Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Feeding Genius ❯ Just One Dance ( Chapter 3 )

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Feeding Genius

Chapter Three

Just One Dance

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Roughly half an hour had past since Vegeta left me and the dancing was yet to commence. During that time I had been aimlessly milling around at the top of the staircase, determined not to draw more attention to myself than was absolutely necessary. Unfortunately that was easier said than done. Perhaps if I had been one of the guests my task to blend in would have been easier, but when you are the only connection between most of the assembled and quiet then there is little chance of avoiding business.

For a man who had retired so long ago, my father has to be commended for the easy way he stepped into my place that night. I think he must have known that I didn't have the heart to play hostess. Without much encouragement he took the majority of the civility onto his own shoulders. In a way I believe he enjoyed it. A man of my father's intellect and good breeding cannot bear to be idle long, and as much as I love my mother, she can probably do little to turn his attention from such a lifetime's devotion. More and more recently have I had to turn him away from my office, because his magnificent brain cannot do without the mental stimulation.

He has his own private laboratory adjacent to the den, but he does not like it much. Every time I mention it as an excuse to get him away, he chides, "That's right my dear, send the doddering old fool off to the Briefs cellar. One of these days you will forget about me down there and then ten years will have past and I will be just as much the lunatic as Dr. Gero ever was."

Be that as it may however, that evening I was happy for his distractions, whether it be out of kindness or inactivity. Even as I watched him take up conversation with a group of wealthy brokers from the cities new science park I knew Vegeta couldn't be far away. The very hair on the back of my neck stood tall, and an unmistakable energy managed to tingle its way down my arms. It has long since been a telltale sign to the Saiyan no Ouji's whereabouts. Most times it would be described as comforting, but not so now. It was plainly obvious that he wanted me to know he was watching, even though he would not let me catch him at it through sight.

It appeared that my trial still was not over; the jury was out, undecided about its course of action. Perhaps it would not have been so bad, if I had not lost myself in the thoughts it created, because from some quarter, unknown or contrived, a masculine hand rested on my shoulder.

"Vegeta you're an asshole!" I chided, not turning around.

"Well then I'm glad I'm not him, or else I may be offended."

I do not think I have ever turned so quickly as I did at that minute, hoping out of hope that the face I saw didn't fit the voice.

"Mr Simmons!"

Now here comes a confession that you would not normally hear me say out loud, but looking back, I might have been a bit unfair to our investor. He did have the perverted tendencies of the infamous Turtle Hermit, but his outward appearance would offer more weight to his passion, because it was certainly respectable and not without its attributes. Perhaps if he had been twenty years younger then Vegeta might have had some iota of competition. His eyes were piecing blue as he looked at me, his once dark hair now showing the effects of time in an almost uniform flow of silver. I guess most people who saw him, would say he looked distinguished. His skin was a dark olive, and his nose was straight giving him a Grecian profile.

To my utter annoyance his hand lingered on me for longer than was necessary and I was forced to shrug my shoulder a little to remove it. "Mr Simmons is far too formal for my liking, please, call me Jeremy." He smiled, setting my nerves on edge, "So where have you been hiding B?"

I cringed at the nickname; it didn't suit me. "I wasn't hiding… just had a private matter to attend to."

"Ah I see." He moved closer and took up a position next to me, leaning against the banister. The proximity meant that his shoulder rubbed against mine and every time I tried to widen the gap, he would compensate and contrive to find the contact again. If it had been anyone else I might have thought it accidental, but I knew better. Especially when I felt his fingers surreptitiously skimming over the fabric of my dress as though it was the most natural progression in the world.

His gaze fell to the circle of entertainment below and I nonchalantly brushed his hand away. As we watched all the listeners below burst into simultaneous laughter. That my father has a knack for the narrative is very widely known, and it appeared he was having great delight in reciting one of his many societal stories. With a sparkle in his eye he laughed heartily along with his company and raised a glass of thanks to each. I smiled gently at how well he performed for them. An old man he might look, but you mustn't let such things deceive you. My dear old dad can be frighteningly quick witted when he wants to be, and just as sharp verbally as he is mentally.

