Authors Note. A bit longer, and from another's perspective, but I thought it would work with this chapter.
Felicity and Laurel 34
"I'd be very pleased if you could join me for the evening"
"I beg your pardon?" It was the lawyer, Lance, just beating the other woman, Smoak.
"Excuse me?" I held up one hand.
"My offer is a strictly platonic one; I'll be returning to my hotel, having dinner, spending some time in the gym, then sleep. I meant nothing more than the offer of lodging" I watched as they did that conversation without words thing again as I went on. "I'd appreciate some company over dinner, after that, the suite is yours" Laurel Lance looked back at me.
"Thank you for the offer Mister Wayne, but we're not interested" I nodded, given the image I'd spent a lot of time cultivating, I'd expected some resistance.
"Please, it was an offer of professional courtesy, nothing more" I smiled as reassuringly as I could. "Well, perhaps a little more, I dislike eating alone and your company would be welcome" I looked back and forward between them. "I give you my word that your company over dinner would be all that I would ask of you" I smiled, though I could sense their reluctance. There was perhaps one way to break the impasse.
"Why don't you speak to Mister Queen, while we've had our differences in the past, he knows I'm a man of my word"
Thirty seconds later I was looking at Oliver Queen on Felicity's tablet, taking him in. I'd seen the pictures but they didn't do him justice, he was leaner, harder, the callow youth was gone, replaced by a man, he'd been through a cauldron and emerged changed, tempered, something I could sympathise with.
"Oliver, it's been a long time" Queen nodded once.
"Bruce. Yes it has" There was a lot not being said there.
"I have a small favour to ask of you" Queen's eyes narrowed, I frowned internally, Queen had changed, I was looking at an adult, not a boy.
"Go on" I smiled.
"I was in Midway City for the same set of investor briefings as Miss Lance and Miss Smoak" I glanced up to see them watching me, before I returned my attention to the tablet. "As Miss Smoak explained a blizzard has closed transport out of here and we're all stuck until sometime tomorrow" He nodded once. "The ladies have been unable to source accommodation due to the number of people trapped here, I'd like to offer them a place to stay at my suite" Queen stared at me for a few seconds then spoke.
"Out of the goodness of your heart?" I let my eyes narrow, but then realised I'd changed too, something he'd have to learn.
"I confess I'd like to take them to dinner, I'm sure they're both excellent company, but that's as far as it goes" The look in his eyes was cold; most people wouldn't like being on the end of that look.
"You understand they are completely off limits" I nodded again.
"Completely, I give you my word" He nodded once.
"If anything at all happens Bruce…" I cut him off.
"I gave you my word" He shook his head once; his voice was cold and quiet and utterly certain.
"If anything happens to either of them in your care, you are a dead man" I nodded slowly, he meant every word. The Oliver Queen I'd known was long dead and buried, this was someone I didn't know, but he looked like someone I should. The first step was establishing some trust here.
"Oliver, you have my word, nothing whatsoever will happen to either of them, they will be as safe as I can possibly make them" He stared at me for a moment, taking my measure then nodded decisively once, asking to be handed back. I passed the tablet to Felicity while Laurel looked at me, she'd heard the conversation; they both had.
"Oliver obviously rates you both very highly, and you were indeed correct, he has changed" She nodded.
"The Oliver you knew is long gone, something I'm sure you've just learnt" She wasn't being nasty about it, just stating a fact. I nodded.
"Indeed I have" I turned as Felicity ended the call and looked up, smiling.
"Well Mister Wayne, it looks like we're crashing at your place this evening"
Four hours later we were sitting down to dinner at the Palladium Hotel's Horizon restaurant, the normally sensational view lost with snow flurries beating against the windows. When my guests had appeared, dressed to kill in evening gowns and heels, for a fleeting moment I'd almost regretted my promise to Queen, they were both stunning women.
An hour into dinner and I was torn, on one hand I'd been right, they were both gorgeous, smart and beautiful women and made excellent company, either of them would have been enjoyable company in bed, the thought of both together… On the other hand they were dangerous for me to be around for precisely the same reasons Queen valued them so highly, they were extremely intelligent, observant, shrewd and charming, someone I couldn't allow myself to get too close to.
After wide ranging discussions throughout the meal, as we waited on dessert I'd turned the conversation to Starling City's vigilante, the Hood, or as the media were now calling him after he'd stopped the merciless assault of a small army of apparently bulletproof soldiers, the Arrow.
I had a vested interest in the actions of people with similar interests, I'd already started investigations into rumours of a superfast man in Central City and the Arrow was of interest to me as well, particularly as he'd started on a murderous rampage through the criminal underworld, before changing his tactics, resorting to lethal force less and less now. Given both women lived and worked in Starling I was interested in their opinions on the Arrow. As expected they had an opinion, I just wasn't expecting just how strong an opinion it was.
"He's not a vigilante, he's a hero" It was Felicity, none of her occasional babbling on this subject. "He's put his life on the line for Starling multiple times, saved hundreds of lives, they're the actions of a hero" Laurel nodded.
