Glass Heart

The food served to them was impeccable in both appearance and taste. Though Scarlett wasn’t sure if she thought so simply because she’d been without a decent meal for so damn long thanks to MedCo or if it was because the food was genuinely as decadent as she was imagining it was. Scarlett had never been terribly picky about her food in the first place, as long as the alcohol was decent.

Tony seemed to be enjoying his meal without complaint and while she wasn’t exactly sure just how picky he was about his cuisine, she was sure he wasn’t the type to eat a subpar meal considering his upbringing. Much to her surprise he hadn’t attacked her with innuendos when she’d told him her reason for not being sure she would be able to work with him.

In fact, he seemed to become considerably more comfortable and relaxed around her ever since she’d admitted it. Had his incessant flirting and joking all been an attempt to ease the tension and nerves he’d felt when interacting with a new person? Particularly when that person was challenging every one of his ideals. Or was it even conceivably to make things more interesting for him so that he wouldn’t be bored? She was wondering if Tony finally found her interesting enough to not have to create his own drama to entertain himself.

Then again, there could be just as much brewing underneath his otherwise calm demeanor as there was underneath Scarlett’s. Her mind was in a thousand different places outside of the current situation, despite how hard she was trying to keep it focused on merely becoming Tony’s false friend.

“So, you would think that I’d be invited to all the best Hollywood shindigs, right? I mean all the big glamorous events…,” Tony cleared his throat, ready to start his next anecdote. The two had spent their time eating exchanging humorous stories back and forth. Scarlett, up to that point, had been falsifying stories about herself since she’d been unsure if she should share some of her truths with Tony. Now that she had some food in her stomach and a more level mindset she was beginning to feel comfortable enough to reveal some very small, but sincere tales, about who she really was and the life she’d led.

“Well, I kind of assumed you went to all those celebrity gatherings. The ladies likely adore seeing Tony Stark in the crowd or on a stage. Let’s face it, you’re a ham when it comes to popularity.”

“No, no… Well, okay yeah, the ladies definitely do enjoy when I show up with my unbelievable swagger, but believe it or not I have to crash most of the official parties. I don’t get invited very often.” Smirking and taking a sip of his glass of scotch he then waved his hand boisterously as he continued. Scarlett grabbed his wrist and stopped him, watching the glass dangerously threaten to pour scotch all over her dress.

“You’re going to spill on me if you keep flailing around like that.”

“Hey, I’m really good at holding my liquor in more ways than one. I’ve got this, keep your panties on… or don’t. Either way, I’m not going to spill on you. Unless you let me. That could be hot.” Tony laughed and tugged his wrist away, from hers an artfully making sure the amber liquid never spilled over the top of his glass. “I am a master of gesticulation.”

“Amongst other things, I’m sure.”

“Touché,” Chuckling, he leaned forward and set his glass down on the table next to his finished dinner plate. “Are you happy now? I’ve got the glass on the table so I can’t spill it all over you with my apparently wild arm movements.” Picking up the exquisite bottle of scotch, he refilled his glass as well as hers. Now that she’d gotten some decent food in her system she wasn’t terribly worried about her alcohol consumption becoming too severe. Scarlett knew it almost certainly wasn’t the most brilliant of ideas to seek refuge within the bottle of earthen liquid, her stress, anxiety and troubles simply melted away the more she drank. Cathartic was the only word she could think to use in regards to the feeling it left her with. The only thing she could think to explain the relief brought on by the alcohol was because of how badly she clung to the idea of having a glass of it after escaping captivity.

“Yes, I do love scotch, Stark but I prefer drinking it, not wearing it. Though I must admit, that would be quite the fashion statement.” Shifting in place, Scarlett slid her legs onto the couch and tucked them beneath her while she waited for Tony to continue with what she was sure would be a humorous story.

“But as I was saying before someone got all vain about the dress I bought them,” Tony teased. “Honestly, the Hollywood bigwigs used to invite me to every damn event. Hell, I turned down half of them because of work or how damn boring I thought it was. I can’t tell you how many I’ve been invited to, that’s a question for Pepper. But I’d announce at nearly all the form award ceremonies despite how irrelevant it was for me to be attending them. Mostly I liked to flaunt that I could be there. You know, I can feed any line to any crowd on any subject and they’ll think I’m being clever or witty. I could be a complete dick and people would just think I’m being glib.”

