Echoes

“It would probably be easier to get a read on you if you sat still for just a few minutes.” The woman with straight black shoulder length hair looked up from the deck of cards she was holding gingerly in her hands. There was an unnatural streak of white, framing her face on the right side of her head. If that didn’t make her stand out enough then her eyes surely would. One of them was brown while the other was blue. It gave her a sort of haunted look but there was warmth behind them that was also inviting. Despite her odd appearance she was lovely. “Here, I need you to cut the deck. You know how this goes.” She set down the pile of cards on an oval glass table in front of the tan leather couch she sat on. Everything in the office was as modern looking as the couch and table were.

“I don’t believe in this tarot card nonsense.” The woman she spoke to was standing behind a glass desk the same style as the table at the far end of the room. It seemed she had a hard time keeping still so she kept shuffling piles of paper on her desk.

“Scarlett, you need to be prepared.” The woman on the couch pled.

“Jinx, we’ll do it later.” Scarlett’s nervous features softened when she saw the worry worsen in the girl’s multicolored eyes. Jinx shook her head adamantly and tapped the cards as if to insist. When Scarlett had met Jinx the first words out of her mouth had been that she’d predicted death and pain in her immediate future. That wasn’t a very good first impression but Scarlett rather liked how honest Jinx was. Jinx’s real name was Julianna Bennett but when no one else was around Scarlett called her Jinx. The name had been given to her as a code at S.H.I.E.L.D., where she had worked before becoming Scarlett’s secretary at Refuge.

“We need to prepare for what is to come, Scarlett.” Jinx smiled warily. “Things have been pretty good for you the past few days. Perhaps even a little too good.”

“That’s remarkable since you keep telling me every morning that I have the mark of death on me and spitting through your fingers as if to ward it off.” Scarlett rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. “I have to get changed, there’s still a long day ahead of me and this dress is not fit for what I plan on doing with the rest of it.” Scarlett acknowledged the high necked sleeveless blue chiffon dress that cut off just above her knees that she had worn earlier to a meeting. The press had been allowed to sit in and observe the results of Refuge’s first few days in a public forum. It had gone well considering the rumors that had started that morning about her dating one of her investors. “My luck must be really bad for you to look at me like that. It must be all of those mirrors I broke in Hong Kong. Or maybe the ladders I walked underneath in Switzerland.”

“This isn’t a joke!” Jinx pouted but couldn’t help but find amusement in Scarlett’s jest. “I’m looking out for you. That’s my job.”

“You’re supposed to be my secretary, that’s your real job. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.” Despite her words Scarlett grabbed one of the two chairs in front of her desk and dragged it over to the table where Jinx had set down her cards. She had learned with time that it would be easier for her to alleviate Jinx’s fears rather than argue with her about them. Jinx was relentless when it came to superstitions and protecting her friends from the inevitable. She’d been told the woman had a gift for predictions by some reliable people but it was hard to believe when Scarlett held no stock in such foolish things. It was all well and good that other people did but she certainly had no interest in her bad luck or the death that lay ahead of her.

Apparently.

She wasn’t quite convinced that anything Jinx predicted was spot on.

“We both know that’s not true.” Jinx saw Scarlett’s hand stop on the deck of cards and could feel the woman’s blue eyes glaring through her like ice. When Scarlett wanted to she could very easily look intimidating. “I meant about the secretary thing, not the taking care of yourself thing.” Jinx corrected with an apprehensive look. She was often abrupt and spoke her mind without thinking and it tended to cause her some awkward social moments. Overall, she meant well.

“Do your damn fortune telling or whatever this nonsense is called.” Scarlett cut the deck of cards and then leaned back in her chair, checking the clock on the wall habitually. She liked to keep as busy as possible and with Refuge doing so well that wasn’t difficult. Keeping busy kept her mind from wandering and there was nothing more dangerous than a wandering mind, particularly of her caliber. Jinx grabbed the cut deck and placed the top nine cards face down in front of her. The middle card was set down last as was her tradition.

One by one she flipped the cards and Scarlett proceeded to ignore the omens of death that followed. It was always bad luck and great suffering with her. Omen after omen spewed from Jinx’s lips, or at least it usually did.

Today seemed to be different.

“The meeting.” Jinx’s words cut through Scarlett’s renegade thoughts. It was a card that had never been flipped for her before. The sessions had happened daily for awhile, sometimes even on the weekends when Scarlett had been working on things unrelated to her company and Jinx had shown up mysteriously at her door in a haze. She’d tried to pretend she wasn’t home the first time but Jinx had kept knocking until she’d answered. The woman claimed she was compelled to warn her of the future and brought her a good luck charm. Scarlett had a whole drawer of good luck charms at home.

“What does that one mean? That’s new.”

“You’re going to have an encounter with someone that will change the course of your life.”

“Thanks Merriam Webster.” Scarlett scoffed. Jinx threw her a look but then flipped over the next card.

“Oh, Temptation. I like where this is going.”

