TheDreamerLady: Sorry but this is not a Bobby/Emma story. She will be in this more and will have scenes with Bobby. Just not romantically. I wanted her role in this to be returning her to her business edge. Also making sure she wasn't joined at the hip with Scott. Bobby modeling huh? Maybe. That's all I'm saying for now. ;)

StarrFirePhoenix Many Thanks for the words of encouragement. They are what keeps me interested in writing the story.

Thanks my beta reader Beaubier I have another chapter up, yea!

"The first rule of the new mutant economy…ownership." Warren Worthington the Third. UXM# 409

Chapter 3: Business Before Pleasure

You know what? You are a moron, girl.

Cynthia stared at Warrens' retreating back, dreading what was to come once he had vanished completely. The strained silence would be unbearable. Not that she hadn't deserved it. She had bought it upon her self by taunting the man. Though neither of them had said a word about her comments she felt the tension, and caught Warren's disapproving glances.

Way to impress the man you're going into business with! Insulting his friendin front of him no less!

It wasn't like she had meant to say those thingsthey just slipped out when she got nervous. When she was at art school she had blurted out some interesting things to the nude models, Cynthia hadn't been uncomfortable around strangers since. Until she met Bobby that is. Of course she had not been attracted to a man since her last boyfriend, Eric, had broke up with her, either. Even more startling had been the fact that it was a younger man. Being old fashioned she generally looked for older men, thinking that it was the proper way of things.

Bobby Drake had been hard to ignore though. While she always looked forward to her lunches with Warren, she could honestly say that none of them had been this much fun. She tried to keep herself from smiling because she knew she acted like an idiot when she had a crush on someone. Goofy grin, hysterical laughter, not to mention snorting, and that was only when the man was mildly amusing. Bobby was a riot, so in panic to save face, she either turned away from him or brought up his age.

Not a bright move.

Okay, time to face the music.

She turned back to the younger man. He was leaning against the back of the booth staring intensely at his glass of water. She noted absently that the waiter hadn't bothered to give any of them ice as he reached for the glass. Then almost as if he had felt her gaze he looked up and hastily lowered the glass.

"I'm sorry about what I said"

Bobby shrugged her half-formed apology off. "It's no big deal."

Her shrewed eyes told her otherwise as she observed the man before her. Both his voice and his eyes were distant as if he was talking to someone else. Somewhere else.

"I just get uncomfortable with people..." She winced as she said it, knowing it wasn't entirely true. But it wasn't as if she could very well tell him the truth. She hardly knew him and doubted he would want to hear that from the woman who embarrassed him. Cynthia guessed by the way his jaw briefly tightened that he didn't believe her excuse either.

"Right." Bobby raised his hand as if to ruffle his hair but stopped himself. Frowning, he turned his attention back to his drink. A thoughtful look passed over his face that only added to her own silent musings. She hardly knew anything about Bobby but her curiosity was driving her crazy. Before she had a chance to fully think things through she had already spoken.

"What do you do for a living?"

His head instantly snapped around to meet her gaze. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but for the life of her Cynthia couldn't fathom what she was seeing. Yet she found she couldn't tear herself away from those eyes. Maybe it was the way the light hit his eyes, but they had such an ethereal beauty to them. She was startled as she noted how different he looked from when she saw him in the studio. The way his shoulders were held back, the somber expression on his face, and those intense eyes of his. Like Warren, something about this man was undeniably powerful. Or was that merely her mind playing tricks on her. For whatever reason, Cynthia found herself shivering.

He broke eye contact and the illusion had shattered.

"I'm an accountant."

She frowned. Something about that didn't seem to fit. He seemed to be used to this reaction and graced her with a tiny smile. If only briefly.

"Do you work for Warren?"

Apparently that wasn't the right thing to say either. "Why do you think that?"

Cynthia blushed. Open mouth insert foot. "He rarely invites anyone to our lunches, and when he does it's always employeesso we can sort things out afterwards."

Bobby relaxed a little and took a sip of his water. "He just wanted to show me around the studio."

"Oh, you're thinking about modeling?" She bit her lip to keep from laughing at his disbelieving look.

"I kind of doubt I have what it takes." Bobby's voice sounded far off again, sad even.

"Was there a reason for you calling me, or were you just trying to be cute, Emma?"

