Bulma glanced into her bathroom mirror one last time before heading toward Vegeta's room. He'd better be ready to go, she thought.

Bulma knocked on Vegeta's door, and went in. Vegeta was ready to go out, but he was slumped in the chair by his bed. He looked stressed out.

"Are you ready to go?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta stood up and wordlessly followed her out of the room.

"I want to go to the Get Hot! Juice Joint. They have the niftiest jazz in town. I hope you can do the Charleston."

"I hate jazz," Vegeta replied. "Now quit beating your gums!"

When they arrived at the speakeasy, Vegeta was surprised at how many people were there. There was even a 'look out' person perched atop the building, making sure that no policemen or unsuspecting pedestrians wandered in.

Vegeta sat at a corner table and watched Bulma dance. He was impressed by her dancing skills. She was a real live wire. Every so often, she would return for a shot of White Lightening. Vegeta studied her body as she moved to the music. He noticed that many other men also watched Bulma, and it made him uncomfortable.

Vegeta thought about the phone conversation again. He hated being talked down to by that low-life, Kakkarot. He was tiring of this charade of being friends with him. He just needed to earn Mr. Briefs' trust, then he could put his plan into action.

Bulma finally staggered back to the table and sat beside him. "Are you ready to go?" he asked impatiently.

"Jushta a couple more drinksh," Bulma replied. She downed another shot in one gulp. "Butt me!" she giggled like a child, as Vegeta lit a cigarette and gave it to her. She inhaled deeply, then tipped her head back and exhaled. She grabbed another shot and dumped it down her throat, shaking her head back and forth quickly at the bitter taste. Bulma gave the expressionless Vegeta a big smile. "Jush one more drink," she slurred. She reached out her hand to grab the last shot glass, but to her surprise, Vegeta grabbed it first.

"You don't need this one," he poured it onto the floor.

Bulma stared at him, but said nothing. She stood up and smiled at Vegeta, then fell onto the table. Everyone started laughing and pointing. Until Vegeta glared at them. He picked Bulma up and carried her to the car. All the way to her house, Bulma threw up out of the car window.

"Now you know how I felt last week in front of the restaurant," Vegeta chuckled. "Except for getting beat up, of course."

When they arrived at her house, Bulma was feeling better. Vegeta carried Bulma to her room anyway. He laid her on the bed, and got her a wet towel and a glass of water. "Here, you have vomit in your hair," he informed her as he sat next to her. She rinsed her mouth with the water while he used the towel to clean off her hair.

Bulma reached her hand and ran her fingertips lightly against the remaining bruises on Vegeta's face. She felt sad for him. When she studied his beautiful face, it became clear to her why Yamcha was so jealous. Vegeta was perfect. Maybe Yamcha really did send those thugs to beat Vegeta. Maybe it was out of jealousy.

Bulma felt a closeness to Vegeta. She didn't know him that well, but there was an undeniable chemistry between them. It was like electricity when their skin touched. Bulma sensed that Vegeta felt it too. She scooted up next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He didn't resist, so she slowly climbed onto his lap. Face to face with him, she pressed as close to his body as she could, her dress riding up to her hips as she straddled him. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his.

Vegeta froze, not sure how to react. Normally, he would never have let a woman do this, but her audacity intrigued him. After Bulma sat on Vegeta's lap, Vegeta's curiosity got the best of him. His hands began to smooth up and down her back.

"Vegeta," Bulma brushed her lips against his ear.

"Huh?" he asked, still running his hands across her back.

"I realize that we hardly know each other, but this...," Bulma's voice trailed off.

Vegeta ran his hands down to Bulma's legs. His fingertips grazed along Bulma's bare thighs. He smiled when he felt Bulma shiver against him. He slid his hands down under her stockings and removed them with one fluid motion.

Bulma's breath caught in her chest as his hands made their way slowly up under her dress to her behind. She felt his heart pounding against her chest. Her fingertips stroked the back of Vegeta's neck. She lightly kissed Vegeta's neck before touching her lips gently against his jaw. When her lips finally brushed against his, he moved one hand up to cup her face as they passionately kissed.

Vegeta's other hand trembled as it instinctively pulled Bulma's hips firmly against his lap. He felt his arousal pressing against her crotch. He moved her hips back and forth across his manhood, gasping as he felt the heat of passion taking over his body.

Bulma tried to push Vegeta's jacket off his shoulders. Vegeta quickly tore off the jacket and shirt, then grabbed Bulma tightly again. He stroked up the back of her thighs. He paused and felt the material of her undergarments.

"Tear it off," Bulma breathed into his ear.

Vegeta pulled on the thin material until it ripped. He threw it onto the floor. His fingers continued up her thigh until they reached her womanhood. Her hips jerked when his fingertip slid across her moistness. He slowly ran his finger back and forth, enjoying her whimpers of pleasure.

Vegeta lifted Bulma's dress over her head and threw it out of the way. A puzzled look crossed his face when her saw her chest. She was wearing some sort of tight bodice that laced up the side.

Bulma blushed. "You have to unlace the side. It's to flatten my chest."

Vegeta quickly unlaced the contraption, and his eyes widened in surprise as her large breasts popped out. He looked at the bodice with confusion before tossing it aside. Vegeta pulled Bulma's naked body up against his chest, and rolled onto the bed. He pulled his pants off before positioning himself above Bulma, taking in the beautiful sight of her naked body.