“Because for whatever reason, even though you’re one of the most arrogant assholes I’ve ever met in my life, there’s just something endearing about you. You’re really hard to hate. I’m putting in a good effort though.”

“Aw, you like me,” Tony smirked and shook his head.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I was simply agreeing with your statement and making an observation.”

“Sure, Scarlett that’s what it was… Deny it all you want but I can see that cold exterior melting away.” Tony reached over gave her knee a squeeze, only to be shooed away by Scarlett. Taking another sip of her scotch she looked at him expectantly, prompting him to finish his story. “Right, I was talking wasn’t I? Stop being so damn distracting.”

“I’m being distracting? Look, I could be doing absolutely nothing and you would still have interrupted this story twenty seven times. You clearly have some terrible sort of Attention Deficit Disorder.”

“I’m not ADD I’m simply…eccentric.”

“Eccentric is rich people code for out of your fucking mind.” Laughing, Scarlett nursed her scotch again, swirling her glass and listening to the clink of the ice cubes against it. Somehow, the sound was soothing.

“Like I said, I’m eccentric. I wasn’t denying that was what it meant.” Tony sneered, leaning closer to the woman with his eyes narrowed. “As I was saying before you continuously interrupted me, I used to be invited to all those things until one year at the Oscars… God, that was a nightmare for my publicist. It was fun and all, but a nightmare. Incredibly boring if I might add.” Chuckling, he leaned against the back of the couch, slumping lazily and rubbing his hand over his goatee habitually. Pursing his lips, he continued. “I was announcing for best cinematography or… you know whatever it’s called. I clearly didn’t care all that much.”

“Clearly, since you can’t even recall what you were announcing for at the time.” Scarlett laughed quietly, watching him in amusement.

“What I do recall is that I was announcing with the lovely Salma Hayek, that’s for sure…” Tony grinned, pleased when Scarlett once again rolled her eyes.

“I think if you give anything a nice pair of breasts, you’d remember all the details pretty easily.”

“That’s not true at all, Scarlett! You underestimate me, I think. I mean, breasts are nice and all but I’m more of an ass man. And long sexy legs… both of which you’re representing rather nicely tonight in that dress I bought for you, I might add. I mean, not that I’m saying you’re not representing for your breasts, they look rather lovely too.” Continuing to ramble, Tony pointed to the respective body parts, as though Scarlett couldn’t find them on her own.

“Stark, honestly… will you ever finish this story? And my eyes are so not where you’re looking right now.” Scarlett widened her own eyes in awe that he’d gotten so amazingly off topic for about the third time since he’d been trying to tell the same story.

“I blame this on you, you do realize that.”

“If I take the blame for it would you please, for the love of god, finish your story?”

“I’ll consider it.” Grinning from ear to ear, Tony couldn’t help but be amused by the way the conversation had turned. It wasn’t that he had a hard time staying on task constantly. When he needed to, he could be completely focused and driven to one solid goal. But there was something about this woman who had become his companion for the night that was driving his thoughts wild. Between what he wanted to get from her, being ultimately the information about MedCo, the sexual drive that had been renewed since her arrival, wanting to learn the mystery behind her sparkling blue eyes, and the things his assistant had warned him about in regards to Scarlett, he simply had a hard time keeping it all juggling around in his mind.

“So, I was terribly bored… as I often get in case you haven’t realized this yet. It’s hard to keep interested in something so monotonous like the Oscars. Not that I think movies are boring, not at all… I simply have a hard time sitting still for ten minutes to listen to other people talk about something I’m not involved in, nonetheless for two or more hours.”

“I can relate to that. I haven’t seen a movie since… Well let’s just say it’s been a long time. Watching those award shows is essentially out of the question for me.” Scarlett nodded to agree. Her mind had often rebelled when things became too monotonous or simplistic, causing her to create some sort of chaos around her simply to distract her thoughts. She’d always related it to being a symptom of intelligence and since she knew Tony was considered a genius that his mind must simply be reeling more than hers was half the time.

Then again, she also didn’t think superior intelligence was a valid excuse for his behavior. She was nearly as smart as he was and while she had gotten into her fair share of trouble because of it, she knew when to focus. Not to mention she could most certainly get through an entire story without having to restart it twelve times.

“Oh, you too? I get excited about going to see a movie and then I end up walking out halfway through and flirting with the girls at the concession stand or something similar. Depends on their age.”

“There are only a handful of movies I can sit through entirely without having to get up halfway through to do something else.”