"Hello to you to Warren." Emma replied dryly. "Well if you must know I simply wondered if Steven called you yet..."

Fighting the undignified urge to roll his eyes, the blond man patently waited for her to get to the point. Unlike most of her competitors, he refused to give her the satisfaction of being overly eager to hear what she had to say. Even if Warren had not grown up in such a corporate environment his time with the X-Men had long since stopped him from feeling intimated. When he didn't respond Emma's frustration finally gave way.

"Well? Did he?" She growled.

"I have no idea who you're talking about. In the future don't waste my time"

"I'm talking about Steven Edwards, your bloody broker!" Emma hissed, apparently losing interest in baiting Warren.

"And?"

"Well let's just say that some of your holdingsor rather what were your holdingsare now under a new name. Mine."

The satisfaction in her tone spoke volumes. The White Queen had made her move, successfully taking a few minor pieces. Warren was not the type of player that threw away the game in a few moves. This was what he thrived at after all. He was in his element.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how you counter it. Ta-ta!"

That's how you want it, huh Frost? We'll see.

As soon as he had released the receiver his own cell phone rang.

"Yes, Steven, exactly which of my holdings did Emma Frost 'convince' you to give her?"

The conversation was brief but disturbing. Though most of his financial losses were minor, the point was clear. Emma was not just gloating, she was issuing a challenge.

Gritting his teeth in distaste, he hung up on Edwards. A rude gesture, no doubt, but the man had certainly earned his ire. Warren was half tempted to run out and make his own move against the White Queen, but he knew better. It was never a good thing to go off half-cocked and ensure your own failure. Besides, he could hardly blow off Bobby and Cynthia.

Looking back at their table he noted that the two of them were struggling to have a polite conversation. For his part Warren was confused as to what had sent Cynthia off to begin with. Even though he was not in the best of moods, Bobby had been a true gentleman the whole time. It had to have been something other than his friend's age; because he could not imagine the woman he knew being that petty.

Bobby looked tense, rarely so much as glancing at her. Toying with his drink no doubt itching to freeze something; but knowing better than to do so in public. His young face had drawn into such a forlorn look that Warren winced in sympathy. Across from him, Cynthia was just as uncomfortableseemingly unable to halt the flow of words issuing from her mouth. Through it all her eyes kept wandering over the other man. Her body language seemed to imply something that Warren found startling. He had seen it from other women, usually directed at him, but never from her. Could he be misreading her?

Bobby was barely paying attention to the woman next to him. He could actually feel himself being sucked down to the depths of his very familiar depression again. That being the case, he did not want to hear her anymore. All the manners his mother had stressed did not faze him at the moment. He had been a gentleman, never losing his temper despite what Cynthia had blurted out. Even forcing a smile when she made a face at the mention of his occupation. Most people reacted that way anyway, so it shouldn't get to him any more, right?

What was I even thinking when I agreed to come here? I must be more of a glutton for grief than I thought.

Cynthia still went on about a few things Warren and she had spoken about, but Bobby's mind was elsewhere. Did she really believe he was some kid unable to make his way in the real world? Opal had brought that up a couple of times, saying that being an X-Man was a game to him. The sad truth was that most women saw him that way. He wasn't responsible enough in their eyes, not if they wanted a good commitment. Oh they thought he was nice enough, yes he was a good listener (except at that moment) but never deemed worthy enough to stay with. That was why all of the women he currently stayed in touch with were all in the 'friend' category.

Funny, the main complaint I get is that I don't take things seriously. Yet when I ask to be taken seriously...? I'd have a better chance at freezing hell over myself...

The wine had arrived, much to Bobby's relief. More than anything else, he wanted to get shit faced. If it was just Warren and himself he would havehe didn't care what anyone back at the mansion would think. Getting drunk would make it all go away, if only for a few hours, making the inevitable hangover that much more bearable. Even taking a leave of absence (assuming they had a mission later) from the team would have its perks. Alex's look alone would be priceless.

Except that they were not alone, and it was mid-day at that. And who got drunk on wine? Besides Scott?