"He's been there when a mad man tried to destroy part of the city, stopped the triads who were hijacking medical shipments to hospitals, fought any number of criminal groups and stopped Slade Wilson's army" I let my eyebrow rise.
"Who is Slade Wilson?' They exchanged a glance before Lance spoke.
"A madman, a wonder drug turned him into a super strong, almost invulnerable psychopath. He tried to create an army of people like him to tear the city apart" She shook her head. "Would have too if the Arrow hadn't taken him down" I nodded slowly, making a mental note to learn more about this Wilson. Felicity meanwhile had tilted her head at me.
"Besides, it's not as if Gotham doesn't have it's own collection of heroes. Batman, Nightwing, Batwoman" She shrugged. "You have a more heroes up there than Starling"
"I'm not sure about that, I understand that in addition to the Arrow, there's another archer, plus another one no one knows much about who works with them and that there's a female as well" Lance nodded.
"The Canary, she's not been seen for a while" I nodded.
"That would be her then. You're from Starling and I was interested in your opinions, based on it I would say you support his actions?" They did that exchange glances conversation thing again, before Laurel spoke.
"As you'll no doubt find out sooner or later, given it's been in the news, he's saved both our lives in the past" I kept myself very still, I hadn't known that, but sure as hell I'd be finding out all I could. I carefully put my glass down and sat back.
"Please, go on" Felicity shrugged, downplaying it.
"Some drug dealer had taken me hostage, the Arrow rescued me" Lance nodded.
"A serial killer was kidnapping and murdering women, the Arrow rescued me too" I waited for a beat, then realised they weren't going to tell me anymore, the little they'd said had amped up my curiosity, there was obviously a lot they weren't telling me, tomorrow I'd be spending a lot of time looking into both women, those incidents and the Arrow. Realising I'd been woolgathering I smiled.
"Then let me give thanks to the Arrow for saving both of you, I've enjoyed dinner immensely and I'd be very...distressed to hear anything had happened to you" I raised my glass. "To heroes, may they be there for us until they are no longer needed"
They exchanged another glance, before joining me in a toast, Felicity with her champaign and Laurel with her mineral water; I gathered she didn't drink, declining several offers. I'd noticed Felicity had paced herself carefully as well; they wanted to have a good time, but not relax too much, all of which made them more and more interesting.
Over dinner I'd managed to get them to open up about themselves, their backgrounds and careers, Queen had shown remarkable insight in keeping them both close, both were superlative assets, I'd been surprised when Felicity had mentioned she'd been 'Shanghaied' to use her term, from the IT department to his executive assistant, but I could see why, she was smart enough to be a tremendous asset to anyone who could retain her services and I found myself a little envious of Queen's good fortune.
If I'd thought it possible to lure her away I might have offered her the same role with me, but her loyalty was to Queen, lucky him. In addition, she was far too observant and intelligent to allow too close, keeping my lives separate was difficult enough at times without having someone like Felicity Smoak close enough to observe me.
Lance was different; as a long term friend of Queen's she was observant, shrewd and smart, not in the same way as Felicity, more a street savviness that fitted with her role, if he had the wit to take her counsel he'd be very fortunate.
Like Felicity, she wasn't awed by the obvious trappings of wealth, spending time with Queen would have seen to that, instead she saw the world with appraising eyes, searching for the truth under the veneer, yet another woman that keeping close would be a dangerous indulgence.
To avoid any awkwardness I changed the subject, regailing them with a few anecdotes of my mispent youth, happy to draw a laugh from them.
We finally drew dinner to a close with a real sense of regret on my part, they'd been excellent company and it had been a while since I'd enjoyed a dinner with people I didn't really know. Normally the only people I was this relaxed with were Dick, Barbara and Alfred, making me a little envious of Queen for his friendship with both women.
Escorting them back to the suite, I bid them a good night before retreating back to my room and getting changed, I was feeling restless and needed a serious workout to tire myself out enough to sleep. The main area was empty when I passed through, though I could see lights under both of their doors as I made my way to the VIP gym area. It was late enough that it was empty, allowing me the peace to lose myself in a workout. I'd been at it for several minutes and was working through a strike / block series when I became aware I had company, turning to see Laurel Lance standing there, watching me with appraising eyes.
I have to say the sight of her in yoga pants, singlet and sports bra was an attractive one, drawing a smile from me, before I noticed the look in her eyes; Laurel was looking me over with an entirely too educated eye. As she walked forward I suddenly realised that, shorn of her suits and gowns, able to see much of her body, she was far more physical than I'd anticipated, all muscle and whipcord and clear definition. In many respects her body mirrored Barbara's; given the amount of work Barbara put in to achieve the results she had, it suggested either Laurel was a gym junkie or there was another story there.
"Evening Bruce, I didn't realise you were here" She stopped a few feet away and tossed her towel off to one side then started stretching, before she smiled, a little predatorily. "Are you up for a little sparring?"