Bulma watched Vegeta look down at her body, memorizing every curve. She trembled in anticipation when he leaned down to kiss her. When his lips softly touched hers, she reached up and pulled his body firmly to her own. Her tongue explored his mouth, and her fingernails scraped up his back to grab handfuls of his thick, black hair.

At that moment, there was a loud crashing sound from downstairs. Vegeta jumped up and pulled on his pants. "Bulma, stay here! I'll be right back!" Vegeta ran out, closing the door behind him.

Bulma curled up with fear under her blankets. She tried to quiet her breathing, so she could hear what was going on.

Vegeta cautiously made his way down the stairs. He could sense that there were intruders. He crept through the dark living room area, straining to pinpoint their whereabouts.

A horrible scream startled him. Bulma! He ran towards the stairs. How could he have been so stupid! He left her alone! Vegeta ran toward Bulma's room.

Vegeta threw open Bulma's bedroom door. He froze with horror in the doorway when he saw her being held by the neck by a large man. The man's tight grip on her throat now silenced her. Bulma clung to a blanket trying to hide her naked body.

Vegeta lunged toward the man, but was grabbed from behind. "If you move, I will snap this whore's neck. Understand?" the man growled. Vegeta remained still.

When Vegeta looked at Bulma's terror stricken face, he felt a feeling stir inside of himself that he'd never experienced before. He wanted to protect her. What was happening to him?

"I see," the man smiled when he saw the concern in Vegeta's face. "You do care about the girl." The man put more pressure on Bulma's throat. I have someone else here who I think you might recognize as well." The man pointed to the opposite side of the room. The men holding Vegeta drug him into the room from the doorway so that he could see who it was.

Vegeta groaned when he saw Bulma's parents tied up and gagged sitting up against the wall in the corner of the room. They were both struggling to break free of their restraints.

The man holding Bulma laughed. "It looks like the Briefs' family reign has finally come to an end!" He turned to Bulma who's face was now bright red from the man's tight grip. She was struggling to breathe. The man laughed again. He let go of her throat with one hand, and hit her face with the back of his hand as hard as he could, knocking her out cold. He threw her limp body to the floor.

Vegeta flew into a violent rage. A guttural yell escaped his throat as a blinding light filled the room. When the light faded, the men holding Vegeta were gone. The man who hit Vegeta was shocked speechless as he looked around the room to see where they'd gone. They had vanished.

"You fuck!" Vegeta snarled. "The second that you threw her to the ground, you lost your life insurance!" Vegeta grabbed him by the neck. "How does it feel?" he yelled, tightening his grip. The man still was in shock when Vegeta held him up against the wall by his throat. "Now listen! If you tell me who sent you, I will let you live. If you don't, I'll give you a slow and very painful death. Are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

The man blinked his eyes and attempted to nod. Vegeta let him drop to the floor. "Who sent you?" Vegeta demanded.

The man laughed and rubbed his neck. "You ARE as stupid as you look!" He pointed to the window.

Bulma stood naked by her window with an evil smile. Suddenly, she changed into a blue, furry cat-like creature. The creature quickly flew out the window.

The man laughed, breaking the silence. "You fell right into our plan! You see, we already took the real Bulma while you were downstairs! By now, she's so far away that you'll never be able to find her. You'll never see her alive again unless Mr. Briefs gives us what we want!" The man laughed again. "My Boss will be contacting you soon with his demands!"

Vegeta was still shocked by what had just transpired. Puar! That little bastard! How dare they make him out to be such a fool! He jerked the man to his feet. "I know that Yamcha is behind this! Where is he hiding?" Vegeta shook the man violently.

"I wouldn't even think about killing him. Not if you ever want to see the girl again! Be a good boy and wait for the phone call," the man laughed. His laugh was cut short though, when Vegeta snapped his neck. Vegeta flared his ki until the man was disintegrated.

Vegeta quickly untied Mr. and Mrs. Briefs. His body shook with anger. He was going to take his time when he killed Yamcha. He wanted his death to be as painful as possible.

"Vegeta," Mr. Briefs angry voice snapped him back to reality. "How could you let something like this happen? You were supposed to protect my beloved Bulma. Now I may never see her alive again." Mr. Briefs wiped the tears from his eyes. "Now listen up. You will follow my strict orders from here on out. I don't want ANYTHING to compromise my daughter's life. We will wait for the phone call, and then we will formulate a plan. Do you understand?"

Vegeta nodded. He was silent as he picked up his shirt and jacket off Bulma's bedroom floor. In a daze, he made his way to his room, leaving the Briefs alone in Bulma's room.

"Dear, why were Vegeta's shirt and jacket in here?" Mrs. Briefs asked. She looked around the room. "Are these Bulma's undergarments?" Mrs. Briefs picked up the bodice, and looked at it suspiciously. "Oh My God!" she yelled when noticed a pair of underwear that was in two pieces on the floor. "Were Vegeta and Bulma necking in here?" Mrs. Briefs began to cry. "They didn't go all the way. Did they?"

"At this point, Dear, I don't even want to know," Mr. Briefs sighed and led his sobbing wife from the room.

"What kind of monster rips a woman's undergarments off of her?" Mrs. Briefs muttered as she was led away by Mr. Briefs.

* * * * *