“Well, it’s certainly better than predicting I’m going to be crushed by a building.” Scarlett had gotten that prediction a number of times in the last week and yet every building she had walked into had somehow managed to keep it together. She’d actually made a point of telling that to Jinx whenever they went somewhere together. For awhile she’d sent her text messages assuring her that nothing had collapsed and her fortune telling wasn’t working right. Jinx had insisted that the cards never lie and eventually a building would come down on her. Scarlett knew that ultimately the cards were just pieces of papers with some pictures on them. There was no magic to them, only superstition and most of that was garbage in her opinion. Scarlett was far too grounded in the rational world to believe in such things. She would’ve been dead a long time ago if she’d fallen for the predictions of fortune tellers.

“This meeting you’re going to have today… or soon perhaps, the cards aren’t specific about timing… it’s going to offer you a great temptation. Whether or not this temptation is good or bad remains to be seen.”

“Temptation is almost always good in my opinion.” Scarlett curled her lips into a smile. It was something she had often used to her advantage, temptation. Looking the way she did, which the press had pointed out far more than she would like, offered her a variety of opportunities to use temptation as a tool.

“Every romance novel I’ve read argues against that. People who fall for temptation often have a terrible fate.” Jinx laughed but then flipped the next card to be read. “The Pest.”

“Please don’t tell me we’re getting bedbugs. I really don’t want bedbugs.” Scarlett was having a very hard time taking the reading seriously as she always did. Jinx had long since grown used to the woman’s sardonic comments. It had never bothered her. She wasn’t the type to expect everyone to believe in the supernatural or the things she predicted but she was strong in her faith nonetheless.

“No, the meaning of this card is unclear. Perhaps it shall reveal itself as we flip more or when things come to light.” Jinx flipped another card. “Surprise. Oh no.” Jinx scowled.

“Oh, I remember this one. It’s always bad, right? It’s also The Gift though depending on how you read it. It’s never The Gift for me, is it?”

“Yes, but in conjunction with the cards we’ve flipped and it’s positioning to the right of the center it’s read as Surprise. The Gift is often rare.” Jinx was always happy to explain how the readings went.

“I hate Surprise. Why can’t I ever get The Gift? Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe I’m going to have a meeting with someone who wants me to be a Maserati spokesperson. But it’ll be infested with bed bugs?” Scarlett curled her lip as she thought about the possibility. Even Jinx couldn’t help but laugh. Scarlett broke the tension with jokes when she was nervous. Something about this morning’s reading was making her uneasy. There was no way to explain why, she just had a feeling. Scarlett hated having feelings. It gave validity to her friend’s superstition.

Jinx’s predictions had been steadily filled with bad luck and predictions of death, illness, and mayhem since they met. Positive predictions were making Scarlett very uncomfortable especially for someone who didn’t believe in this nonsense.

“No, it’s definitely Surprise and I doubt it has anything to do with a car.” Jinx’s eyes lit up as the next card turned over. Directly beneath temptation now sat the Dark Haired Stranger. Scarlett stared at the card and then back at Jinx who had a very familiar look in her eyes. It was the same look she got when she was talking with her friend about some smutty novel she was reading. “There’s…”

“Don’t do it! Don’t say it.” Scarlett warned, pointing a finger at her threateningly. “Put that thought away. Keep it to yourself! The press does this enough to me. I don’t need it from you too!”

“The temptation in your life is going to be brought by a dark haired man.” Jinx couldn’t help but grin. “And the temptation will be very great, Scarlett. A dark haired man is going to bring romance into your future.”

“You are my least favorite person in the world right now.” Scarlett pouted. Rumors had spread endlessly about every person she’d ever gone to lunch with. There were, of course, times when there had been validity to the rumors but Scarlett wasn’t interested in romance or what usually followed. Sometimes a woman had needs that needed to be fulfilled too. But the press fed on stories like that and things had spiraled out of control. Now every time she went to lunch with an attractive person she was having a romantic tryst. It was ridiculous. Now even the cards were getting in on the action.

“Smooches.” Jinx pursed her lips as though she was going to blow a kiss and then turned over the next card. As Scarlett had grown accustomed to, the remaining cards predicted death and suffering in her near future. The cards were very intent on her suffering for a very long time. Jinx was so incredibly excited by the idea of Scarlett having a new love affair that she was completely nonplussed by the threat of danger. Usually by this time Jinx was throwing good luck charms at her left and right and sticking them in any pockets or bags she could find. Scarlett had begun to purposely wear formfitting dresses so that she wouldn’t wind up with some evil eye in her pocket during an interview. It had happened once and she’d had a hell of a time explaining it away without sounding like a nut job.

“So, I’m still going to be crushed by a building and death is following me. Okay, that about sums up everything you’ve said to me in the last three months.” Scarlett smoothed out her skirt as she got up from her seat on the white chair across from Jinx. The fortune teller cleaned up her cards and stood up immediately. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a coin with a square hole in the center and held it out for Scarlett.

“Take this! To ward off your bad luck. Even though it wasn’t as bad as usual.” Jinx smiled though she knew Scarlett wouldn’t take it. Later she’d stick it in her desk just in case.