“Oh, do share, Scarlett” Tony leaned his elbows on his knees and watched her curiously, batting his eyelashes playfully.

“How about you finish your story before we start on a completely different one. You were presenting an award! And here I thought you were doing so well, keeping on track.” It had to be impossible for him to be so easily distracted. Yet, there she was, bringing him back to his case in point again.

“Okay, but I’m going to remember that you said you would.” Tony eyed the half empty glass of scotch in her hand, wondering for a moment if she had some kind of drinking problem or something. It was rare that anyone could keep up with him. On top of that, he’d given her mild painkillers for her wound, which he’d always been instructed not to mix with alcohol. Though, he rarely listened. The worst that had ever happened to him when he’d mixed painkillers with his cocktails was that he’d pass out. Either way, he made a mental note to keep an eye on her over the next few hours to observe how her body handled the alcohol consumption. For the time being, it seemed remarkable.

“I’m not against talking about movies if you’re going to insist upon it. But, now I’m curious. How did you manage to get blacklisted from every important Hollywood event?”

“I might have been exaggerating a little bit. It’s not every important event, just all the ones that air on live television; the ones where my supposedly erratic behavior could cause trouble.” Tony gave the woman a cocky smirk. “Anyway, being incredibly bored, I went on a walk and found the bar. There were a few no name actors hanging out there… maybe a musician or two. I can’t remember all the details and I’m terrible when it comes to names of unimportant people.”

“You’re so considerate, Stark.”

“I know, I’m just a peach.” Laughing, Tony continued. “One drink quickly turned into… three bottles of Jack and well, I was considerably drunk after that.”

“Well, I would most certainly imagine you were after finishing the first bottle.” Scarlett went to take a drink out of her scotch but stopped when Tony made a grab for her knee again. Narrowing her eyes she dared him to continue. Unwavering, Tony kept his hand right where he’d rested it and continued talking.

“I thought I heard them calling for me to get ready to head out on stage for my cue so I left the guys at the bar and did my thing. I ended up walking out on stage during the presentation for the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. They… Well, yeah the producers didn’t think that was very funny. I was half stumbling because I was so wasted. I walked out onto the stage and started doing the whole thing I’d come up with about cinematography even though they’d already announced the nominees for the actual award being presented. I didn’t realize I’d come out at the wrong time until after I’d finished speaking.”

“Weren’t you mortified?” Scarlett eyes were wide and fixed on Tony. She was truly surprised that he’d gotten away with such a thing and that she’d sadly missed it since she never bothered to watch award shows. Hollywood had never offered much of an interest to her.

“To tell the truth… Not really. I was too drunk to give a shit and the crowd thought I was making a gag. I’m not an easily recognizable drunk until I get absolutely shit-faced and I was just short of that. Antonio Banderas was announcing for that particular award that night and well… I can’t understand a damn word that guy says when I’m sober so when he came over to me and tried to explain to me what I’d done and get me off stage I started making cracks about his accent. Thankfully he must have thought they were funny because he didn’t try too hard to get rid of me. The producers were practically screaming at the crew to get me off the stage. But the audience loved me regardless. I still get compliments on that particular night to this day…”

“You fucked up that badly on national television and people loved you for it?” Scarlett scoffed in disgust, curling her lip in annoyance. Why was it okay for him to get away with being so arrogant? People even encouraged it!

“Yeah, the idiots in charge still hated it though. What can I say? I’m charming. People should know what they’re getting into when they ask me to do something like that.”

“You think that you’re charming, is what you mean.”

“Would you stop fighting with me about that already? If I wasn’t charming you would not be here with me right now in that fabulous dress, having an amazing dinner and drinking this delectable scotch while listening to me tell amusing anecdotes.” Tony grabbed the glass of scotch from her hand before she could take another sip of it and then instead drank out of it. His eyes met hers as he did. Mouth agape, in shock that he stole her glass of scotch, she stared in wonder for a moment before stealing his glass of scotch off of the table and taking a long drink from it daringly.

“It is definitely not charming to steal a girl’s booze.”

“You were just making it look so damn good holding it the way you were. I had to have a taste!” Tony laughed, deciding he’d keep her glass his hostage, pointing to the rim of it. “You know, it’s kinda like we’ve kissed, now that we’ve swapped glasses.” Grinning from ear to ear, he brought the glass slowly to his lips again and purposely took his time with his next drink.

