind!" His amethyst eyes glowed with an eerie fire. "No thanks. I'm already making a difference in the world, and I'm not into cults." Joan tried a little harder to escape his grasp without causing a scene. "But you have so much potential. I see it in your aura. You must harness it, or you will be doing the world a disservice." "Dude. You've made your proposition. I've rejected it. Get away from me." Joan jerked away from Sartorius, but he pulled her back forcefully. He let out a howl as her hand pushed against his shoulder and her ring delivered a burn felt only to him. Sartorius drew back and collapsed to his knees. Marc, Mokuba, Seto, Roland, and Tamara reached Joan's side in an instant. "What," Sartorius panted, "what magic is this?" Seto glowered. "Accusing my whore of witchcraft? How fifteenth century of you." Sartorius displayed his burned shoulder. "Explain this!" "That's easy. You did it to yourself with a hidden device that self-destructed." Joan appreciated Seto's show of faith in her, but deep down she knew Sartorius wasn't lying. As Seto and Sartorius continued to exchange sharp words, Mokuba led Joan away from the limelight and into a quiet corner. Marc followed, and Tamara stood watch while they put their heads together. "This is going to sound weird," Mokuba began, "but I felt something right before he screamed." "Me too," Marc said. "It was like some sort of electric pulse running through my brain. What happened there?" Joan explained Sartorius' creepy advances and how her ring had been in contact with the burned flesh. Mokuba took Joan's hand and concentrated on the ring. The ruby lit up. "Damn." "What?" Joan asked. Mokuba passed Joan's hand to his art director. "Marc, look at this. Really look." Marc saw the ruby's glow extinguish and focused until the peridot lit up. "Uh oh." "What?" Joan asked again. "Seto hates magic, and this . . . this is obviously some sort of magic," Mokuba replied. Joan's eyes widened. "Do you think Seto felt it too?" "If he did, he'll never own up to it," Mokuba said. "He'll probably say something like—" "I have a headache." Seto's face appeared over Marc's shoulder, and Marc dropped Joan's hand with a start. "I think my neural interface just malfunctioned." "Oh." Joan couldn't think of anything else to say and neither could the others. "I need to run some diagnostics on it, but before I do . . ." Seto took Joan in his arms, and Joan slung hers behind his neck. Marc and Mokuba watched the opal illuminate as they kissed. "We'll fuck as soon as I have this cleared up," Seto said as they parted. He left with Roland in tow. "That only leaves Michael," Mokuba said as soon as Seto was out of earshot. "We need to find out if he's connected to this too." Joan looked up and spotted Tamara keeping watch a few paces away. "Hey Tam, could you do me a little favor and bring me my phone?" Joan had left her purse in the limo, confident that Roland would have it safely delivered to Seto's room. "Only if Marc sticks with you while I'm gone. Things are getting weird around here." "Of course," Marc replied. Tamara took off while Marc and Mokuba closed ranks around Joan. "Seto is going to freak out when he learns about this, and I don't know how long we can keep it under wraps," Mokuba said. Marc placed a reassuring hand on Mokuba's shoulder. "Calm down. If this is anything like the magic of legends, Joan should be able to control it. Either that, or it won't activate without clear and present danger." "Yeah, but we clearly have some control over it too," Mokuba said. "What if Seto inadvertently activates it or even just sees the ring glowing?" Laura nuzzled her way between Joan and Marc. She wore a backless red evening gown that showcased her elegant body. "Hey, can I have my husband back yet?" "Not quite." Mokuba explained the predicament to Laura, and they bounced around some potential solutions until a lady in a black dress drew their attention to the front of the room. Joan discerned that the lady was giving some sort of speech about how certain video games improve the lives of physically and mentally disabled children, but she barely listened as her thoughts raced. Tamara returned with Joan's phone. Joan unlocked it to find a message from Michael: My head did something freaky. I'm fine now, but Linda insists on taking me to the hospital. Joan wondered then if Mokuba, Marc, and Seto were all underplaying exactly how intense the sensations they'd felt had been out of some need to uphold a macho façade. Joan explained what she could through text and watched the sapphire on her ring light up as Michael responded. The other stones also glowed intermittently. Seto would surely notice at some point, and it wasn't as if she could simply take the ring off without a damn good excuse. The speech drew to a close, and the festivities resumed. Joan, Mokuba, Marc, and Laura re-formed their huddle. "We'll need to keep Seto's eyes off that ring tonight," Mokuba said, "and the best way to do that is to keep him distracted while he's fucking Joan. Who's in?" "Oh no no no," Laura said, "I don't want to be there when he blows a gasket, especially if he's going to be naked. You do what you want, but I'm out." "Marc?" Mokuba asked, "Didn't you already have a threesome with Seto and Joan anyway?" "I only agreed to that because I knew Seto wasn't going to stick around after the Summit. I see you every day, though. This could turn awkward." "You work with Laura," Mokuba pointed out. "She's not my boss." A cold silence settled over them for a minute before Marc revised his statement. "If you were any other boss, I'd say no, but you and Seto have already proved fifty times over that this works for you, so this could actually be fun." A playful gleam entered Marc's walnut eyes. Joan caught herself grinning despite the gravity of the situation. You can read the next part here: https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2217358-Kaibas-Prostitute---Part-... |