"Now this is more like it!" With her hands at her hips the secretary circled Seto as he admired himself in the full length mirror just outside his changing room. The black slacks picked out for him certainly weren't his usual style. They lacked any sort of flair, but damn, he thought as he turned and checked out his rump, they did fit him well.

"Very nice." His secretary was humming approvingly, checking the trouser's tightness around his waist and the length of the legs. "They are perhaps a bit too long for you, surprisingly. Nothing a little bit of tailoring can't fix. And these are much more appropriate for our CEO." She met Seto's half-hearted scowl with a grin. "How do you like them, Mr. Kaiba?"

"They're boring." He snapped, as if vocalizing approval right off the bat would do something dreadful, like turn him into a dweeb.

"But…" she led him to go on. Seto huffed and let his hands flow like water over the curve of his backside.

"But they do make my ass look amazing."

"And do they feel comfortable?"

This time Seto gave in. "Yes. I like them."

His secretary beamed at him. "Excellent." She turned to the brunette and placed the other pairs of slacks in her arms. "Get these rung up and bagged for us." Without hesitation the clerk obeyed. "And now, Mr. Kaiba, we face the real challenge." Crooking a finger she called the teen to her side and they both approached the rack of dresses the blonde had collected.

"Let's see." His secretary shifted through the garments, pulling out one after the other and holding them up again Seto's torso.

"Too short." She muttered, tossing a short, blue dress aside.

"Won't do a thing to flatter your figure." A long sleeved white dress was thrown over her shoulder.

"Oh~" Seto quirked an eyebrow as his secretary pulled a teal evening gown from the rack.

"My, my, my," as she held it up to her boss and met his eyes Seto watched her grin curl higher, "yes, this will do quite nicely." She placed the garment in Seto's hands. "Give this one a try." Seto didn't obey her immediately. Instead he held up the dress and looked it over.

"It isn't blue."

"No, Mr. Kaiba. It isn't." said his secretary. "We're expanding your palette a little."

Seto looked at the garment again. "I don't know how to tie off this lace in the back."

His secretary rolled her eyes. "Then I will help you. Now quit dawdling." Seto jumped when he felt her hand swat his rump. It caught him so off guard that he didn't get the chance to snap at her before she had successfully herded him into his dressing room and closed the door behind him.

"Come out when you're ready," she said from the other side of the door, "and I'll tie you off." Seto was quite relieved she wasn't there to see the red in his cheeks as his mind drifted off into the weird dark places the minds of teenaged boys tend to wander. With a shake of his head, the CEO cleared his mind and brought his attention back to the dress in his hands.

This is it. He thought, his nerves steeling. I'm finally doing this. It's now or never.

-O-

"If you laugh at me, I will fire you so hard-"

"Oh, do shut up, Mr. Kaiba." Seto's secretary cut off his hollow threat with a knock at his changing room door. "If you're ready for me to lace you up, then come out."

"Alright, alright." Seto took a deep breath. The lock clicked open, and as the teenaged billionaire stepped out of the changing room he watched with awe (and a little arrogance) as his secretary's golden eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"My, oh my, Mr. Kaiba! You look absolutely stunning."

Seto turned in front of the mirror. The dress was long, but not unmanageably so, falling to just above his sharp ankles. A split along the side drew attention to his shapely calf and allowed for the barest teasing glimpse of his thigh. Accents of silver in the fiery embroidery added the perfect amount of flair to suit Seto's taste without being too gaudy. As his secretary set to work lacing up the back, the young man found the dress's bust suited him well. Seto noted with pride how the dress fit perfectly around his torso. A single strap over this shoulder accented the slant of his neck and the hollow dip of his collarbone without hiding his sculpted chest and arms behind excessive frills and fabric. And the shade of the dress, a darker gradient of teal, made the CEO's brilliant azure eyes stand out like the moon over a midnight sea.

"What do you think, Mr. Kaiba?" asked his secretary with a vixen grin as she eyed his reflection. Seto turned this way and that, admiring his ass and adjusting the fabric. His confidence and pride were in such a surge, he couldn't even be bothered to give his usual sardonic commentary.

"I think I look pretty damn fierce."

His secretary chuckled and nodded her agreement. "And how do you feel?"

Seto posed before the looking glass, his hands at his hips. "I feel confident, and downright fabulous."

"That's what I want to hear." The woman stepped back several paces. "Give us a little walk. Let's see how it feels when you move in it."

Seto obliged, every ounce of his self-assurance and satisfaction apparent in his step and the sway of his hips. Much to his pleasure, his secretary was grinning ear to ear and applauding.

"Yes~" she gave a sassy snap of her fingers as Seto struck a pose at the end of his walk. "Work it, queen." Seto puffed out his chest. He always felt on top of the world (because, let's face it, Mr. Money-Bags runs this shit), but it was as satisfying as winning a duel to be on top of the world in a dress.

"Aren't you glad I took you along for this little shopping trip?" Seto's secretary asked as the clerks carefully bagged up his dress at checkout.

"I guess so. At least it wasn't a total waste of my time."

"Waste the valuable time of our CEO?" she retorted with a dismissing wave of her hand. "Out of the question, I wouldn't ever dream of it."

"You did very well today." He added, quickly averting his eyes as she turned this way. "I'll see to it you get a decent Christmas bonus this year." Being the shadowed hand that kept his whole world revolving, his secretary knew the young man well enough to know that was just Seto Kaiba's way of saying 'thank you'.

"Always happy to be of assistance, Mr. Kaiba." She said with a knowing mother's grin.

There was silence in the back of the limo as they headed back to the office, purchases in hand. Seto stared out his window, pretending to watch the city roll by. In truth, however, he couldn't stop staring at the reflection of his secretary in the glass. Seto looked at the woman- really looked at her- for the very first time. Much to his own surprise he did so with some fondness in his eyes.

This woman… She had given him everything he thought he would never have. In one day she had done every unthinkable thing: been patient with his temper, tolerant of his peculiarities and a firm hand when he needed one. She had gone well out of her way to give the headstrong and antagonistic teen all the encouragement and confidence he didn't know he needed. Maybe she was a fool, giving to him so selflessly. But she was an ally in his corner when he needed one. Perhaps Seto wasn't as alone as he believed. He heaved a great, heavy sigh.

"Hey."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" His secretary didn't look up from her phone as she confirmed Kaiba's schedule for the morning.

"You've been my secretary as long as I've been in charge of this company?"

"That's right."

Seto turned to face her head on. "What is your name?"

The woman adjacent him met his gaze with a grin. "You may call me 'Mrs. White'."