“Look, I don’t believe in this stuff. Fate and fortune? It’s all what you make of each day. The bad luck I have, that follows me? It’s my own making. You know that already.” Scarlett knew her words were falling on deaf ears as she watched Jinx’s eyes glaze over. The woman believed so strongly in her predictions that when Scarlett ignored them she nearly went into denial.

“Take the coin.”

“No.” Scarlett walked away from Jinx and back to her desk, dragging the chair with her.

“The cards never lie.”

“Look, there may be some kind of terror in my future but if that’s the case then it is only because of my past and the bed I’ve made for myself.” Scarlett shuffled papers on her desk again, implying what most could only guess at. She made it a point not to speak of her history even in her own office. She never trusted it was safe to talk there. Too many strangers came in and out of her sleek modern office every day. “It was no design by a greater deity, but of my own making. These cards, if they’re picking up anything at all, it is only because of my current predicament.” Scarlett turned to face Jinx, leaning so her backside rested against the desk. “I’ve got to run to a meeting downstairs. Are we done with this ridiculous ritual of yours?”

“Until tomorrow.” Jinx smiled sympathetically at her boss and followed her out of her office. The dark haired woman took her spot behind the desk outside of it and slipped her cards in her top drawer. She was Scarlett’s personal assistant and had grown accustomed to the position. Her area was decorated with a combination of quirky art and good luck charms with a few romance novels scattered here and there. “That reminds me…”

“Yes?” Scarlett checked her makeup in the mirror on Jinx’s desk, making sure that her lipstick hadn’t gotten messed up on the ride back from her last meeting.

“Your appointment at S.H.I.E.L.D. is tomorrow morning. Mickey will pick you up at eight to provide a cover for the press as an investor.” Jinx seemed grim in her delivery but Scarlett paid her no mind. Secret meetings at S.H.I.E.L.D. were obviously no big deal to her.

“Add it to my calendar if you can. Tomorrow morning is too far away for me to think about.” Scarlett smoothed out her dress again nervously and hesitated before walking down the hall. Days filled with boring meetings were definitely an adjustment for her. Scarlett didn’t seem fit for this sort of life but no one else seemed to have noticed. The media hailed her as a natural at her job and kept asking about her job history and where she’d studied.

None of that had been revealed, of course, except that she had once studied at Cambridge University. Scarlett’s life was as much a mystery as she could keep it without getting into trouble. Checking her phone before she got into the elevator that would take her downstairs through the sleek modern open concept building, Scarlett responded again to an email from Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark. At first she’d thought it’d been a joke but then had done her research and found it was a genuine offer. This would be the second rejection email she would send to him. Scarlett didn’t have the time or energy to take on any new projects. Besides, she was sure S.H.I.E.L.D. would not approve her working with Iron Man on anything.

The email stayed in the back of her mind as she sat through a meeting with the engineers and physicists she had hired to work on the developments that had approved patents and were in the manufacturing phase. It was particularly boring listening to them stumble on their words in her presence. She had a tendency to intimidate people just by being in the room, even though she wasn’t exactly sure why. In her mind she thought she was relatable, receptive, and even friendly to her employees. Maybe they’d spent too much time reading the papers and believed half the nonsense that was printed about her.

She wondered why Stark Industries would contact her now, after so much time had passed since Refuge had emerged from the wreckage of her battered past. It would be bad enough that she would have to deal with the rumors that would surely emerge about them joining forces but now she’d have to come up with a proper reason as to why she would reject the offer. She certainly couldn’t tell them that she’d never liked Stark Industries and had always thought that they were an overrated company led by an overrated semi-celebrity.

It sounded harsh even in her head. Scarlett finished up her meeting, mostly sitting in silence through its entirety before giving out opinions she’d formulated while her mind was occupied with a thousand other things. Being a CEO was never on her list of things to do in life. As much as Scarlett enjoyed telling other people what to do she was more of a hands-on person and a loner.

She barely recalled getting into her office afterward. Her mind was otherwise occupied. Jinx had likely greeted her and told her about the messages she’d gotten from the press, investors, employees, the government, S.H.I.E.L.D., but she had ignored them or had likely said to send them to her in an email. Routine was slowly killing Scarlett piece by piece and she wondered secretly how long it would be before she would snap. But she couldn’t afford to snap and that was what kept her chugging along each day.

On her desk there was a cup of strong coffee waiting and Scarlett was at once grateful for it. She’d have to remember to thank Jinx later. Even if the woman was initially assigned to her by S.H.I.E.L.D. as a method of keeping a close eye on her, Scarlett had grown fond of having her around. Scarlett didn’t have many friends and she couldn’t thanks to her newfound celebrity. Jinx didn’t seem to necessarily align herself with S.H.I.E.L.D. decisions despite working directly for them. Thinking about S.H.I.E.L.D. and why they were watching her made her nervous and she shoved it to the back of her mind, refusing to think about it further.

She had only mere seconds to react when she caught something flying through the air out of the corner of her eye! Standing up she tried to get a better look but it was moving too fast. Her balcony doors suddenly crashed open on their hinges as something metallic slammed through them like a bullet. Instinctively she ducked behind the desk and covered her head to keep shattered glass from cutting her or getting in her eyes as it flew across her office. Was she under attack? Beneath her desk was hidden a handgun and a hunting knife in a secret compartment. Grabbing the gun she stood back up, hunched over the desk as not to make herself a target. She had to see what had attacked her. It was obviously not a missile since nothing had exploded.

