Author's Note: I Love the support for this story. I just wanted something light and fluffy since that hiatus and the angst was really getting to me. That and the fact that my other stories have somehow crossed over to angsty without me realizing it, whew…

In this chapter, if you decided to read this and not skip ahead to the chapter, Tommy is at it again, being the best wingman Oliver could ever ask for, at some point Oliver will return the favor…soon. Did I mention Sara Lance will be introduced in this chapter?

More, lots more of appreciation and respect for Felicity and her abilities in this chapter, and of course, those Olicity build-up moments.

Once again, I do not own anything related to the Arrow or the characters, but a girl can dream….fluffy dreams.


SECRET ADMIRER

Chapter 4

"She told you she wanted to have dinner with you?" Tommy repeated his question to Oliver, his brows raised.

Oliver buckled under the pressure, "ok fine. She may have babbled it unintentionally while we were conversing. But it was clearly, very clearly implied that she wasn't averse to having dinner, with me."

'Aha." Tommy's attention was fully on the tumbler in his hand containing his favorite whisky.

"That's all you're going to say, after everything I shared. You said you had my back, that you would be my wingman," Oliver sulked.

Tommy rolled his eyes at the petulant look of his best friend. "Oliver Jonas Queen, what the fuck."

Oliver banged his head on the counter of the bar repeatedly, "I'm pathetic."

Tommy patted his friends back in solemn support, "hey, she did say she would get your laptop back to you tomorrow right?" Tommy gave him a thoughtful expression, "take the opportunity to invite her to dinner then. You know, if I didn't have the fear that she would immediately put two and two together if I suddenly appeared in your office and be my usual cheeky self, I'd swing by. But I think 'Tom'," saying his pseudo name in quotation marks, "would probably do you more harm than good right now if she realized Tom and Tommy Merlyn where one and the same person since your relationship, or lack of it at this point really is quite fragile. That's what you get for falling for girls with brains man, nothing gets past them. If something does, eventually it will catch up with you."

Oliver drowned the remainder of his drink, "now you are scaring me."

"No, now I'm being a true friend. Telling you exactly what you need to hear. Invite her to dinner, or maybe lunch. It's safer, more probable that she would accept lunch. Lunch means friendzone, dinner…well, most of the time, it means something else."

"But I don't want to be just her friend."

Tommy rolled his eyes once again, "all I'm saying is, take it slower than usual. She's an employee of QC, no matter how indispensable she may be at the moment. She is still technically under your payroll. Hey, I'm with you on this one. You have my vote when it comes to Felicity, I like her too, just not the way that you obviously do."

"Lunch. Check."

"Now come on, you and your relationship drama are giving me a king size headache. Let's get out of here and find me a girl. I need my wingman," Tommy told Oliver with a bright smile.


Felicity had intended to drop of Oliver Queen's laptop at his office then head out for lunch hence she had his laptop on one hand and her phone and wallet on the other as the elevator door opened to the executive office.

And as if the God's were playing with her, Oliver Queen together with Walter Steele and Robert Queen were congregating in the lobby. Did she just use the word congregating? The three men were actually in deep discussion in the lobby and apparently the ping of the elevators doors opening had distracted them enough to pause and glance at the door causing Felicity to buckle in her steps, now a little flustered at the attention she was getting.

"Ms. Smoak, what brings you here?" Walter gave her a smile as he gently asked.

"Oh, I um. Oliver. That's Mr. Queen sorry. He asked me to salvage some information from his laptop," indicating the laptop tucked under her arm.

Oliver moved forward and approached her while explaining to his father and Walter what happened, "I spilled coffee on my laptop and the thing just shutdown. I asked Felicity for help on recovering some data since I don't have backups of some of the files there."

Robert gave her a genuine smile, "and it looks like you were successful Ms. Smoak."

Felicity grinned, "this fingers," gesturing to her fingers, "can work magic…with computers. Yes computers. That was what I was referring too," Felicity finished blushing profusely.

"Dad, Walter, if you'll excuse us." Oliver nodded to the two men then gently took the laptop off Felicity's arm and started to escort her to his office placing a hand to the small of her back.

"Oliver," his father called out to him, "will you be joining us for lunch?"

Oliver quickly glanced at Felicity before returning his glance to his father, "I think I'll pass. I'm thinking of inviting Felicity out for lunch, you know for fixing my laptop so quickly," gesturing toward his laptop.