“If that’s the case Stark, then you are a terrible kisser.” Scarlett mocked then continued talking before he could argue with her on that fact or make another sexual innuendo. “So what happened after you presented for the wrong award? You said that the producers were still scathing mad at you even after you were a hit with the crowd.”

“Yeah they were pretty pissed off… Even though I was dragged off the stage while everyone was cheering for me. I checked the ratings later that night to find that I had one of the highest watched moments during that year’s ceremony.” Grinning, Tony shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “They thanked me for the entertainment and sent me on my way. Honestly, I’ve been able to charm and twist my way out of every situation I’ve been in since I was old enough to talk, they should trust that I can handle poor situations and manipulate them to benefit me.”

“No wonder you’re so bored all the time. Life without conflict is hardly much of a life at all.” Scarlett shrugged coolly.

“Yeah, see? I’m not as distracted as you seem to think I am. My mind’s just in overdrive at the moment. I’m sure you can understand that.” Tony smiled charmingly. “And for the record, I haven’t been invited back to any of those national television events since… I’ve been given a few awards but half the time I forget to show up for them or I send someone in my stead… But I am always invited to all the after parties. No matter how badly they want to get rid of me during their official ceremonies they cannot deny that I bring all the life to the after party.”

“I have no doubt of that considering all the rumors I’ve heard about you. I’m surprised how tame this dinner tonight has been. I still half expect a chorus line to come dancing in here and do a number for you at any time because you’re bored with just talking to me.” Scarlett snickered, trying her best to keep the mood light between them. The rotten thing about alcohol was that one wrong word could turn a mood sour and there was little recovering. Considering how her nerves had been mangled horribly, she was afraid of slipping into a depression that would destroy the huge progress she thought she was making with Tony.

“I told you, I’m not bored by you. I find that particularly dangerous.” Tony spoke truthfully, leaning close to the glass he’d stolen and inhaling the enticing aroma of the potent scotch they’d been given as a gift by the owner. “My only complaint with this evening so far is that you have way too much clothing on.”

“Well, unfortunately for you that’s how it’s going to stay. Sorry to disappoint you, Stark.” Scarlett shook her head and laughed under her breath. She watched him curiously as he nursed her glass of scotch and shooed his hand off of her knee, having finally gotten annoyed with it. Moving her feet back onto the floor to sit properly, she wondered if he was simply bored all the time and that’s why he’d created such an exciting existence for himself. But why was it so bad for him to be bored?

“Oddly, I’m okay with that. For now.” Clearing his throat, he finally took a drink of the scotch then turned sideways on the couch to watch her eagerly. “Alright, it’s your turn.”

“My turn? My turn for what?” Scarlett cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

“Yeah. Come on, you know everything about me practically, and yes as you’ve said it’s against your will and shoved in your face, blah-blah-blah. But I don’t know anything about you other than you’re a feisty engineer with amazing legs who just so happens to love cars.”

“And scotch. Don’t forget that.” She grabbed the half empty bottle and started to refill their glasses. Tony snatched the glass out of her hand, now holding both of them.

“Not until you agree to tell me a story about yourself. And an honest story at that, not one of those vague ones you’ve already shared.” Tony threatened. Instead of responding or feeling threatened that her scotch had been revoked, Scarlett simply took a drink straight from the bottle of scotch that had been left on the table. Watching her every move from her fingers to her lips, Tony licked his own with desire, contemplating his next move. “Hey… Hey, waiter?” Tony turned his gaze suddenly to the man standing just outside the door to wait on them at their beckoning call.

“Yes, Mr. Stark.”

“Another bottle of scotch, please and make it an older year. This one doesn’t seem to be enough.”

“Yes, sir.” The waiter bowed respectfully then left the room to retrieve another bottle of scotch as requested.

“I’ve got to warn you Stark, I can get pretty rowdy when I get drunk.”

“Oh trust me, I do too. I welcome it. Let me see rowdy Scarlett. This one is far too subdued, I think.” Tony waggled his eyebrows comically.

When the waiter returned with another bottle of scotch, Tony set both scotch glasses on the table then made a move to steal the first bottle from Scarlett who instead swatted his hands away and took another long drink. She then handed it over and smiled triumphantly. Her head starting to swell from the buzz the alcohol was giving her, but it was a pleasant and warm feeling. Tony wouldn’t admit it but he was feeling rather buzzed and out of it himself. He was surprised she could hold her liquor as well as she did. They’d had a lot of scotch up to this point and most people would be passed out or half naked by now and making terrible decisions. It made him think she was just as practiced in the art of drinking as he was and he wasn’t sure if that worried him or not.