Much to her surprise, standing in the middle of her office surrounded by shattered glass and pieces of the frame of her balcony door stood the unmistakable Iron Man. Glimmering orange and red in front of her the machinery was more than impressive. She kept her gun hidden out of sight below the desk. Still she didn’t let go of it. There was no way to know why he was there. Where was Jinx? Where was her S.H.I.E.L.D. backup? Clearly they weren’t as prepared for a sudden attack like Scarlett was.

The armor easily pulled away from the pilot’s face, retracting back into the remaining armor. Tony Stark was beneath it and looking rather pleased with himself for his abrupt entrance. His usual devil may care look remained completely intact despite how it should’ve been disheveled thanks to traveling in his suit. If that was how he’d arrived, of course. Scarlett couldn’t possibly know. Hand still on her gun, she contemplated aiming it just to show him what happened to people who snuck up on her. However, she figured that would probably raise far too many questions and land her in jail.

“What the hell?” She finally managed to say when Tony didn’t make a move to explain himself. He didn’t need an introduction. There was no mistaking who he was.

“Too much?” He responded with a coy smile. When she’d rejected him via email he thought perhaps she had misunderstood his intentions so he’d sent a second email explaining his idea further. When that had again been rejected he had decided it was time to take further action. For some reason Tony couldn’t take no for an answer from Scarlett, not on this matter. He hadn’t been that determined in months and he vowed to follow it to its end.

“I cannot think of a single thing important enough for you to say to me that would warrant you breaking through my balcony door! What if I had people in here? There’s glass everywhere! Someone could’ve been seriously hurt!” Scarlett tucked her gun away quickly beneath her desk as Tony was distracted by taking in the mess he’d made. Thankfully he didn’t seem to notice the move. The last thing she needed was Stark becoming suspicious of what she really did at Refuge. It was bad enough to have the press hounding her every time she walked outside her building or went out to dinner.

“Scarlett Damien, right?” Tony cracked his neck and with a few maneuvers with his gloves in his suit the entire thing retracted and reformed into the Iron Man suit next to him. She stared at the suit in mild curiosity then back to Tony who wearing Armani, which seemed grossly inappropriate to be worn beneath the metallic suit.

“Yeah, that’s who you’re writing the check out too when you replace everything you’ve damaged!” Scarlett ran her fingers through her unruly curly brown hair and placed a hand on her hip, her mouth hanging open in awe. Tony couldn’t help but be amused by her reaction. He was also surprised not to see her ogling his suit. Most women ogled the suit, they couldn’t help it. But Scarlett was more concerned with the fact that the doors had come completely off of their hinges and now her floor was covered with glass. He had to admit, it wasn’t his smoothest entrance but it certainly had grabbed her attention as intended. “What do you want?”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Miss Damien.” Tony laughed. She was everything he had expected her to be. Part of him had hoped that it was a really good photoshop job on that magazine cover but now he could see it wasn’t.

“None of that provided any answers.” Now that the situation had been diffused, Scarlett wanted to know what the hell he’d been thinking. More importantly she wanted to know what he was doing in her office and what made him think it was appropriate to crash through a window just to meet her. They’d never met before and the only time they had corresponded was that morning via email. Nothing she had responded with had sounded like an invitation for him to break into her office.

“You’re very hard to get a hold of.” Tony mused over his response. He’d planned on being more graceful with his entrance but his new suit had a few minor kinks that he’d yet to work out. Okay, it had more than a few minor kinks but it was still completely functional and he trusted it to get the job done. He hadn’t flown it that far in a very long time and he was a little rusty on his controls. “I have a number of business proposals I would like to discuss with you. Your secretary gave me the run around when I called this morning.”

“Didn’t I already address this via email multiple times?”

“So you did get my emails.” Tony smiled but also wondered in the back of his mind why on earth she would reject his job offer. It didn’t make sense to him! Who wouldn’t want to work with him? He was the greatest mind of his generation. He was sort of jealous of people who got to work with him because he would never get to work with a mind of his caliber. It was a sad existence really, being the smartest person in the room all the time.

“Yes, and I told you to buzz off. Did I accidentally attach the signature that invited you to break through my balcony door? Was that what threw you off? I’m sorry, I seem to be sending that to a lot of people lately.” Scarlett placed her hands on her hips and walked around her desk gingerly, avoiding the shattered glass. Tony chuckled. Even though she was angry at him she was at least making a joke out of it. At least he thought she was joking.

“Refuge is a pretty big company. You’re obviously busy and couldn’t make time for me. I understand that your time is valuable but I promise that what I have to say is worth the time it takes to hear it.” Tony’s smile was charming and would melt most women where they stood but Scarlett didn’t seem phased by it in the least. Why was that? It threw Tony off of his game but it didn’t make him second guess his decision to talk to her. It only proved to make him more interested and more determined. Scarlett wasn’t fawning over him or catering to his every whim like most people did when they first met him and recognized him for who he was. No, she challenged him. Maybe Tony needed a challenge. It had gotten him out of the state of California for the first time in months.

