Natasha was on the fast track to becoming partner in her law firm, Coulson & Associates. She was the youngest senior associate in the company, and feared in virtually all of the courtrooms in the tri-state area. She was given the nickname "The Black Widow" thanks to her take-no-prisoners reputation.
Her husband, Clint Barton, was an equally successful lawyer, working as an Assistant District Attorney. He appeared to be on the fast track to a high-powered political career. From the outside looking in, one would think that the beautiful and successful Natasha Romanoff had the picture-perfect life…but what they failed to see were the nights she'd get pressured from her husband to leave work early, only to come home to an empty house. They never saw their arguments over the cases she took, and how he thought they might be "damaging" to his future political ambitions.
They only saw the fake smiles and disingenuous displays of affection they put on in front of people at social events and parties.
Natasha was unhappy, so she dove into work, determined to make partner and reach the top of her game. Clint, wanting a ready-made, picture perfect family to be ready for the cameras by the time he launched his political career, began to pressure his wife to put her career on the back burner so that they could start a family. When Natasha refused, that drove an even bigger wedge between the already distant husband and wife.
She just dove further into work.
Natasha was sure that her hard work would pay off until she was informed that a new lawyer would be joining the firm. He was a highly sought after prospect who had been courted by dozens of law firms, but somehow, Coulson & Associates had managed to snatch him up.
He'd studied at Cambridge and his track record was very similar to her own, from what she'd heard. Both of them had a reputation for being killers in the courtroom. He was a threat to her fast track to making partner. Before she even lay eyes on him, her disdain for him was palpable.
Today was to be his first day, and the office was abuzz with excitement. Natasha was busy concentrating on work. She had a folder firmly tucked in her arm when she rounded the corner, slamming into the broad chest of a tall figure. Her papers went everywhere, and a sharp curse slipped from her mouth as she bent down to pick them up. When she glanced up to mutter an apology to the person she'd run into, she was met with a pair of the most intense green eyes she'd ever seen.
Loki Odinson was the youngest of two children. His parents were British royals. So far down in the line of succession that it didn't even bare mentioning but it was a source of great pride for his father. Lord Odin, the Earl of Kent and member of the Most Noble Order of the Garter prided himself on his chivalry, his integrity and his all around perfect nature.
To say that he was a perfectionist was an understatement and he held his children to the same high standards to which he held himself. Standards that Loki failed at miserably while his older brother excelled. The blonde, blue eyed Thor was a source of never ending boasting for his father and the root of eternal resentment from his younger sibling.
Loki had spent his entire childhood in the shadow of all things Thor. Barely garnering a second glance from his father except to scold him for his mischievous pranks. His father lauded over his eldest son's skill's in sports and scoffed at Loki's useless talents in the creative arts. Try as he might there was nothing that he could do to make himself equal to his brother in his father's eyes. Even in colleges, Loki was accepted to Cambridge which was a source of great pride to the aspiring lawyer but his father was too busy praising his eldest son's continued success at his studies in the University of Oxford to pay much notice to Loki's accomplishments.
It was his final year at Cambridge that he discovered that he was adopted. A fact that his parents had kept hidden from him all of his life. His mother had wanted another child but complications from Thor's birth had made it impossible so they had adopted him. Suddenly, everything made sense. The reason that he never felt like he belonged and why the golden boy was always the favored child no matter what he did. His anger was palpable and the truth drove a huge wall between him and his family. He wanted nothing to do with any of them and put all of his energies into his studies and becoming the finest and most successful lawyer imaginable. He would prove once and for all that he was not just Thor's equal but he was far better than him.
Now, he was here in the States and making a name for himself as the go to man when you wanted a sure win. He had an impeccable case record. He never lost. The fact was that he would do whatever it took to win. He had been wooed by this law firm to join their ranks and today was his first day. He was determined to make partner. And when he wanted something he didn't give up until it was his.
Loki moved along the halls on his way to his first meeting with the Firm's Partners. The young woman at the reception had told him that their office was this way. As he turned the corner a woman walked right into him, her folder and papers falling all over. Loki sighed and rolled his eyes at the disturbance as he knelt down to help her pick up the papers. "You should really watch where you're going, pet," he quipped as he moved to hand her the sheets of paper that he had collected. His breathing caught for a moment as he took in the sight of the dark blue eyes that stared back at him. Her lush red curls falling about her face as she brushed them behind her ear. She was quite beautiful, he mused as his lips upturned in the slightest of smirks.
Natasha was snapped out of her daze when he called her 'pet'. She glared at the man as she swept her papers back into the folder and stood gracefully before the dark haired man before her. He was handsome…that was the first thing she noticed, but he'd definitely rubbed her the wrong way already.
The red head straightened out her black pencil skirt as she straightened and tossed a red curl over her shoulder, "I'm no ones pet…you must be Loki Odinson…your reputation precedes you."
