Author's Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own the characters from either Leverage or Witchblade. I'm just playing in the sandbox. All of these characters are the property of their respective creators. I'm not making any money off this story. You wouldn't get anything if you sued me.
Author's Note: I could use a beta. Anyone interested? I could also use some reviews. I'd really enjoy the feedback and would get inspiration from it!
Elliot walked into the top floor apartment and quickly revised his assumption. Sara Pezzini was obviously single, not wealthy, not a girly girl, and not one to keep much in the way of personal attachments. The apartment was spartan; furnishings looked mostly used and haphazardly assembled into something functional but not necessarily decorative. Obviously while the woman lived here, she didn't care much about creature comforts. A girl after my own heart, Elliot thought ironically.
"So, Gabriel says that I can trust you. Coming from him, that means a lot. There aren't many people in this world that I take at there word but Gabe is one of them. Care to tell me what you've done to earn that from him?"
Elliot shrugged. "Don't know. I've been selling him privately held art and artifacts off and on for years. Once in a while we have a couple beers together when I'm in town."
In all honesty, he didn't know why Gabriel trusted him. Sure they'd done business numerous times over the years, but that didn't mean he'd shared much with the young entrepreneur about his personal life. Elliot wasn't exactly the sharing type. On second thought, from what Elliot had seen over the years Gabriel's hacking and research skills might rank just a bit below Hardison's and he certainly was better at putting together the pieces of a puzzle. Elliot made a mental note to see if he could figure out exactly how much Gabriel did know about him.
"So, why does Gabriel have the impression that it's okay for some creep to be hanging around outside your window. Last time I looked most ladies don't appreciate that sort of behavior."
"Let's just say that my very own personal stalker is the price I have to pay for the life I lead. I won't say he's harmless but he's not going to harm me any time soon."
Sara sounded so self-assured that Elliot looked up. There was a vicious and predatory gleam in her eye that he recognized all too well. He saw that gleam staring back at him from his own blue eyes in the mirror most days. Who the hell was this woman? Elliot knew with certainty that she couldn't be a hitter. For that matter, she'd admitted that they guy stalking her wasn't harmless, just harmless TO HER. The mystery surrounding this woman was growing and Elliot finally had to admit that it turned him on in a way that nothing else had for a really long time.
"So since Gabriel vouched for my character, can I offer to take you to dinner? I'm in town on business, don't really know anyone, and would enjoy some company rather than eating alone."
Sara was taken aback. The guy tailed her, snooped into her personal life, then asked her out to dinner? Something didn't add up and she was curious enough that she was willing to take the bait, even if she knew it was bait in the first place. She could bilk Gabriel for information on the guy tomorrow and she could always run a background check on him just to satisfy her curiosity.
"Why not. It's been a long day and I'm a rotten cook. I was going to eat cold leftover take-out. Out for dinner sounds far more appealing." And, if she had to admit it to herself, Sara couldn't claim that the company would be unenjoyable. Somehow Elliot Spencer intrigued her in all the right ways. He was that itch she so desperately wanted to scratch. And given that he wasn't likely to stick around, she didn't feel any obligation for anything more than dinner to come of the evening.