"Oh no no, that's not necessary. I was heading out to lunch after I dropped off your laptop," telling Oliver, "you don't have to, a thank you would be fine. I wouldn't want to take you away from your lunch meeting or whatever." Felicity stepped back from Oliver and was preparing to walk away which now sent Oliver panicking slightly although he tried his best not to show it as his father and Walter were present.

Thankfully his dad had a good save, Robert and Walter looked at one another then Robert called out, "I tell you what, why don't you join the three of us for lunch Ms. Smoak," Robert told Felicity.

Reading Felicity's expression of reluctance correctly Robert continued, "you wouldn't say no to me, would you Ms. Smoak."

Caught with no room for escape Felicity had no choice but to agree, "oh, are….are you sure. I don't want to mess with your plans."

"I think between Walter, my son and I, we would never turn down an opportunity to have lunch with someone like you. Seriously, we want you to feel at home and valued in QC."

"Oh." Looking back at Oliver who gave her an encouraging smile, she slowly nodded.

"Great then," Robert gave her a genuine smile.

"Let me just put this in my office," Oliver gestured to the laptop.

As Oliver walked back out of his office he was between giddy and peeved. Giddy because he was having lunch with Felicity, a little peeved that his father and Walter were also part of the lunch, hence what could have been a relaxing getting to know you lunch shared by two had the potential to turn into a business lunch knowing that both Walter and his father would indeed take the opportunity to further quiz Felicity about her thoughts on improvements within QC.

But Oliver straightened his shoulders. He would take any opportunity he could get to be with Felicity. This was just another road block in his plans.


Surreal, that's was what Felicity defined her experience as, lunching with Robert and Oliver Queen and Walter Steele. CEO/Chairman, VP and EVP of QC, the company she worked for as a lowly, by her definition again, grunt worker. Normal circumstances would never, ever put her in the peripheral of this high profile owners and executives. But, things have been weirdly happening in the last few weeks to her that had brought her to a point were having lunch with these men was like a normal affair for her.

It wasn't even strange that some of the other senior executives have stopped by their table and greeted her by her first name and had made small conversation with her, a lowly two-week old employee of QC.

The lunch itself was bizarre, both Walter and Robert, who she had realized were actually quite close friends, the best of friends actually from way back in college had made her as comfortable as could be. Engaging her in and out of her inputs about QC and balancing that off with some personal life questions like they really wanted to get to know more about her.

Oliver for his part was content to see to it that she wasn't lacking in anything, calling the attention of the waiter more than once to refill her glass of water, ordering her coffee and helping her select her lunch course.. He rarely asked questions or even attempted to converse with her and on more than one occasion Felicity caught him staring at her with a thoughtful expression.

She was a little flustered that Oliver Queen had never removed his hand from the small of her back from the time they entered the elevator to depart QC until they reached the restaurant and that he did it again in reverse, from the restaurant back to QC and even going as far as to personally escort her all the way to her work station getting her looks and oohs from her co-workers in the process. Oliver Queen was just being a gentleman. It was part of his training. He grew up in this environment. Felicity had to remind herself more than once.

But before Oliver had stepped out of her work station, he reminded her that he still owed her dinner. And he would collect soon. And that the lunch they had did not cancel out the dinner he had promised her.

What. The. Hell. Felicity was running those three words in a loop in her mind the remainder of the afternoon effectively breaking her concentration at her task on hand.

Just as she was done for the day and shutting off her computers, she landed on a thought. Could Oliver Queen be her secret admirer? As quickly as that thought occurred, she abandoned it. He was Oliver Queen after all, ladies man, heir, billionaire…no, it was not probable. In fact, it was impossible.


It was now Thursday, the day before she was to make her presentation to the senior executives of QC. Thank God her supervisor, who she slightly believed to be her secret admirer, had assigned two other staff to help her, Emily being one of the two.

They were in the middle of finalizing the presentation when her phone rang. Felicity immediately grabbed her phone to check who was calling her.

Sara Lance.

She gave an unconscious smile as she answered, "well, well, well Sara. How's life?"

"Life is good my friend and it will even get better with my news!" Sara told Felicity excitedly.

"You met the man of your dreams?" Felicity quickly answered her friend with a question.

Sara scoffed, "have not, although maybe Starling will be the city for me to meet him."

"You're coming for a visit?" Felicity asked her excited once again.

"Not quite."

"Oh" Felicity said deflated.

"Better actually…I got a job. Remember I applied at that Advertising and PR firm the same time you applied at QC?"

"Yeah," Felicity answered her tentatively afraid to get her hopes up suddenly.

"Well…"

"Well what Lance. I swear…"

"They called back. They want me to start in two weeks!"