“No offense, but I’m already sick of being asked by the press what it’s like to be compared to the son of Howard Stark. Now it’s only been a few hours since the calls have come pouring in but I’m already tired of being asked what it’s like to be offered a job by the great genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark. I honestly don’t have the time or energy to give them more fuel for their metaphorical fires. Isn’t there enough press about the both of us without this breaking and entering nonsense?” Scarlett looked to her balcony door. “If not there is certainly a possibility that your future press involves property damage.”

“You’re funny. I didn’t expect you to be so funny, looking at you.” Tony gestured to all of her since he was sure going into specifics was nowhere near appropriate and would get him dragged away by security.

“Oh, go ahead, dig the grave a little deeper. Six feet wasn’t enough. Look Stark, this is probably some grand gesture supposed to garner some kind of interest or excitement in your projects but all you really accomplished was scaring the hell out of me.” Scarlett was flustered but kept her cool. The last thing she had expected was for someone to fly through her window. Where was that prediction? She thought he’d gone into hiding in the last few months, ever since the situation with Loki in New York. Apparently he was still feeling brazen enough to take a few risks. Thankfully, Scarlett had been judged by her looks her entire life and had managed to always work around them.

“You sure didn’t look scared.” Tony pointed out, walking around her and taking her in. Behind her he gave her the once over and nodded his head in approval. He’d have to try and get a picture to send to Rhodey. She was everything the magazine had advertised she would be and more but he hadn’t quite expected her to be so filled with fire. Despite what he’d read about her he had still expected something dimmer. This was much better. “You looked ready for a fight, actually.”

“What, do you think that all us business folk don’t know how to fend for ourselves? Something crashes through my window, I’m not going to roll over and play dead.” Scarlett scoffed, looking mildly offended but not actually feeling any offense. She was supposed to be playing the role of helpless business woman but she couldn’t. It was proving to be a far more difficult ruse to perpetrate than she had expected. If someone broke into her office she was going to shoot them. She just hadn’t anticipated Iron Man flying through her window and that seemed reasonable enough.

“If I thought that, I probably wouldn’t be standing here.” Tony pointed to his suit that stood guard behind him then clapped his hands together and approached her cautiously. Scarlett looked to the door behind him, surprised that Jinx hadn’t come running into the office upon hearing the commotion. She was going to have to reevaluate her security situation. “Given that I’m Iron Man and all that. Besides, I hear you have a rather nefarious past that no one can figure out.”

“Don’t tell me you’re a gossip, too.” Scarlett couldn’t help but be amused. She walked past him and looked at the Iron Man suit at long last. It was different than the ones she’d seen in the papers and different than the Warmachine that the military had let her take a look at during their first meeting. It was something she had refused to help them with. Scarlett was curious about the machine but wasn’t one to step on another inventor’s toes. If they wanted help with the technology they would have to go to Tony to get it.

Now it seemed as though Tony was coming to her which changed the game entirely. Tony watched her, seeing the curiosity sparkling in her eyes as she walked around the armor. If it was sitting right there in her office after doing the damage it had done he might as well let her take a look at it. Besides, if she was interested in playing with it then it could be something he used for leverage when making their deal.

“I only gossip when I don’t have enough information to draw conclusions. And you have to admit, Scarlett that you have quite a bit of gossip surrounding you because no one seems to have all the information. Even I couldn’t find it.” Tony slowly walked closer, his hands clasped together behind his back. For the first time in weeks he wasn’t feeling anxious and he was excited for what would come next. Interaction with Scarlett wasn’t forced or unsavory. Even though she was clearly not amused at how he had come into her office she was obviously interested in his technology. Despite her reaction to him she hadn’t made any attempts to call security or the police and kick him out. That had to be a good sign.

“What do you want from me, Stark?” Scarlett didn’t turn her gaze away from the Iron Man suit. It was like no technology she’d ever seen before and if she had the chance she would love to take a peek on the inside to see just how it was put together. Robotics was something she obviously excelled at given that her first release of a product was a series of artificial limbs. But the machine in front of her was more beautiful than anything she had ever created.

“I already told you what I wanted in those emails.”

“And I already told you I wasn’t interested so why are you here?”

“Your lips say no but your very curious eyes say yes.” Tony stood next to her, hands still behind his back as he watched her. She turned her gaze at last to him, looked him over and then nodded her head.

“I’m listening.” Scarlett turned her eyes back to the armor, trying to memorize every difference she could spot off hand from the older models without having a picture to reference. It was more than just the color of the armor but the design had been severely altered. Tony was every bit as charming as she had been led to believe and so Scarlett couldn’t help but want to hear what he had to say. That was, of course, if he offered to pay for the damage that he had done to her very costly building. Scarlett had sold a small part of her soul in order to build Refuge the way she’d wanted it to be built and he would likely be surprised at the tab he’d incurred breaking her door in.