"Your father is a very affable old man B and I see his social magic is working as well as ever." My companion spoke, and I jumped slightly at his voice, "But now is a time of change. Those men he talks with look innocuous enough, but Capsule Corp will have to tread carefully to stay one step ahead of them. The president Mr Tajoma it appears has been particularly interested in tonight's meeting. You know he is in need of new scientists and I fear his only reason for being here is to poach your own. He has been freely offering business cards out all night."

I gritted my teeth slightly at the accusation raised in his tone. "Don't worry I know what he is up to, in fact I urged him to do it. He is an old friend of my fathers and has spoken to me at length of his plans. He doesn't wish to do us harm, but he has his own business to run. He is a good man, and came to me in some distress. Part of my reason in inviting him here was to help. You see the representatives in the corner?" He nodded. "They are from a personnel recruitment agency based in the UK. They flew in several weeks ago to set up a new office, which will be a link between Asia and Europe, offering work for those who wish to broaden their horizons in fields that have previously remained shut. I have all the recruitments I need and Mr Tajoma is the only reason for their invite. That is a large part of how our company is run - on friendship. We do not look for enemies within it, but try to embrace and work with those that will let us. That has been our success."

"You talk prettily my dear, but I think you would have done just as well without as you have with. You and your father are good honest folk, and unusually gifted in your field, but you need more bite in your business affairs and less emotion."

"Well we've done OK so far. Capsule Corp may have a new CEO but it will not forget its roots, no matter how much its investors complain!"

He held his hands up in surrender, "Not complaining of course, just looking out for our mutual interests, but I think you are right. I wouldn't be needed if you ran your business as you aught, and such wonderful evenings as this would be lost to me."

I laughed, "So you're going full circle tonight then. I never took you for a pacifist. What has happened to your bite Jeremy?"

"It's been disarmed by the light in your eyes!" he replied smoothly and I silently wished I had not asked.

"Most likely lulled by too much alcohol!" I countered, making him laugh out loud, and keeping the atmosphere light.

A few minutes past after the laughter swam from the air, and under the increasing protraction of an ice blue stare, I desperately tried to come up with an excuse to leave. Fortunately or not, I was spared the effort when a bustle was raised behind us.

"Ah! There you are Bulma! I have been looking for you everywhere!" We both turned to look in the direction of the bubbly voice, and sure enough my mother tottered towards us in four-inch stilettos, whilst pulling an invisible piece of fluff from the hemline of her elegant blue evening dress. Righting herself, she smiled and took my hand. "Your father asked me to look for you. The dancing is about to start." She looked expectantly around the room, "Dear me! I saw Vegeta sulking around here a few minutes ago, but he seems to have disappeared now. Not that I think you will get him anywhere near the dance floor anyway. That poor man! I swear he doesn't relax for a minute, and I'm sure it's not healthy. Such a handsome young man!" She looked up, finally seeming to notice my unwanted companion, "Why Jeremy-Chan I didn't see you there! Well then perhaps all is not lost. You could easily dance with Bulma in Vegeta's place."

"Of course! In fact you beat me to it. I was just about to suggest the very same myself, but who is this Vegeta? The name sounds familiar, but I do not recognise it from any of my dealings in the city."

To my horror he had already taken my hand and was leading me down the stairs and into company. Mom fussed with her usual dizziness behind. "Why he's a Saiyan prince of course!" she exclaimed, "Or at least I should say was, but things changed when his planet was destroyed and then…"

"Mom." I whispered, making sure Jeremy couldn't hear. "He doesn't need to know that!"

To her credit my mother had already put her hand to her mouth and realized her mistake, and nodding mutely, chose to leave us be. When my wits returned I found that Mr Simmons was watching me carefully, looking up to my vantage point on the stair above. His step halted and he raised an eyebrow to me. I forced a grin even though I was dying inside. "You'll have to excuse mom." I stammered under forced laughter, "She gets a bit carried away after a few glasses of champagne. I'm sorry to say that alcohol makes her talk absolute nonsense!"

For a moment he didn't look thoroughly convinced. "Well whoever this Vegeta is, he isn't nearly as important as me."

The haughtiness in his words made me feel sick to the stomach, but it also cemented my will and I pulled away from his arm as he tried to link it with mine.

"I'm sorry, but I did promise I'd dance with Vegeta first. I hope you understand."

