First of all, thanks so much for all the lovely reviews - sometimes they really make my day! Anyhow, this chapter was a lot of fun to write and I really hope you enjoy it just as much as I did. Let me know what you think!
Chapter Four
Chloe walked through the revolving doors of Oliver Queen's building, striding towards the elevator ignoring the doorman who was calling out to her. Leaning forward to press the up button, she was halted in her movements by the man, demanding to know where she was heading.
"I'm here to see Mr. Queen", she spoke slightly annoyed without looking at him.
"I'm afraid I can't let you in, Miss. I have direct orders not to let anyone up", he explained with a hint of fear. Whether he was afraid of her or their common boss she couldn't quite tell.
"I'm the exception", was her response and she turned to him with a daring smile.
"Oh…uhm…Mr. Queen didn't mention any…any exceptions", he stuttered back.
"Yes, well we both know how forgetful he can be", she softly tapped his temple and as the elevator doors opened she stepped around him and pressed the top floor button. She took one last glance at the doorman who'd stayed glued to his spot. "I'll make sure you don't get into trouble", she assured him and smiled softly.
Chloe felt slightly nervous as she watched the numbers climb on the display. She'd mulled over what to say when she saw Oliver Queen but in the end, she had no clue what was expecting her and planning for the unknown was kind of difficult. So, there was nothing left to do but wait and see and act in the moment. She just hoped that by the end of the day he didn't chuck her out onto the street or sue her for harassment.
When the elevator chimed, she took a deep breath and then took a few steps into his apartment. She'd read about him living in the clock tower, but somehow she'd missed the part about how his living room included the impressive clock face. Tearing her eyes away from the structure she refocused on why she'd come in the first place. Laying her bag down on one of the sofas, she made her way down the first hall not even trying to conceal her presence as the heels of her shoes rung loud. She called out his name, but there was no reply. There was a bathroom, followed by two guest rooms, but no Oliver Queen. As she walked back through the living room to the opposite hallway she had the slightest fear that he wasn't in. Probably, having taken off on his private jet to some exotic island with white beaches and tanned bikini-clad women.
Finding the kitchen and his office likewise empty she was starting to give up hope until she spotted him through a half-open door up ahead. The only thing she could make out was that he was lying motionless in bed and thankfully without company. Tipping the door open further she couldn't help but stare at his half-naked body. The green silk cover hung low on his hips leaving his well toned back open for display. She couldn't deny that Oliver Queen fully deserved his spot on the 'Sexiest Man Alive' list, but his good looks alone didn't make up for his unappealing character. Slapping herself out of her moment of weakness, she crossed her arms with a grim expression.
"Mr. Queen." A deep groan was his only reply before he turned his head away from her.
"Mr. Queen, get up." This time he raised his arm swatting at her.
Chloe was getting fed up with him acting like a five-year old child who didn't want to get up for school. Grabbing the pillow beside him, she lunged out and threw it down on his head with half force. This had finally caught his attention because he quickly pushed himself onto his forearms searching for the culprit. And then his eyes found her immediately turning angry.
"What the fuck? Are you out of your mind?", he shouted.
Judging by his drowsy eyes, slightly worn out appearance and hoarse voice, Chloe was certain that he was hung over and she'd just robbed him of his sobering sleep. Glaring back at him, not in the least intimidated, she spoke sternly, "I don't like to repeat myself Mr. Queen. That's something you should know about me."
His nostrils flared slightly, reminding Chloe of a raging bull but for some reason she wasn't scared. "I don't give a damn", he exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here? Who let you in?"
She picked up the pillow she'd just thrown at him holding it up demonstratively. "I'm here to knock some sense into you", she answered with a smirk. "And I let myself in."
Letting out a huff of irritation he stated uncivilly, "Well, then how about you show yourself out, too, because I'm not interested", and turned to lie back down.
Chloe wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. She'd known from the very second she'd taken the job that Oliver Queen would put up a tough fight and she was more than prepared to fight back.
"Oh yes, I forgot, you're a busy man", she mocked him. "What with all the drinking and partying and sleeping with women. You must be on a very tight schedule."
Her words had rung loud and clear for by the time she'd blinked, Oliver Queen was standing face to face with her.
"I said get out", he pointed a finger at her and then at the door but she didn't budge. "I don't like to repeat myself either", he emphasized.
Chloe was just about to talk back when the bathroom door opened revealing a familiar woman. The one in the red dress, only that now, she was wrapped in nothing but a white towel. Her expression was a mixture of confusion and surprise combined with considerable disdain that became even more apparent when she asked what Chloe was doing here.
Before Oliver Queen could answer though Chloe cut him off. "I work for him not that it's any of your business."
"So, what are you? His delivery boy?", the woman sneered.