Even if Tony ended up talking for fifteen minutes about what she already knew, he had this way of talking that was very interesting and entertaining. When she’d worked as an engineer in her younger years she had seen him speak at symposiums and even then he’d been charming. It was not easy making particle physics sound delightfully witty and maybe even a little sexy. But she had also despised him for it back then. He’d often made what she did sound like a joke to some people.

“I’ve got a deal with Stark Industries I’d like for you to consider. You wouldn’t be an employee since I get the very strong feeling you wouldn’t like working for me so you’d be more of a consultant. I’d invite you in, give you a work space, show you my problems and see if you can offer some insight. If so, I’ll pay you for the idea and then offer you the opportunity to build the solution. A fee will obviously be paid there if it’s finances you’re concerned about.” Tony had rehearsed his offer multiple times in his head on the flight over.

“Does it look like I’m concerned about finances?” Scarlett walked away at last from the Iron Man suit and then examined the damage that had been done to her door. There was glass scattered all across the floor, crunching beneath her heels. She clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Shatter proof glass, my ass…” She muttered, kicking several shattered pieces out of the way. She’d have to get someone to put a tarp over the window in case the clouds threatening over head at last broke and it began to rain. The last thing she needed was for her furniture to be ruined because Iron Man didn’t have the decency to land on the balcony instead of crashing through it.

“No, considering I’m ninety percent sure that dress is Dior.” Tony looked her over again and Scarlett shook her head. “I’m wrong? Really?” Maybe he did have to get out more. Fashion didn’t seem to be a masculine thing to be into but Tony understood women and women loved fashion.

“What’s going on here? Weren’t you talking about something important?”

“Oh yes, of course. There’s the deal with Stark Industries. Not only will it be an opportunity to put that knowledge of yours to good use, not that you need any help with that or anything since you have obviously got a handle on charitable efforts, but it would still be doing something good for the sake of doing it. I’ve created this element here, maybe you heard about it.” Tony pulled open his jacket and unbuttoned the top of his button up shirt then rapped his knuckle against the metal of the arc reactor in his chest hidden beneath his undershirt. “Clean, renewable, affordable energy. Distribution, however, has become a problem. That’s where you come in.”

“Yes, you said most of that in the email.” Scarlett felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. The energy research was a valuable project and she believed it should be pursued, just not by her. She couldn’t get involved with Iron Man considering the drama she already seemed surrounded by without him. The last thing she needed was to hear rumors about what was going on with her and Tony. He was with somebody, if she recalled from the papers. Scarlett had been called every name in the book in the last month, except for home wrecker. That would be at the top of the list if she took this job. She was sure that the tabloids were simply waiting for the opportunity to use it. Scarlett wasn’t as good at ignoring the papers as Tony had become. It took a toll on her.

“But more importantly that would be a cover for what I really want your help with.” Tony turned to face her, a smirk at the corner of his lips and his brown eyes sparkling mischievously. Scarlett cursed them immediately. He had a reputation that preceded him about being a bit of a man whore. She was supposed to dislike him but there was something likable about him, she couldn’t help herself. Did that make her a terrible person? No, it made her just like everybody else who fell for his charm. Only she had to make a point not to fall for his game.

“You mentioned a secret project.” Scarlett nodded, pretending to look bored when in fact she was intrigued and trying not to stare into his big brown eyes. There was no harm in looking, at least. Men did it all the time, so why couldn’t she? In fact, she was sure that Tony had done it to her just recently and he was in a committed relationship, so now she was most certainly sure it was okay.

“I want to offer you the once in a lifetime opportunity to work on one of my newer Marks.” When she didn’t seem to know what he was referring to he pointed to the suit standing next to him. “This is the Mark XLII. My newest suit of armor and the least finished by far. When I create a new model I name it with a new Mark number… like guns. The prosthetic technology you’ve released, from what I read, works without brain surgery. I could use your insight with a few things I’ve been working on for this Mark. I’ve never had anyone else touch the suits before, at least not so intimately. You’d have to be gentle, it’s their first time.” Tony could see the intrigue immediately light up in her eyes so he smiled confidently.

“Hmm…” She seemed unsure of how to respond. Realizing she’d been staring still at his brown eyes, she turned to face the armor and walked around it to inspect it again as though she’d be able to devise more of what he needed from her just by looking at it. In reality she was considering his offer. S.H.I.E.L.D. would be more than irritated if she jumped in to help Tony Stark with something. At least she thought they would be. They were trying to keep her out of harm’s way and Tony seemed to run into trouble whenever he walked out his front door. Considering he’d broken her balcony so severely upon their first meeting, his record still seemed to hold true.

But it was more than that. The technology in front of her was a work of art. It had been created by a man with skilled hands and a genius intellect. It wasn’t a weapon and now that she had seen it up close she was confident of that. It was a piece of Tony himself. The Iron Man suits were something she had never seen before in person and more than anything she wanted a piece of it. Deep down, given her situation, she knew it was a terrible idea and yet she was tossing around the agreement in her head.

“What are you thinking?” Tony grew impatient watching her. She seemed to have a lot going on under that unruly curly brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders and to her mid-back that Tony had watched far longer than he should’ve. But the silence made him uncomfortable and he felt the need to prompt her.