“Rowdy doesn’t mean that I’ll get naked for you, just so you know.”

“A guy can still hope that rowdy leads to you getting naked for me.”

“Just give me my glass, Stark.”

“So, tell me something about yourself, Scarlett.” Tony handed her the refreshed drink and then tapped his glass gently against hers before taking a long drink of it. He wasn’t going to drop the subject no matter how many times she was going to change it. “I honestly wouldn’t ask you if I could find a damn thing about you.”

“I told you that there wasn’t anything out there worth knowing about me. I prefer to lie low, unlike you.”

“I get that but I really couldn’t find anything.”

“Not a thing?” Scarlett seemed proud of that fact.

“Not a single thing.” Tony nodded. “Well, with the exception of a few drunk and disorderly charges, minor bar fight things… You know, stuff that’s on your record but has time served for it already. It’s the only information I could find on you at all. So, I’d like to know something about the woman I’m buying dinner for.”

Considering his offer, Scarlett took another drink from her glass. He seemed less obnoxious with alcohol in her system. Or maybe it was because she couldn’t feel the pain in her thigh any longer. It could even be the fact that it’d been a whole hour since she’d felt guilty about causing Scott’s death that was making her feel better. Maybe telling him a few little unimportant details wouldn’t do any harm.

Immediately her mind warned her not to get attached again. Why was it so hard? Scarlett wished he wasn’t as charming as he claimed to be and she wished she could find that deep seated hatred she’d found earlier when she’d found herself in his lab. The nagging doubts and stress of her situation had unfortunately taken their toll on her resolve.

Tony was watching her thought process curiously, all the while scooting closer to her on the couch and resting his arm behind her. It wasn’t that he was trying to get his arm around her, even though it was an easy way to do so. It was more that he wanted to create the illusion of intimacy between them in attempts to break down the walls she’d thrown up left and right from the moment that they’d met.

“You know, why the hell not?” Scarlett finally relented, looking up at him at last. She blinked very suddenly in surprise, realizing how close he’d gotten to her during her moment of quiet contemplation. “Wow, personal space Stark.”

“It’s Tony.” He whispered, leaning closer to her. “Why should I? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you?” Scarlett placed her hand on the collar of his jacket and batted her eyelashes at him purposely. Leaning closer to him, her lips were nearly touching his. Tony didn’t take away his uniquely colored eyes away from hers. He was more than prepared to skip the conversation if she’d let him. “…no, you’re not making me uncomfortable. You just have terrible onion breath.” Letting go of his jacket, she shoved him away and brushed her curly hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Tony was stunned that things hadn’t gone the way he’d expected. He’d given her the look that made women melt and she’d told him he had onion breath! What had happened to his smolder?

“You know, you tease a guy like that enough times and eventually he’s going to become a lot more than you can handle.” Tony pointed a finger at her in warning, then returned to his glass of scotch, contemplating what the hell had just happened and why he was so disappointed it hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped.

“You know, if you make a move on a girl who can kick your ass when she doesn’t want you to, she might actually hurt you.” Scarlett countered.

“Weren’t you going to tell me something about you? Something that didn’t include some sort of violence in regards to me?” Tony laughed, attempting to shake off the tension they’d built up in such a quick and surprising moment. It was no use. The tension was sticking around. At least from the looks of it, it wasn’t one sided and he considered that a plus.

“Yes, I was. But once again you got us off topic Stark.”

“Me? This is your story, how did I get you off topic?” He mocked.

“You got all in my business over here.” Scarlett motioned to herself with a laugh. Tony was amused as well. “But yes, I must admit to you Stark, while I said I was an engineer I haven’t really been just an engineer since I graduated college.”

“Oh yeah? Where’d you go to school?”

“Now you’re just prying for information so you can dig up more dirt on me, so why don’t you let me tell my story?” Scarlett laughed.

“You’re good. This is going to be tougher than I hoped.”

“I know.” Scarlett spoke simply then continued with her story. She refused to get as distracted as Tony had. “I was bored with the common engineering jobs so I started searching for less conventional ones. For the last eight years or so I’ve been… well, I’ve been a jack of all trades. I made myself familiar with other skills that were desirable to legitimate companies and illegitimate in the area alike. I was a mercenary of sorts, though it was a title I was never fond of and never used.”