Both Felicity and Sara screamed, Felicity realizing belatedly that she was in the office and mouthed a sorry to anyone within hearing distance of her scream.

"So we celebrate tomorrow night, Friday!"

"That's kind of going to be difficult because you are there and I am here," Felicity reminder her friend, always the more logical one of the two.

"That's my other news, I'll be there very early tomorrow, have to come in and do some pre-employment requirements."

"You're kidding."

"I kid you not. It will be just like old times, you and me hitting the town and painting it pink."

"Just like old times, can't wait."

"See 'ya tomorrow Smoak. Oh, I can bunk in with you tomorrow night right?"

"You can bunk in with me anytime Lance, you know I have the space."


"Trust you to find the most crowded Club and insist on it," Felicity shook her head at her friend while looking around the interiors of the Club. Definitely this was one of the, if not the hottest Clubs in Starling. Although this was Sara's turf not really hers.

"Verdant," Sara gestured around, "you should be proud of me. I trusted google when they said this was THE Club to be seen in Starling City. Now come on, let's dance. We didn't get all dressed up to be wallflowers!" Sara started to pull her toward the dance floor but someone blocked Felicity's path suddenly.

"Felicity?" Oliver had a scrunched expression on his face.

"Oliver, hi." Sara was forced to let go of Felicity's hand and take two steps back to check why Felicity had stopped since it was too crowded for her to notice what the holdup was from where she was.

"Felicity, what are you doing here?" Oliver asked her.

"She is here because this is the hottest Club in Starling and we are going to have the time of our life tonight," Sara answered for her while eying Oliver from head to foot before turning her head to Felicity in question.

"Sara, this is Oliver. Oliver Queen. I work in QC his family's company, He's one of the VPs there," Felicity quickly explained to Sara while introducing them to one another. "Oliver, this is Sara, Sara Lance my best friend."

"I didn't know your best friend was based here in Starling?" Oliver asked frowning as if it was a major boo boo on her part not to mention it.

"She's not, from here, she's from back home. But she will be moving here in two weeks, she just got a job here. So we are celebrating the fact that we both have jobs and are going to be calling Starling City home."

Oliver broke out a wide smile at the news, "then this is the place to celebrate, welcome to Verdant."

"Hey man, don't hog the ladies to yourself, specially the beautiful ones," Tommy gave his best friend a look recognizing Felicity from way across the floor and quickly traversing his way through the dance floor crowd to get into the action between Oliver and Felicity at the same time reminding himself that Felicity wasn't suppose to know him.

Oliver gave Tommy a look in return that was caught by both Felicity and Sara who also gave each other a look.

"Tommy Merlyn," Tommy stretched his hand out first at Felicity who promptly introduced herself then her friend. "Friends of yours Oliver?" Tommy gave Oliver the brow treatment.

Oliver crunched his lips at Tommy before he turned back to Felicity and her friend Sara but not before positioning himself firmly beside Felicity and subtly laying his hand on the small of her back, "Felicity is a co-worker. We work together at QC, one of our youngest and brightest. Sara is her best friend."

"Best friends," Tommy lingered on the word, "just like this guy and me. Known each other almost all our lives, I bet both of you have been best friends forever." Tommy was his most charming self.

"Like sisters." Sara answered simply.

"Like sisters," Tommy looked at Oliver again before turning back to the girls. "Your first time inside Verdant?"

"Yeah," both Felicity and Sara answered excitedly.

Tommy grinned like he had something up his sleeve, "then you girls deserve the VIP treatment. VIP room is up there," pointing to a stairway that had a bouncer at the foot of the stairs.

"Oh, no. no, no. I'm sure the owners have strict rules for that, gate crashing and all."

"Actually, I know firsthand that they do. But since the owners insist on giving you girls the VIP treatment, and by owners I mean Oliver here and myself, I hope you won't make us beg for the pleasure of having your company with us tonight."

Felicity looked at Oliver, "you own the Club," then encompassing Tommy in her next question, "both of you?"

Oliver gave her a sheepish grin then nodded before Sara took over and said, "we would never turn down VIP treatment!" then led the way to the stairway closely followed by Tommy then Oliver and Felicity side by side as Oliver refused to remove his hand from her back.


First to clarify, Sara Lance is not from Starling City. No Laurel Lance in the picture whether in Oliver's past or in Starling. Detective Lance might make an appearance later in this story as himself, meaning Sara's Dad but he and the family are all based back home in Felicity and Sara's hometown. This is an AU story after all. We can create our own realities.

You know the drill guys.