"No I do not!" he frowned, "Put him to the side B. There is no one in the room who will fit with you so well, and quite frankly I am not in the mood for opposition, so unless you give me an exceptional excuse you will dance with me."

"You have it already," My smile faltered and my voice became more persistent, "I can't go back on a promise."

"You see this is just what I was talking about - more bite, less emotion! Let him be satisfied with the second B. I am putting too much money into your company to be denied your attention now."

His face clouded in a scowl and he added emphasis to the speech, which left me in no doubt of his meaning. Commandingly his arm led me on. My mind was in a complete muddle and it took me a while to realize that I was already next to the dance floor and being forced into its swarm. This was the last thing I needed. The feel of Vegeta's energy had left me a while ago, but that probably only meant that he no longer felt like hiding. If that were the case then there was absolutely no way I was going to dance with Mr Simmons. Deciding that maybe my genius was a gift for situations just like this, I planned to utilise it for a means of escape. Unfortunately my resolve was reached a fraction of a second too late.

"Bulma!"

The voice of gravel stopped us both, and to my dismay I found that Mr Simmons had his arm wrapped firmly over my shoulder.

Vegeta seemed to melt out from the shadows behind us, his arms folded and with the usual arrogance plastered across his countenance. The angle of his eyes sharpened the tiniest fraction, as his gaze flittered over us.

"You look very… comfortable!"

He stared directly into my face, and picking up a shot glass from a passing waitress, downed the contents in one go, before slamming it back down.

I tried to move away from, but Jeremy held me firm, whispering into my ear, "Do you know this guy?"

I could hear the growl, which reverberated through Vegeta's chest and decided that an introduction was in order. "Mr Simmons I'd like you to meet Vegeta. Apart from being devilishly good-looking!" I winked at him, trying desperately to make things go easier than they were heading, "He is the father of Capsule Corps future CEO and a very big part of my private life. Vegeta I'd like you to meet Mr Simmons. Mr Simmons is the President of Jorsindan LTD a very profitable business that has its fingers in just about every pie imaginable. Capsule Corp wouldn't be half of what it is today without their generous backing."

Mr Simmons had been smiling throughout the introduction, listening intently, but Vegeta didn't seem to care who he was speaking to, and refused to acknowledge the introduction.

"So this is the competition eh B?" exclaimed Jeremy, "It's nice to meet you Vegeta."

The older man held out a hand, a gesture that Vegeta chose to ignore. Instead he curled his lip haughtily, and never taking his eyes from my face, snarled, "It is never nice to meet me, and more especially so at this time, because you appear to have your arm wrapped far too happily around my wife's shoulder!"

I think I mentally slapped my forehead, "Vegeta, please don't be an ass!" I chided through gritted teeth.

Jeremy's eyes locked with mine and he raised his brow, "I didn't know you were married B!" he cried, but his hold on me never loosened, "Where was my invite?"

"Well!" I stammered, "Vegeta and I aren't married in the traditional way. We decided to have a private ceremony adhering to his customs instead of the usual white wedding."

"Oh I see! So where do you come from Vegeta? I picked up a slightly foreign aspect to your accent. Italy… Spain perhaps?"

"That!" replied Vegeta, effortlessly turning me out of Mr Simmons hold and onto the dance floor, "Is most definitely none of your business." Without another word I was whisked into the middle of the couples already assembled. The supple velvet of my dress was pushed with almost crushing force against Vegeta's chest, and as the mini orchestra struck up the first chord, we started to move.

It was quickly evident that neither of us was much in the mood for the light music. It scurried around us as though seeming to feel our apathy, and very quickly dissolved into background noise. Both Vegeta and I were lost, motionless in the fold of all the other couples. As soon as I felt that we would not be overheard I spoke, "What the hell was all that about Vegeta? There was no need for you to be so rude to him!"

"And!" He countered into my ear, his voice dropping to deathly quiet, "There was no need for his arm to be where is was."

"You really have to get a grip Vegeta. OK I admit that I didn't like the contact much, but now that he knows we are together it won't be a problem." I smiled, hoping that my reasoning would palliate his temper. "So just relax!"

"I will not relax, not whilst he still watches you!"