"No, but today, I wouldn't mind bringing out his trash", Chloe countered eyeing the woman from head to toe whose wicked grin had instantly vanished.
"Are you going to let her talk to me like that, Oliver?", she half screeched believing her lover would stand up for her and for a moment Chloe sincerely pitied her.
Scratching the back of his neck with one hand, the cover around his waist clutched in the other, he walked towards the bathroom door. "I want you both gone by the time I'm done showering. You can rip each other's heads off outside for all I care", and then he slammed the door shut.
Chloe watched as anger, then hurt, then humiliation crossed the other woman's face, before her female foe moved to pick up her clothes and hurried out of the room without another word. Pushing the woman out of her mind, she pondered what to do next. She could hear the shower running in the background and the ring of the elevator that had just arrived. Glancing around the bedroom in thought, her eyes landed on two empty glasses of wine lying on the floor. With one quick look back at the bathroom door she stormed out of the bedroom heading straight for the kitchen. She hastily pulled open the cupboards and the refrigerator placing every single bottle of alcohol she could find on the counter. Then one by one she popped them open, emptying their contents into the sink and then dropping them into the large bin. When she'd reached the last bottle, she pulled out two glasses from the shelf, filling them half way with the rest of the whiskey and then waited silently perching herself on the counter.
After ten minutes Chloe wondered whether he'd gone back to bed and was about to check when she heard silent footsteps approach making her stay put. Oliver Queen walked into the kitchen only wearing a pair of black sweat pants and the first thought that came to Chloe's mind was that he really needed to start wearing shirts. But even more distracting was the way his biceps were flexing while he massaged his shoulder. Gulping down the rest of her drink in one go, she scolded herself for repeatedly ogling her jerk of a boss. The sound of her glass hitting the counter made him look up and for a moment they simply stared at each other in complete silence.
"You're still here", he noted dryly.
"Very perceptive, Mr. Queen", she jibed. "And you can save the whole 'get out of here' speech because I'm not leaving."
"I could have you arrested for housebreaking, you know", he threatened idly.
"Go ahead. I've endured worse", she shrugged nonchalantly and hopped down from the counter. "But you and I both know you're never going to make the call."
He scoffed leaning back against the wall arms folded across his chest. "I thought you didn't want to get involved in my private mess."
"I've changed my mind."
"And who do I have to thank for that?", he asked sarcastically.
"Yourself and the fact that I can't do my job if you don't show up for work", she spoke taking a few steps closer.
"Should have known you were a workaholic", he mumbled.
Chloe would have smiled at his remark if the situation weren't as strained as it was. "Why did you hire me, Mr. Queen?", she asked deciding to get straight to the point.
His eyes went blank and he turned away gazing at a cabinet behind her, which she knew had once held most of his liquor. "I'd say it was just another stupid decision I made while being hung over", he answered and Chloe couldn't help but chuckle at his awful ability to lie.
"And I'd say, it was one of those rare lucid moments where you actually tried to resemble a CEO", she contradicted making him frown.
"I really don't need you psychoanalyzing me", he commented in frustration pushing away from the wall and moving towards the liquor cabinet. "I have enough people doing that already."
His hand was just about to open the cabinet door when Chloe nudged the bin into his view with her foot. "You're not going to find anything in there."
Oliver Queen stilled his muscles visibly tensing in foreboding. A quick glance confirmed his suspicions and his jaw clenched firmly. "Should have known you would be a pain-in-the-ass bitch too", he shot at her aiming to hurt.
Chloe's eyes narrowed as she straightened. "Yeah, well right back at you."
"Did you just call me a bitch?", he said one part startled and one part irate.
"I could also call you a selfish arrogant asshole or obnoxious mindless prat if you preferred. I'll let you chose."
Chloe didn't miss the way he briefly flinched at her words. She hadn't thought throwing insults at him would achieve anything because frankly, she'd assumed she wasn't the first person to do so. But it seemed that for some unknown reason she'd hit a nerve.
"Look, I didn't come her to pick a fight", she tried to calm the tension that had festered between them and took a step closer. "I wanted to convince you to finally accept some responsibility for your life and for your company."
Oliver Queen relaxed slightly but his expression was still filled with anger. "And what makes you think I'll listen to you?"
It was a justified question because in truth there wasn't a single reason why he should. They were strangers to each other. Two people who had absolutely nothing in common. Except for their hate for Lex, maybe.
"I don't", she answered honestly. "But you can't seriously tell me that this is the kind of man you want to be?"
Guilt filled his eyes as his grip on the counter tightened his knuckles turning white. "You don't know anything about me", was all he had to say.