“I’m not shocked by that, to tell you the truth.” Tony sighed heavily. Oddly enough this didn’t bother him as much as he’d expected it to. He thought he’d be worried that she was involved in nefarious things, but somehow it only sweetened the deal. Scarlett was an adventure and a half to him.

“Oh really? You seemed so shocked that I was an engineer earlier, I wasn’t sure how you’d react to find that out.”

“Well, I looked you up after you went to shower and I couldn’t find a job history for you. I guessed that you were working off the books instead.”

“You’re smarter than you look, I mean common sense wise. I sort of thought you’d be an idiot with that stuff since you know… you’re apparently a genius or something.” The way Scarlett said that seemed insulting, but Tony still somehow found it amusing.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“It must be nice seeing the world through your rose colored lenses.”

“It is actually.” While Tony had one small piece of the puzzle to add to his collection, he didn’t have enough to make a clear picture of Scarlett and he was sure there were a thousand more pieces before he’d have anything that would make sense. He still thought her name was an alias. There was no way that there was no record of her outside of international arrests for minor charges. It was practically impossible to live off the grid when she seemed to live in such a grand way.

“So, I’d been hired by a private company in Hong Kong to obtain some sensitive material from a rival company in Japan.”

“Holy shit there’s more to this story.” Tony laughed, honestly shocked she was willing to share so much with him.

“I promised you a story, didn’t I? You’re getting me off topic again.” Laughing now herself, Scarlett swatted at his arm before taking another sip from her glass of scotch.

“That you did. And I’m sorry. You can spank me as punishment for my deplorable behavior if you like.”

“You’d like that far too much.” Scarlett decided to dance around the innuendo and continue on with her story. This tale, unlike the other small things she’d shared with him, wasn’t a lie. “Anyway, the company in question owned a rather popular and beautifully constructed building in the heart of Tokyo. It just so happened that they were hosting a fashion design contest preliminary event there. I figured it was the perfect distraction for someone like me. I could meld into the crowd of the fabulous people easy enough, considering that half the crowd were foreigners.” Clearing her throat, she continued. “I snuck backstage and stole one of the dresses that were going to be on display for the contest. It wasn’t very hard to pass off as one of the models.”

“I knew you had to have modeled at some point.” Tony grinned, listening curiously to her story and trying to picture her planning out this grand scheme to commit some sort of corporate espionage.

“If you’re that terribly desperate for that Stark then I can find you the article that came out after this later. But that is the only time you’re going to see me as a model.”

“Yes, please. I’m incredibly desperate.”

“Once I managed to sneak out of the backstage area of the fashion show I snuck through the crowd and managed my way past the locked staircases onto the third floor of the building. I found the computer system I had been searching for, knocked out the guard at the door and hacked the computer.” Half expecting Tony to distract her with something else, she was surprised when she saw him listening raptly to her story.

“Unfortunately hacking the computer triggered some kind of internal security I hadn’t been made aware of by my employer. The building started to lock down and the computers started to dump their memory.”

“What did you do?” Intrigued was an understatement for Tony.

“I stopped the memory dump. I thought I was screwed to tell the truth. I was half prepared to steal the hard drives right out of the computer and bring them with me but I didn’t exactly have anywhere to hide it in a couture gown.”

“And it’d be uncomfortable to put a hard drive in your cleavage right?” Tony acknowledged hers, his eyes lingering far too long.

“Stark, focus.”

“Focusing!”

“I managed to get what I needed, slipped it onto a memory stick which is just fine between my cleavage, for the record, then ran downstairs quickly. The fashion show was still underway. While the crowd had initially panicked when the building had gone into lockdown, apparently security had calmed them down enough to let them know it was standard procedure and had recommended they continue on with their show.”

“Don’t want to cause a panic. The Japanese are great at keeping their cool.”

“They are.” Scarlett nodded to agree. “I was about to make my way to the kitchens set up for the event so I could find a quiet place to plan my escape from lockdown when I was pulled suddenly backstage by one of the people running the fashion show. I tried to make a thousand excuses to express why I couldn’t go on the catwalk but none were being heard.”

“In the midst of my excuses, I was pushed into line with the other girls and had to walk across the stage in the damn dress I stole.” Tony laughed out loud at the mental image of how angry she must have looked. “Fortunately, while I’d been in the backroom for those few seconds I came up with a plan. At the time I was still smoking like a chimney so I had a lighter on me too. I set the curtains on fire as I walked past them and good thing I did.”