I turned to see that this was very much the case, but he was not the only one. A whisper rushed through the couples in close proximity, and several eyes were on us as the throng of bodies moved.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" I asked, "To let everyone in the room know exactly what our situation is."

"No." he growled, looking distinctly uneasy at being put under public scrutiny. His hand pulled my head closer to his and he whispered, "This is purely territorial! I couldn't care less about the majority of these overdressed piranhas, but he…" his body moved mine, pretending to bend with the music, but purposefully pointing in the direction of Mr Simmons, "He needs to learn his place."

"And how do you plan on achieving this?" I asked, disappointed that he had stopped the dancing, when it was no longer necessary to hide our discussion.

His face slanted into a devilish smirk, "Like this!" he exclaimed, capturing my lips in a searing kiss.

The music had by this point tamed to something a little less frantic, and I delighted in the way the song melded with the movement of his mouth over mine. The contact was hard and eager, as his tongue explored every inch of my mouth. The fact that he was overacting made me laugh from the inside out, and I couldn't hide my delight when he started to pull away, chuckling against his cheek and displaying a row of white teeth. The whole situation was just totally bizarre! My punishment for laughing at him was more of the same, but this time something was out of place.

We had not been kissing long when Vegeta's teeth bared against my own and his mouth pulled violently away. I stood in shock for a minute, and was open-mouthed as a series of blinding lights, pelted my eyes. Vegeta's hands were still around my waist, but his whole demeanour had changed.

"What is it Vegeta? What's wrong?"

"Fucking journalists!" he growled. "It appears they liked our performance so much, they decided to take pictures!"

I put a hand on his shoulders and felt the muscles contract angrily underneath the silk of his shirt. "Don't worry about it Vegeta!" I soothed, putting my hand to his face and bringing my lips to his cheek, willing him to turn away. "Let them be and forget all about it."

He resisted, pulling my hand from his face, "You will worry about it when they get those pictures developed and put two and two together." He exclaimed, throwing my hand to the side and tracking the photographers keenly through the crowd with his heightened vision, "I mean we could forget about it, but do you really want them to figure out that your husband once came to this world hell bent on destroying it? No amount of dinner parties would be able to save your business after that."

Vegeta's words made total sense and I relented my hold on him, "Don't hurt them Vegeta."

"Do not worry onna, it will be far more satisfying for me to scare the living shit out of them, and although a physical pounding is deserved, I fancy it won't serve my purpose any. I'll get the film and then come back."

With only one meaningful look at me, Vegeta vanished into the crowd and I was left in the middle of the dance floor feeling very awkward. It felt as though every eye in the room was trained on me and I smiled slightly, hugging myself self-consciously under the assorted gazes.

Several minutes past before the music finally seemed to lull the attention away and seeing my chance for escape I aimed for the door of the den, not really caring about what my guests did for the rest of the evening. I wasn't, however, even destined to make it off the dance floor. A strong hand caught hold of my wrist and I was spun around with the momentum only to be confronted with the intensity of two piercing blue eyes.

"Why are you in such a rush to leave?" The words were like ice, they ran so cold over my body, "You owe me a dance B and you aren't going anywhere until I get it, because understand this," his hands assailed my backside, pulling me closer than was right, "you may as well kiss your Corporation goodbye if you refuse!"

Normally I would have shouted abuse at him with an eloquence that would make even the foulest sailor blush, but my business is everything to me. It is my father's legacy and life, irrespective of the emotional ties I have linked to it, and I knew that the amount of money that Jorsindan LTD contributed year after year, was fundamental to its continued success. If the money was lost then in theory the main business would survive, although at a stretch, but some of the more influential and worthwhile branches would have to be given up.

The medical research facilities were one of the most prominent to my mind at the time. It was the only part of the business that was set up independently and with no thought to providing profitable turnover. If Mr Simmons refused to sign the contract, there was no doubt that it would signal the researches ultimate doom. All the hard work and beginnings of breakthroughs that were starting to come to light under its guidance - none of it would mean shit! I couldn't let it happen! I just couldn't, and in my weakness I did as I was told, because in the grand scale of things, one dance-filled groping was, in my own warped opinion, a small price to pay for the researches continuance.

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A/N - I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next will be up in a couple of weeks. *hugs* Ember