Life Can Be Deceiving
Chapter Four
Reclining in his leather office chair Oliver threw a handball against the wall. Thump. Thump. Thump. Ever since last night his mind had been plagued with visions of the green eyed goblin.
'Goblin', he nodded to himself. 'It certainly fits her- she gobbled me up and spit me out.'
"Mr. Queen?" a loud, brassy voice interrupted his musings. He caught the ball in his left hand without blinking as he acknowledged the woman filling his doorway.
"Yes, Greta?" he asked the bothersome secretary.
"I need the papers on the fundraiser if I'm going to forward them to Mr. Cruxfeld, and the final plans for the new stadium need to be approved by 3 o'clock. Not to mention Miss Mercer is requesting your presence this evening at 'Riviera Sunsets'," she caustically informed him, her voice growing bitter when mentioning Tess.
His last secretary had left him at the last minute to move home so she could care for an ill parent. He didn't suppose he could blame her, but after hiring a temporary replacement off of paper qualifications alone he was regretting his decision.
"I forwarded the papers to Mr. Cruxfeld myself, the plans for the stadium will not arrive until 3 o'clock and I will speak with Miss Mercer regarding my plans this evening. If that's all?" he stared her down. "I have no further need of you today, you're free to go."
He had to fight an amused smile at her shocked expression and blustering words as she left the office. His eyes drifted down to his phone, quizzically, as he picked up the handle and hit speed dial.
"I assume you got the message?" her smooth voice came through the speaker.
"Having a sudden change of heart, Tess? What happened to the icy CEO who killed her former eco-warrior self?"
"She took a look at your approval ratings. We're in for a hard sell on acquiring the rights to the new digital media. You and I may be able to see what a coup this is, but our board members are a little more old fashioned a lot more shortsighted than us. Maybe you're unwilling to make more than a handful of appearances at board meetings every year, but the least I can do is assure them that we had a lovely dinner together. Your absence can be explained by your belief that furthering Queen Industries here and abroad is only possible through establishing strong ties with the communities, which you do through patronizing their businesses."
His face grew hard at her condescending words. "I may not attend every board meeting and kiss every ass in order to keep the kids happy, but I do run this company Tess- and don't forget it. We'll acquire the media because we have the statistics to back it up and the money to take the risk. Not to mention that we found said media through my 'strong ties in the community' if I recall. You want to doubt my methods, then pick a time when they're not lining your pockets. As for dinner, I'm afraid I'll be busy patronizing a business of my choice."
"Looks like somebody woke up alone again," she sneered. "We both know how much you hate that."
"Move on, Tess, we both know how much you hate that. You've spent the last five years forgetting we ever happened, so don't bother dredging it up now. Although, I'm not sure how partnering Luthorcorp with Queen Industries is supposed to eliminate me from the equation."
"Who says the equation's finished? Be at the board meeting tomorrow, 9AM. Let's see if all the ass you haven't kissed is still willing to bend over and take it." He heard the phone click and the dial tone rang in his ears.
Tess Mercer. Once, the great love of his life. Now, the worst ex of his life. Ever since she took over Luthorcorp negotiations had been more than tense. He'd been surprised, almost alarmed, when Mercy agreed to the joint merger. Sure, he felt it would be a great business move on both parts, but he hadn't seen her coming around. Luckily corporate espionage was one of his strong suits. One well placed mole pointed his magnifying glass in the right direction. It took more than a little digging, but he uncovered that Lex Luthor had implanted some form of a microchip in her brain. He didn't have the nitty-gritty details, but he had no doubt his motives were despicable. Talk about a gross violation of personal space. If she'd been a bitter, untrusting woman before, the one he knew now was flat out ruthless, letting nothing stand in her way. He couldn't lay all the blame at Lex' feet though. Lex wasn't the first man to betray her loyalty.
He closed his eyes and tried to remember a time when her lips were curved in a smile instead of vicious snarl. He couldn't find one; it was too long ago to remember. The dark eyes that had appeared ever since his fateful infidelity; it haunted him.
And then, without warning, another face filtered hers out. A face with a warmth that grabbed hold of him somewhere inside and made him pay attention. He wasn't sure what it was about her. She watched the world from her moral high ground, certain she held the answers to right and wrong. She definitely had standards. He recalled her impassioned speech about 'everyday men taking up the gauntlet'. She judged him based on a few pieces of circumstantial evidence and wrote him off without a second chance. Yet before she knew of his lie of omission, her eyes sparkled with a faint flicker of hope. As if she wanted to believe, but didn't know how. He thought of his actions toward Tess and wondered to himself what man broke Chloe Sullivan.
Annoyance, respect, frustration, captivating... all were words he'd thought to describe her. One word was the most important though: curiosity. He had to know more about her. It might take more of a fight than he was used to, but he liked a challenge.
He pondered what approach would work in opening her up. One wrong move and she'd surely shut him down for good, no more second chances. Candy and flowers? Too stereotypical. She'd assume he put no thought into it and that he had a florist on speed dial. Which he did. If he confronted her at home he'd be deemed a stalker. If he confronted her at work he'd be pressuring her and putting her on the spot. Something simple and honest with a little personal intuition.
And with that thought, Oliver Queen had a plan.
After work Chloe went for a walk. She'd missed the city when she lived in Smallville. To her fresh air had some grit to it. She paused in front of a bakery, eliciting moans from everyone walking past. Her nose narrowed in on a savory looking tiramisu. Biting her lip she sighed, and backed away from the window. No reason to let the afflictions of today affect the waistline of tomorrow. She wandered into a local pet store and wound up holding several puppies, letting them lick her face affectionately. Leaving the store empty handed she came to the conclusion that she was about three loneliness steps away from crazy. She was officially using cuddly animals as a substitute for human interaction. She glanced at the couple passing by, arm in arm. She wasn't a loser. She was... loser-like. She could bounce back from this. She was a smart, kind person. With a good sense of humor, if she could say so herself. She noticed a billboard sign advertising the latest fitness center and her mind drifted back to her date with Oliver...
**Flashback**
"So let me get this straight," she clarified, leaning back against the booth. "Yoga? Your main fitness regiment consists of yoga?"
"I'm telling you," he dipped another breadstick in marinara before popping it in his mouth. He brushed his hands off & chewed quickly. "I use weights too, but it's all about the flexibility and focus. The better you can control your own body the better your body can control everything else."
"This morning I told my body to get out of bed and make coffee. It listened, so we're in pretty good shape," she quipped.
"All right, doubter. I could have you standing on your head in no time, though."
"How useful," she laughed, "but I'll keep the offer in mind."
**EndFlashback**
She shook her head. Why did she keep thinking back to their conversations? One date, one horrible date in fact, and she was still thinking of things she'd like to talk about with him. She thought about how his eyes would narrow and only one side of his mouth would lift in a smile when he was about to say something he found clever. 'Flexibility and focus,' she snorted to herself. Her mind veered towards the more physical aspects of yoga as she imagined her instructor without his shirt. 'Yeah, like I'd really be able to focus with my one-on-one training with a guy who looks like he invented yoga!'
Having circled her block she headed back into her apartment building, determined to get ahold of Lois or Clark finally. She desperately needed some conversation unrelated to her love life or hairspray or any other well intentioned words that came from the sociable twosome at the Planet.