Another chapter up! Thanks so much for the feedback guys, it means a lot!
(Especially you, Queen Supernatural –that was the sweetest thing I've ever been called, I'm grinning like a madwoman right now!)
I wanted to address a couple of things right away so there's no confusion- I changed the spelling of Natasha's surname name to 'Romanov' because in the comics it's spelled 'Romanova' and I just like it better. So yea… Actually I forgot the other thing, so I guess we'll just leave it at that for now. Enjoy!
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Natasha cursed loudly and angrily –in her head. Her face however, showed no trace of the tumultuous emotions that boiled within her.
Loki was late, again.
It was the second client meeting he had been late to and the third that he had skipped out on all together. She hoped he was simply late and not absent; as little as she cared about Rostad's business going to hell, she needed the engine to work until the gala next month or all of her work would be for naught.
She batted her eyes prettily at the sweaty, balding man before her, but even her charms would not hold him much longer. He knew her as Rostad's new fiancé and business partner, but his smiles and compliments did little to hide the suspicion and unease that she could easily read on his face.
What could Loki possibly be doing that was more important than this? Sucking up to Thor or Odin? She barely managed to hide her smirk behind her wine glass at the thought.
"Mr. Danton, I wonder if you would be interested to learn more about my and Mr. Rostad's new fleet of luxury liners?" The sweaty man turned his pale eyes nervously away from his smart phone and towards her face, allowing them to slip down unsubtly to her cleavage.
"Of course Miss Pe- Pet-"
"Petroshka," she corrected smoothly, "but you may call me Ivanya." Natasha smiled kindly and refilled his glass. If Loki didn't make it, at least having the man drunk would be a blessing. As she poured the double doors to the conservatory burst open and Nikolas Rostad swaggered through, his blond hair catching the light and his wide grin unnerving them all.
"Mr. Danton!" he exclaimed with false enthusiasm as he strode towards him and clasped his hands in his own.
Natasha stifled the urge to roll her eyes; Loki was fond of hamming it up at these sorts of things to show his distaste for them. But a deal was a deal.
"What a pleasure it is to finally be able to do business! Ah, Ivanya," he sighed turning towards her with a slight gleam in his eyes, "my sweetest butterfly. How extraordinarily tedious the hours have been without you!" He grabbed her quickly by the waist and pulled her into a sloppy, mocking kiss which earned him a heel to the foot and a strained smile.
"I have missed you as well my love, but I'm sure Mr. Danton will not wish to be kept waiting." With a final warning look and a farewell, she made her way back to her quarters.
…
As she stripped off her stiflingly tight dress in exchange for her training gear she thought once more about her decision to betray S.H.I.E.L.D . Loki had been right about her work with Fury; sure she was killing 'bad guys' now, but it still felt the same as when she'd been killing for the mob. There was almost always collateral damage, and even though Fury could ignore it, her conscience didn't have that luxury. This was all that she knew how to do, but Loki was offering her an out –an out which didn't involve bloodshed if they pulled it off properly.
He said he needed the Tesseract prototype Fury and Stark had been building in order to return to Asgard and free his imprisoned body. From there he claimed he would travel to Jotunheim to claim the throne his 'father' had vacated.
"Thor never paid attention in any of his lessons, but the tutors always hinted that Jotunheim was full of untapped riches just below the surface," he'd blurted excitedly, " I used your Midgardian devices to test these things for myself before I was caught."
"I learn quickly," he had added flippantly, noticing her look of surprise. "I can convince the Frost Giants to mine their wealth and set up trade with the other realms. Asgardians are vain and spoiled, they'll pay whatever price I set for the minerals that I've discovered; soon Jotunheim will be a hundred times wealthier than the so-called 'Golden Realm'".
She'd watched his face carefully for any signs of deceit, but seen only eagerness and excitement. She noticed the way he paced about the room, his tall stature silhouetted against the setting sun behind him, and tried her best to keep her thoughts from straying into unseemly territory when his graceful hands gestured smoothly as he spoke.
"And what makes you think that you'll be able to complete the Tessaract without Stark?"
He'd then flashed he a wicked grin that had made her knees go weak. "Because I've been following his work closely, and I have exactly what he's missing."
Natasha took the bait impatiently, "And what's that?"
His image disappeared in a soft haze as his voice whispered softly in her ear, "Magic."
...
The meeting had concluded earlier than she had anticipated, and Natasha found herself alone with the god of mischief once again.
"You seem surprised to see me," he stated with the mocking edge that never seemed to leave his voice.