"You're wrong", she countered catching his gaze with determination. "True, you're not exactly the easiest man to figure out and I probably haven't even scratched the surface but that day of the interview I accepted your job offer because I saw something that made me believe in you. I thought that there was a side of you that wanted to live up to his parents' legacy and make their company his own."
She took hold of the second glass of whiskey, which she'd stowed away in the corner earlier and placed it in front of him.
"You might not see it right now, but I'm on your team. With me you've got a clean slate. So, if you want to prove everybody else wrong who thinks you're nothing more than an indifferent playboy billionaire on a binge then let me help you."
Oliver Queen opened his mouth to speak but Chloe raised her hand to stop him. "Just think about it and think hard. If you're finally ready to step up then you'll show up on Monday morning where I'll be waiting for you and we'll take it from there. If not, then I'll be handing in my resignation on Monday and hoping that you can still look at yourself in the mirror without hating what's become of you and your life."
After a few seconds pause she walked out of the kitchen without looking behind her. Picking up her bag, she headed towards the elevator and waited for it to arrive. The doors had just begun to close when she risked looking back up and saw Oliver Queen standing in his living room intently watching her leave.
cococococo
Oliver didn't know how long he'd been standing in his living room staring at the metallic doors of the elevator. To be honest, he wasn't sure about anything at the moment. The throbbing headache following last night's bender was making it difficult for him to think straight. The moment he concentrated on a train of thought, it worsened and became a painful stabbing. If he didn't do anything about it soon, he feared one of his brain arteries might just burst and he'd die on the spot. He breathed in deeply. At least then he wouldn't have to face all his failures and everybody else's expectations. A groan passed his lips as he crept back into the kitchen spotting the glass of whiskey left behind by Chloe Sullivan.
By all means, he didn't know what to make of her. She was different from any woman he'd ever met, to say the least. That morning when she'd walked into his office he couldn't deny that she'd instantly caught his interest. Not because of her looks, even though Oliver had to admit that she wasn't exactly unattractive either. She'd looked fairly good in her fitting black pencil skirt and most of all green silk blouse. The four-inch-heels had been slightly distracting for a short while, too. But in the whole, she wasn't his type. He didn't go for the everyday petite blondes with curves, but much preferred the slender leggy brunettes who paraded around on catwalks. No, what had peaked his interest was the way she carried herself so confidently and the unexpected fierceness behind her delicate appearance. She was a contradiction in herself and now after her insane break-in stunt he was even more puzzled than before. She'd irritated the hell out of him and yet he hadn't thrown her out, called the police or simply told her to shut up and ignored her. No, at some point in their heated conversation he'd relented to let her have her say because she'd somehow gotten under his skin. He was baffled that despite his unflattering reputation and the fact that she'd only talked with him for a brief hour, Chloe Sullivan was convinced that he, Oliver Queen, Mr. Hungover 24/7, was worth her time and effort.
Oliver wrapped his fingers around the cool glass and peered at the auburn liquid within. For the life of him, he didn't know what she could possibly have seen in him. But whatever it was, he desperately wanted to see it in himself too. Because he was close to giving up on himself. Hell, a lot of people were convinced he already had. And he couldn't blame them. He was a mess, his life a total wreck and nobody had ever sincerely given a damn. Other people were only interested in him either because they could sell more papers with his scandals on the front page, or they wanted to sleep their way into high society or ultimately because of his money. But now, out of nowhere, comes this outspoken blonde-headed stranger who lays it all on the line to pull his sorry ass out of the dark pit he's dug himself. And he knows her reasons for doing so are none of the above. Maybe that's what confuses him the most. She'd told him she wanted to work for QI to take down Lex, but that didn't explain why she'd be so invested in him. His father's company didn't need him, obviously. He was far more a burden than an actual asset. If it weren't for his parents, they'd have to cut him loose completely long ago.
The thought of his parents sent a wave of guilt washing over him, and his grip on the glass tightened. Chloe Sullivan had been right in her assumptions. He wanted badly to be the son his parents could be proud of, but he'd found himself so far down the beaten path that he'd believed there was no way back. So, he'd suppressed the anger and the guilt and the grief until they had begun to eat him up from the inside. And if he kept living the way he was then it wouldn't be long until they destroyed him completely.
And now, Chloe Sullivan was throwing him a lifeline; a last chance to get things right, to get himself right. She'd meant what she'd said. He'd seen it as clear as day in her eyes. The conviction. The determination. The genuineness. The pivotal question though was if he had enough will and strength to grab on and pull his weight. She believed in him for some reason, but could he ever believe in himself again? Shaking his head, Oliver raised the glass to his lips imagining how the mind-numbing substance would burn in his throat easing away all pain he was feeling. And then in one decisive movement, he smashed the glass into the trash to join all the other empty bottles.