“I have too much on my plate.” She said half-heartedly. The disappointment had to have been obvious, almost as obvious as the disappointment that came from him upon hearing it. “I’m not good at handling virgins, you’ve probably heard.” Tony laughed and then cleared his throat.

“You have too much on your plate? What? Come on, you have time for this! You should make time for this.” Tony nodded to the office when Scarlett gave him a skeptical look. “So what, you have investor meetings, military deals, private deals, that whole… company going public thing.”

“A whole business to run, personal projects.” Scarlett pointed out, resting a hand on her hip. “The prosthetic deal and the military deal are just the beginning of what I have to offer. You shouldn’t even know about the military deal but I’m guessing that has something to do with your military friend.” Scarlett had known about his connection with Rhodes when she’d gone to see the Warmachine. It was only natural that the two friends would talk about that kind of stuff during their casual time together.

“And you’re going to give up working on something that could change how you look at robotics because you’re too busy?” Tony argued. It was true, he wanted something from her but she could tell that she wanted something from him, too. This relationship could work to benefit both of them if they could only reach an agreement. Tony wanted to get her to at least consider it before he left Boston that day. If he could help it, he’d get a yes answer out of her before he did. Tony generally liked to get what he wanted; it was part of his upbringing.

“Are you forgetting that I have already changed the way the world looks at robotics?” Scarlett sneered. The offer was tempting her, lingering in front of her and saying no had been hard enough as it was. Thankfully she was good at sticking to her guns. Scarlett always had been. Working with Tony Stark would not be worth the fallout that it would incur. Somehow she knew it would only end badly. And yet, part of her really wanted to do it anyway. Tony was interesting, clever, intelligent, charming, handsome, and entertaining. Only years ago she had hated him for all those same reasons. It had taken her a long time to understand that he had a life changing experience that had turned him into a genuinely well meaning man. But with the way her own life had been changing in months past she had understood it better with time.

“And I want to see that too! Genius of our caliber, Scarlett? It doesn’t show up very often. Think of the things we could accomplish if we teamed up.”

“I’m pretty sure that someone out there is already theorizing about what we’re accomplishing in a newspaper.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and was surprised when Tony laughed. Maybe he didn’t realize that it was likely his girlfriend who would not find it at all funny when the newspaper was reporting that her latest victim was him.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant, Stark.”

“Then how can you so easily say no and walk away?”

“Because it is easy. They’re just two letters strung together and well… walking is something I do quite well. You should try doing it in heels someday and then we’ll see whose better.” Scarlett countered.

“You want to do this. I can see it in your eyes. You hate that you have to walk away from this because you’re busy. Take it from a guy who has spent the last twenty five years running a Fortune 500 corporation, Scarlett. You are going to have to realize that you can do whatever you want whenever you want. It’s the risks you take that are going to make you successful.” For the first time since he’d come crashing through her window Tony sounded like a legitimate businessman.

“This is more than just a risk. You couldn’t have picked a worse time for me.” Scarlett sighed heavily. How could he read her so easily? Maybe she wasn’t making a good enough attempt to hide her interest.

“Timing is always off. Something will always get in the way if you let it. Reconsider.” Tony made a strong argument and could tell he’d worn her down. But had he really? Would she say what he wanted to hear so that he would leave her alone? Would she do that so that she could give him a message again electronically letting him know she wasn’t interested? Tony often came on strong, especially to women, but he really believed that Scarlett could help him. It was the first thing he’d been passionate about in god knows how long and he’d chase it right up until she filed for a restraining order. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

“If I agree to consider it, will you shut up?” Scarlett batted her eyelashes at him, attempting to be playful but really she was trying to think of how she would ever sincerely say no to Tony face to face. How could she work with someone she had blindly hated for no real reason for years? Okay, so there had been reasons to dislike him. His company had been responsible for illegally transporting weapons to terrorist organizations and Scarlett had seen firsthand the wreckage those actions had wrought. Then there was, of course, that Tony was a complete chauvinistic pig in the newspapers. While she was sure it couldn’t all be true just as she knew the rumors about her weren’t, Scarlett was sure there had been validity to at least a few of the claims. Before Tony could respond and continue to convince her, the door to Scarlett’s office opened.

“Miss Damien you have a conference…” Jinx pursed her lips and stopped talking as she realized Scarlett was no longer alone. There was a robot man standing near a broken window, a very handsome man in front of her and the door that usually covered the balcony was blown to pieces across the floor. Though she probably should’ve been concerned about the balcony she instead was more interested in the man that stood there with the robot. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine.” Scarlett exhaled deeply, walking past Tony and toward her assistant. “Where were you?” She hissed under her breath.

“Who is this… dark haired stranger?” Jinx referred to her earlier predictions with her dual colored eyes and Scarlett slumped her shoulders in response. Jinx knew who he was but she couldn’t help but point out that her fortunes had come true, at least partially. What were the odds that she’d make a prediction about a new love interest entering Scarlett’s life and then moments later Tony Stark literally flew a robot suit through her window? At least, that’s what Jinx had guessed had happened. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively when she saw the annoyance on Scarlett’s face.