"Oh does it now?" Loki mused as his sideways smile grew more pronounced. She really was quite delicious to look at and she had an attitude to match her fiery locks. He could tell that already. His interest was piqued. "Pardon me, darling. It is merely an expression. I meant no offense, truly." He remarked in his silky accent as he took a step closer. "You have me at a disadvantage, pet." He gave her a devilish wink as he deliberately used the word again. "You know my name but I don't know yours."
Natasha's jaw clenched at his continued use of pet names. Forcing herself to be professional, she held out a hand, "Natasha Romanoff. I'm the only senior associate here, so I take it we'll be forced to work together."
Just then, Phil Coulson, senior most partner and founder of the firm approached, "Oh good. You've met. That saves me time and trouble. Loki, your office is going to be directly across from Natasha's. She's our headlining player here and will be able to show you the ropes, won't you, Widow?"
Natasha fixed the newcomer with a polite, but firm stare as a smirk ghosted over her luscious lips, "Of course…that won't be a problem at all."
Loki grabbed hold of the hand that she offered and gave it a firm shake but when he was done he brought it to his lips and lightly kissed the back of her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, darling." He grinned down at her. Just as his new boss approached from down the hall and filled him in on the location of his new office.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," Loki stated as he shook the senior partner's hand before turning his attention back to the pretty lady at his side. "I look forward to learning the ropes," he winked.
"I'll leave you to settle in to your new surroundings. We are thrilled to have you aboard, Loki." Coulson offered as he gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before continuing down the corridor.
"So, Natasha, shall you show me to my new office?" Loki grinned as his dark emerald eyes sparkled down at her. "I have a feeling I'm going to love the view, pet."
Natasha couldn't deny the warm feeling that flowed through her body when he kissed her hand, but she was all business…and this guy was flirting. Hard. She narrowed her eyes and turned around to lead him down the hall. She could practically feel his eyes roam her figure as they walked. She led them down a small hallway, with their offices being the only ones at the end of it. She motioned toward the spacious office which was a mirror image of her own. It included a wall of windows and spacious desk.
She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned against the door before motioning into the room, "We'll be sharing a secretary, so we'll have to make sure not to overwhelm her with tedious crap…" Natasha started to walk away, but turned around, "Another thing…no one calls me darling except my husband…"
Honestly, she didn't give a shit what Clint called her, but the man who stood before her was obviously used to women fawning over him. A classic case of being used to getting what he wanted. He was handsome, smart, successful and rich. She knew his type…or so she thought.
"A husband, my condolences,pet," Loki smirked as he stood in the doorway of his new office. "I've always found the idea of marriage to be so tedious and mind-numbingly boring." Her brows furrowed and her lips scrunched up into the most delicious pout as he spoke. He definitely wouldn't mind getting to know her in a more intimate way, married or not. "Well, darling, if your husband takes offense than you just explain to him that other countries have different ways of speaking and I mean nothing by it." He took another step closer to her as he licked his lips expectantly. "Tell me, Natasha, when would you like to have me…" his mouth upturned as his eyes sparkled with mischief. "in your office… to show me the ropes."
Natasha had to force herself not to take a step backwards when he approached. Him being that close unnerved her, and sent soft shivers up her spine. She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her red curls before turning toward her office, "Come on…I've got time right now."
She ventured into her office and moved to her file cabinet. She bent over to fish some files out of the lower cabinet and spotted him blatantly staring at her ass. Natasha cleared her throat, "Your office has an even better view…"
"Eh heh heh heh, not from where I'm standing, pet," Loki smirked as he gave her a wink before he slowly moved toward the window. "So tell me, darling, how long have you been with this firm?"
Natasha rolled her eyes as she pulled out an armful of files and set them on her desk, "Seven years. They recruited me right out of law school. I graduated at the top of my class from Harvard. I hear you come from Cambridge."
She licked her thumb before she began flipping the pages of one of the folders to be sure the contents were in order, then handed it to him, "Here's the case that will be at the top of our load. We're representing a utilities firm against a class action suit by some of its former employees. The bigger companies come first, then, unless otherwise mentioned by a partner, we'll prioritize individual cases based on the settlement amount possible. But I've been working on this one since it came across my desk and…it's a two-person job."
Loki perused the file in his hands as he glanced back up at her. "This will probably require lots of late nights together prepping," he smirked while he glided a long slender finger along her desk. "I have a feeling we are going to get to know each other very well, pet. I hope your husband doesn't mind." His dark emerald eyes took a quick glance along the top of her desk. He didn't see any pictures of this husband of hers. In fact there was nothing on her desk that wasn't completely functional and work related. "So what else do you have for me in that pile of files, darling?"
Natasha tried not to allow herself to get distracted by his piercing eyes and deliciously inviting mouth, so she kept her eyes trained on the files before her. She gave him the rundown on a few different cases before handing them off and glancing at her watch, "I have a meeting with one of my clients in ten minutes, so if you'll excuse me…"
Loki didn't move when she moved to squeeze by him to exit her office, which meant that she had to brush her body provocatively against his to get out of the doorway. She only hoped he didn't hear the slight intake of breath when she moved past him.