“Why?”

“Security finally realized I wasn’t a model. Apparently I’m too curvy for their dresses out there.” Scarlett laughed, shrugging her shoulders. They started to clear the crowd to attempt to take me into custody but the fire had already taken so well to the curtains at the back of the runway that the fire alarm system had gone off.”

“That unlocked the doors.” Tony knew where that was going and definitely thought it was a brilliant plan.

“You’re right. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in, most of them have pretty decent fire codes.” Scarlett smirked, holding her glass now with both hands while she spoke. “The sprinkler systems were activated thanks to the fire. Thankfully they managed to douse the flames and no real damage was done. But the front doors opened and the crowd went crazy trying to get onto the street. So in five inch heels, soaking wet from head to toe in a strapless couture gown I ran with the frantic crowd out onto the street but instead of waiting to find out what had happened like most of the crowd had, I got the hell out of there. I took the next bullet train and got as far from the place as I could before reporting to my employer.”

“Damn.” Tony laughed, wiping his jaw again, rough fingers brushing once again his goatee.

“That’s your response? Damn?”

“Yes.” Shaking his head, clearly amused, Tony continued to chuckle under his breath. “That was clever, setting the curtains on fire.”

“I know, probably one of the most brilliant on the spot plans I’ve ever come up with. I usually don’t work with fire. It’s too unpredictable. Honestly it usually just causes trouble instead of creating an escape. It’s one of the few times it’s ever benefited me.”

“If you ask me, you’re playing with fire constantly.” Pursing his lips he took the glass of scotch from her hands and topped off their glasses again. His head was swimming delightfully and he thought she looked far less tense than she’d been earlier if nothing else. “See, it’s not so hard to talk a little bit about yourself a little bit, is it?”

“Oh it was torture, every single second of it Stark. Don’t you doubt for a moment that it was agony to try and share my ridiculous story with you!”

“You’re absolutely absurd.” Turning sideways on the couch so that his knees bumped against hers, he grinned and continued. “You know, I’d definitely love to see you all wet in a strapless couture gown.”

“If you get me a strapless couture gown, I’ll consider it.” Amused, Scarlett clearly thought they were joking back and forth.

“Done!” Tony’s eyes widened, immediately thinking of what sort of surprise he could arrange. If nothing else, she would learn not to misjudge his words.

“And I’m the absurd one between us?”

“You did promise me that you’d show me the article from this at the very least.”

“And I will, but not right now. I’m not sure I can properly navigate the internet without getting distracted by cute pictures at this moment.” A small amused giggle escaped her lips and she covered her mouth to try and hide it.

“That could be fun too though.”

“Stop it.” Stifling another laugh she did her best to make a more serious face.

“You know, I told you earlier that I thought you were sort of a bond girl?”

“Yeah, you mentioned something offensive like that when I remarked I liked Aston Martins.”

“I take that back. You’re definitely the female version of 007.” The childish grin on Tony’s face was wider than Scarlett thought possible.

“That’s slightly less offensive.”

“So super spy…” Tony held up his glass.

“I’m not a spy.”

“Assassin?”

“I’m not an assassin, Stark.” Scarlett considered that she had done that sort of work in the past, but it wasn’t the title she preferred. “I don’t like titles.”

“Will you let me pay you a compliment that’s not about your tits, please?” Tony covered her mouth with his palm and was surprised when she bit his palm in response. Pulling it away he pouted and shook his hand, holding it close to his chest defensively. “Uncalled for…”

“You have got to get over this personal space thing you like to do.” Accusingly pointing her index finger at him she was about to take a drink of the scotch she retrieved after he’d refilled their glasses, when Tony stopped her.

“I was going to propose a toast!”

“Didn’t we do the toast thing when the scotch first came here?”

“I’m making a new toast. To you, Scarlett Damien… the model, James Bond spy, assassin, scotch drinking and most certainly not boring beauty.”

“Seriously?” The skepticism was written all over her face.

“Glass up, come on.”

“I’m not making a toast to that, Stark.”

“It’s Tony and fine. How about to new friends and good stories?”

“We’re not friends.”

“Fine, to uncooperative bitches and arrogant pricks.”

“That I will drink to.” A smile on her face, Scarlett finally held up her glass and let it clink against Tony’s.

“Cheers.”