“Tony Stark.” Tony held out his hand for Jinx to shake after approaching, standing close next to Scarlett. Instead Jinx took his hand and looked over his palm curiously. Whispering to herself she followed the lines over his palm with her index finger and furrowed her brow. “What’s she doing?” Tony whispered to Scarlett when he realized that Jinx had absolutely no interest in greeting him.

“Miss Bennett.” Scarlett spoke severely, rousing her assistant from her reverie. Carefully Scarlett took Tony’s hand away from Jinx and spoke soothingly. “What is it you came in here to say? Also where is security when you need them?”

“Oh, you have a conference call in ten minutes. I was downstairs so I guess I didn’t hear all this.” Jinx smiled proudly, but then looked down at Scarlett’s hand that was still very gingerly grasping onto Tony’s. Immediately Scarlett let go of his hand and brushed hers off on her dress as though ridding herself of something foul. Tony watched her curiously. Why had she done that? Her hands had been really soft, he’d been enjoying the touch but hadn’t really thought much of it until Scarlett had practically thrown his hand away.

“Okay. I’ll take it on video call downstairs in the workshop. Tell him I’m going to be a minute late.” Scarlett turned her attention to the door that was destroyed behind her. “Can you call the maintenance guys and have them come up here and sweep up the glass? Then cover the window with a tarp until I can get the contractor to get me a replacement door and window.” Scarlett placed a hand to her temple and rubbed gingerly. This day was starting to give her a nasty headache. Between her crazy assistant and Tony Stark, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself.

“Send me the bill.” Tony chimed in, making an apologetic face. “I shouldn’t have broken the window. But I like to make an entrance and clearly she needed me to grab her attention.” Tony shrugged.

“You definitely made an entrance.” Jinx laughed then walked away from the two of them without another word.

“Well, she’s interesting. What was that whole thing… with my hand? Should I wash it? I’m sort of worried I should wash it.” Tony wiggled his fingers as though to make sure that nothing was wrong with them.

“She’s superstitious, is all.” Scarlett walked back to her desk and flipped on her computer screen. “She was probably reading your palm. We call her Jinx sometimes because of that and her crazy eyes. She’s always predicting bad luck or good luck. It’s cute really, she’s always very concerned.” Scarlett typed away at her keyboard, sending the information she needed for her meeting downstairs. “If you don’t mind, Mr. Stark. I have a meeting and I’ve set aside the rest of the afternoon to play around in my workshop.”

“Your workshop?” Tony was surprised to see that she seemed to do a lot of her own work. Her company obviously had the finances and manpower to do most of that for her. He found it admirable that she didn’t shove her formulas and ideas at a team of analysts and wait for them to make it happen. Tony was one of the only other inventors he had known that had taken his work home with him and often preferred to work out a problem himself before he passed it onto a team for development and enhancement.

“Yeah, you know, where work happens. A shop of work, one would say.” Scarlett looked at him skeptically. “Damnit, I don’t have time to get changed. I’m way too overdressed for this.” Muttering under her breath Scarlett apologized secretly to the expensive dress that she was likely going to ruin before looking back to Tony. “If you don’t mind.”

“Oh, but I do. What if I joined you?”

“Seriously?” Scarlett took deep breaths to keep from getting irritated. She had the distinct feeling that she was not going to get rid of Tony Stark very easily today. Considering she had just met him, it was overwhelming.

“Just to observe your process. I’m curious to see how you work.” Tony wanted to add on that he wanted to see how she was going to manage to work in that dress but figured it would likely be inappropriate. Right now he was trying to convince her to work with him not scare her away. Though given the conversation they had already he was sure it wouldn’t scare her away. Still, better safe than not getting to work with her.

“I’m very busy, Tony.” Scarlett whined, hoping he would back down of his own volition.

“You called me Tony that time. I mean, that’s progress right?” Tony smiled hopefully. He was feeling too good to leave. The last thing he wanted was to return to Malibu empty handed where Pepper would say she told him so until her throat went raw. “I promise, you won’t even know that I’m there.”

“I doubt that!” She scoffed gesturing to her broken door.

“No really! I promise to be on my best behavior. No suit, no snarky comments.”

“The last time I had no idea you were here you broke through my window.”

“That was almost ten whole minutes ago you’re going to have to let it go sometime, Scarlett.” Tony looked at her in disapproval and she couldn’t help but laugh. Why did he have to be so damn funny?

“You’re really not going to let it go, are you?”

“Hmm…” He thought about it for a moment before looking back to her. “No, I’m not good at letting anything go. It’s in my nature.”

“I don’t have time to argue with you.” Scarlett looked to the clock on the wall above the door and then back to Tony.

“All the more reason for you to agree to let me come observe you.”

“Fine.” Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. There was no harm in letting him come along as long as he actually was on his best behavior. She would kick him out otherwise. If he interfered with her meeting she was going to be so angry. “But only because I don’t have the time to deal with what turning you down would entail. You’d probably break the elevator or something.” Scarlett started out of the door to her office and Tony followed quickly behind her.

“See? You’re already great at this working with me thing.”