Champagne Problems

Just something I threw together. This will be part one of three.

'This is so annoying.' Seto thought to himself with a heavy sigh. He was stuck at yet another tedious charity gala. He loathed attending them but when he was Gozaburo's pupil he was taught of their importance in the business world. Making appearances at certain events could make or break a relationship for the Kaiba Corporation. He did not mind getting the opportunity to wear his favorite white & blue suit which he looked devilishly handsome in but he was not a fan of being surrounded by so many people, especially those of which he actually had to converse with. He always made certain to bring Roland and at least two other random employees of the same caliber as Roland so his reserved table would be full. That way no unwanted guests would linger or make themselves too comfortable in his presence. He tapped on the rim of his champagne flute in boredom as the while the many distinguished guests danced around the elegantly decorated grand ballroom of the conference building. Gozaburo made certain that Seto was taught how to ball room dance at a young age as part of his training but Seto had never actually participated in the activity since that time. He couldn't fathom being close to someone's body for a prolonged period of time and the thought always made him uncomfortable. 'Stupid.' He mumbled to himself while picking up the champagne flute & downing the sweet bubbly beverage in one gulp. Drinking wasn't something that he often did but he always made exceptions at these types of events. 'Roland.' His gaze shifted to his personal assistant with the empty glass in hand.
Roland nodded, 'Yes, sir.' He set the glass back on the table while Roland began his quest to the beverage table. A tiny smirk appeared on Seto's lips while he waited for the return of his number two. Roland had been his assistant for years and their relationship was at the point where Seto barely needed to speak to be understood by Roland. Roland was the closest to a 'father figure' as Seto ever had and no matter what curve balls Seto threw his way Roland's loyalty toward both him & the Kaiba Corporation was impregnable. Seto wasn't renown for being the most joyous of men in the world but it was the little things that made him feel pleasurable. 'Sir.' Roland sat down next to his boss and placed the glass onto the table in front of Seto.
'Thanks.' Roland was taken aback by the sudden gratitude from his employer. Seto Kaiba was not one to outwardly display gratification or any form of affection to another individual, with the exception to his younger brother Mokuba. He chalked it up to the alcohol swimming in the young president's blood stream. With a slight blush & a broad smile Roland returned to chatting with the other two employees that sat at their table. Seto was on his fourth glass of champagne in the short hour since the event had begun. He usually paced himself well but it had been an exceptionally difficult day of work and he really did not want to even be there. He would much rather have chosen to return to the Kaiba mansion and spend some quality time with Mokuba. Something he did not often get the opportunity to do. It made him feel guilty but Mokuba always claimed to understand his position. 'I guess he could have came.' He thought to himself while he listlessly looked around the room observing the guests' animated conversations. Seto did not want Mokuba to have the same experiences he was forced into at his age, though so he never bothered to invite him to glamorous events. It wasn't really his style, anyway but he couldn't help cracking a small grin at the thought of Mokuba dressed up to the nines in a matching blue and white suit.
'Excuse me, Mr. Kaiba?' A well dressed man in a black & purple suit approached him, tapping him on the shoulder. 'Oh, great.' Seto never approached people at these events because he knew they would end up speaking to him regardless. He still tried to make himself appear more intimidating as a method to deter more people from coming to him but he lost his guise while thinking of his brother. His sapphire eyes shifted to view the man after taking a moment to pointedly examine the area of his shoulder which the gentleman had touched. He stood to shake the gentleman's hand which ended up feeling clammy & sweaty, probably due to the man's nervousness. He chuckled inwardly at the intimidation he instilled in the poor man as he listened to the fellow's proposition. After what seemed like forever but was only thirty minutes of the man's stutters & mumbles Seto had had enough. He sat back down in his seat with the man still anxiously watching Seto for any form of response. Seto simply crossed his arms and Roland sprung into action.
'Thank you for your time. We will be in touch.' He told the man with a fake smile before escorting him away from the table. 'Finally.' He needed another glass of champagne after that encounter and downed his fifth glass with ease. He could start to feel the effects of the bubbling beverage start to kick in as he made his way to grab another from the beverage table. He didn't often venture on his own at these events but he was feeling less inhibited although he still was trying to be wary not to let his guard down fully. Two seconds after he placed his hand around the stem of a champagne flute he felt a light tap on his forearm. 'Not another one.' He thought to himself in dismay. He turned around while trying to portray his best facial expression of irritation in hopes of frightening the person away so he could make a quick retreat to his table. His expression changed instantly when he found himself facing a beautiful woman. She had platinum blonde, almost white hair with bright blue turquoise eyes. She wore a long white dress with a long slit in the side that showed off one of her tanned & lean legs. The slit had small baby blue roses traveling up the seam & onto her neckline. 'She looks familiar.' Seto thought to himself.
'My name is ____. Her voice sounded musical in his ears as he repeated her name out loud. After a minute of awkward silence she continued, 'Well, I just wanted to say hello since we were both over here.' She flashed him a charming smile before she turned away & rejoined a group of luxuriously dressed women on the other side of the room. Seto finished his glass of champagne while he watched her walk away. He felt his heartbeat start to quicken but he couldn't tell if it was from the champagne or that encounter. He bit on his lip debating on whether or not he should make an exit. He had spoken to enough people for the night and he did not want to appear too intoxicated in public. That would be very bad for the image of the Kaiba Corporation.
'Alright.' he mumbled to himself while making sure to sneak in one last glass of champagne. He did not get drunk easily but when he did it was a different experience each time. Sometimes he would end up in a happier mood and sometimes it left him feeling empty, it just depended on the occasion. His gaze met with Roland's and with nothing more than a nod toward his assistant he started to make his way toward the elevator while Roland left for the parking garage with the other two employees in tow.
'Hold that door!' A voice called out after he had stepped into the small compartment. He quickly slid his hand in between the sliding doors forcing them to re-open. ____ had stepped into the elevator, 'Thank you.' She smiled at him, 'I'm also heading to the ground floor.' She confirmed before he could ask her which floor she wanted.
'I see.' He responded blankly. He slid his hands in his pockets while the door closed and the elevator started its slow descent from the 50th floor. The silence in the small space was awkward. Seto continuously glanced in ___'s direction in hopes of her acknowledgement. After the elevator had reached the 20th floor a loud bang suddenly erupted from above and the small compartment shook vigorously with the lights flashing. ____ lost her balance and started to tumble into the firm arms of Seto. His face turned a slight shade of pink as her body pressed against his own. He was glad that the lights were going haywire at the time so ___ did not notice the blush.
'I'm sorry!' She apologized frantically, stepping as far away from the CEO as possible. The lights flickered back on albeit extremely dull. The numbers on the control panel were no longer glowing. Seto opened the lock box on the panel & picked up the emergency phone. The line was dead.
'Great.' He slammed the dead phone back onto the receiver & shut the panel in exasperation which made ___ jump slightly at the sudden noise. 'We're stuck.' Seto sighed.

End