"I was under the impression that Danton had quite a bit to discuss, otherwise I would have handled it alone."
"You're forgetting, about my knack for persuasion Agent Romanov," he replied as Rostad's ruddy face melted away into the pale, sharp planes of Loki's true image. One corner of his mouth curved upwards as she caught herself staring at the transformation and averted her gaze a little too quickly. "Anything the matter Agent Romanov? You seem a bit … flushed."
Natasha ignored his comment and the amusement in his eyes; that was an unwinnable subject, and she knew how to pick her battles.
"I'm leaving for New York first thing in the morning, but before I do, we need to talk."
Loki raised his eyebrows in mock surprise and seated himself at the glass table with an unnecessary flourish as would a king on his throne. She trained her eyes on his expectant face and away from his immodest posture, wondering faintly if he were doing it on purpose.
"Last time you wanted the Tessaract it was to call your army to earth; how do I know you won't do it again?"
Loki regarded her carefully before speaking.
"Why, Agent Romanov –are you saying you don't trust me?"
Natasha pursed her lips slightly.
"Not everything is a joke Loki. What will you do if I don't get you the location?"
The smile never left his face as he transformed into a perfect clone of Nick Fury.
"Then I suppose I will have to find another way."
Natasha frowned inwardly, but maintained her composure in front of what seemed to be her boss.
"I don't believe you," she stated plainly. "If you could do that then you wouldn't have bothered with all this," she said, gesturing vaguely at herself and the opulent room.
Loki transformed back into his normal self and watched her curiously, as though waiting for her to arrive at some conclusion.
"I think you're weak. I think that you can't maintain your magic for very long, and when you do it drains you," she stated evenly as she took measured steps towards him. "That's why you hardly show up for an hour at a time, especially when you have to use your powers." She stopped a few feet away from where he was seated and began to circle around. "So, I think I deserve a little more insurance than a pinky-promise."
Loki stayed silent for a minute.
"Forgive me, Agent Romanov," he began quietly, "I am unfamiliar with this term, 'pinky-promise.'"
Natasha gritted her teeth silently and began to open her mouth to speak before he cut her off. Loki stood and whirled around to face her, deftly closing the space between them with one stride before she could react and cornering her against the sliding glass doors.
"How is it that you were born a mortal," he murmured softy, "when you could best most of the gods I know?" He brought an elegant hand up to stroke her cheek. "You're correct in discovering my temporary limitations, but you still don't seem to understand my motivation. I'm not here to defeat Thor or show Odin –I am here because I am a king without a crown. And you, my little spider, are the one I want by my side when I have it."
Natasha's face froze, locking the god of mischief with a hard stare. Loki placed his hands on either side of her head and leaned a little closer to her flushed face, making Natasha wonder wildly where all of her years of training as a hardened assassin had gone to as her heart began to pick up its pace. She tried to find a clever response to his admission, but nothing came to her tongue except a willingness to taste his.
He smiled crookedly at her line of sight, causing her to pull her eyes away from his lips and focus instead on his glittering emerald eyes –which did nothing to alleviate her excitement. "You can rule by my side, as my equal in all respects," he whispered as he held her gaze unblinkingly, "there is no one in this realm who could ever hope to match you. There is no contest here Natasha, we both know what you want, all you have to do is say it."
Natasha's breaths had quickened along with her heart rate, and Loki was so close now that her exhales were stirring a few strands of his silky black hair. She wondered faintly if it were his lips moving closer to hers or the other way around, but when they met it didn't seem to matter. She brought her hands up to grip the expensive suit he still had on from the meeting and snaked one hand under his collar to feel the smooth skin of his neck. Loki in turn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a bruising kiss.
"Wait!" Natasha gasped, pulling her lips away suddenly, "I need to be sure of what you're asking me."
Loki chuckled lowly and rested his forehead against hers. "I think you know very well what I'm asking –but if you need it in words then how can I refuse?" He pulled away from her and Natasha released him reluctantly. "Once I have control of Jotunheim, I want you to be my queen."
The Black Widow found herself, possibly for the first time, unable to meet the gaze of the man before her. "I –I need time to think about it," she stuttered as she tried desperately to collect her thoughts.
"Don't worry my little spider," Loki said, lifting her chin with a long slender finger, "I'm a patient man."
With that, Natasha found herself alone in the room once again.
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So, what'd you guys think!? I know this one was light on the sexytimes but I don't want to rush them- they're a sensitive couple :P