Warren rejoined the party, polite as ever, but Bobby noted the slight edge to him. Something had to be wrong with the family businessBobby knew that look. He wanted to bring it up now, even though he knew nothing would come of it. The Worthington business was not something Warren spoke of much with his friends. It was damn near impossible to keep up with for a normal man, and adding being an X-Man to the mix was a recipe for disaster. It had happened in the past, yet the man refused to listen to his friends advice. To Bobby's advice.

Never mind that I took care of X-Factor's finances for awhile, or that we still have a good balance saved up. If you want to deal with deranged former classmates and parrot-werewolves that's up to you. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

When the meals arrived, it halted all conversations. The lull was too short for Bobby's taste, as the business partners begun chatting once more. That would have been just peachy to him as long as he wasn't included. Some desires were destined to be denied.

"been busy of course but we still see him from time to time." Warren finished with a slight smile.

"You know Doctor Richards too?" Cynthia's eyes wandered back to Bobby. The men quietly chuckled.

They had met Reed Richards, or rather, Mister Fantastic, on many occasions. The first being when the X-Men had attacked the Fantastic Four when the Professor was under the Puppet Master's control. Later on, Richards would share his inventions with other heroes. He had met with Warren many times about the property damage Worthington's buildings had sustained during battles.

"Yeah, we met." Bobby replied shortly. She frowned in return.

"How did you meet?"

Somehow saying 'when we sort of kidnapped his girlfriend' didn't seem quite appropriate. "Er...we dropped by unexpected at their headquarters once." That was certainly true. "I had met his brother-in-law at a party so it wasn't like we were complete strangers." Also true, he just wouldn't get into the part about fighting bandits dressed up as pirates. Bobby Drake's life was by no means as complex as Logan's but it was still too weird for most folks.

"Did Bobby tell you he's a teacher?" Warren asked, ignoring the other man's reaction. He spoke conversationally, yet his eyes seem to piece Cynthia, studying her.

"I thought you were an accountant."

"I am, but I teach an intro to business class too." He shifted in his seat, keenly aware that he was being put into the spotlight.

Gee, thanks War. Remind me to return the favor to you someday.

"Do you enjoy teaching?" Cynthia's demeanor was softer then before, yet it did nothing to calm the Iceman's nerves.

"Sometimes, it varies with the students I guess." I am going to get you for this War

"He is pretty popular with them." Warren added, his eyes still focused on the two of them. For what purpose Bobby didn't know. Perhaps to see if they could make their meal more pleasant.

But why do you have to drag me into this?

"When we took that class in college our teacher just expected us to get it all. He never fully explained things and got mad when we'd ask. Most of the class failed," the blond said while cutting his steak. "Bobby goes through everything and makes sure that they have some fun. That's pretty daunting when you're working in this field. Not everyone can figure out the business world."

Both Cynthia and Warren were more relaxed now, though it didn't add up to Bobby. He felt like he was out of the loop. Jean had told him that he wasn't the most perceptive person when things dealt with him. As much as it pained him to admit it, he had to agree. It was like some big joke was being played that everyone was in on and his life was the punch line.

"No one knew what to do. The kid didn't want to talk to anyone. It was almost too late but Bobby convinced her that there are worse fates than losing your boyfriend."

"Why would her boyfriend leave her like that though?" Cynthia pondered aloud. "You said because she was different, does that mean?"

"She was a mutant." Bobby answered glancing back at her, wondering how she felt about the issue. She knew a couple of mutants but he knew from experience that knowing of and seeing were completely different animals.

"Do you teach at Xavier's then?"

As he was chewing pasta at the moment Bobby just nodded. He could see the gears in her head turning at the thought. She opened her mouth but thought better of it. The question did not have to be ask because it was fairly obvious. If you worked at Xavier's, didn't that mean that you were a mutant? In general the answer was no, because many workers were base-line humans. In regards to him, yes, yes he was. Bobby had no qualms admitting it yet he was not going to draw attention to himself nor his family by unsavory types. Though Cynthia Piece seemed harmless he was not about to bring it up.

"You should come and visit it sometime. I think you would enjoy the architecture." Warren announced as if visits from the public at the highly protected school were nothing out of the norm. Shockingly for the man who had done most talking since the food arrived, and for a man praised for having zero body fat, most of his plate was cleaned.

'Eats like a bird' my ass.

"It might be fun. I always wanted to see what a super hero headquarters looked like." She chuckled.

"We could set something up for tomorrow after my late flight class." He suggested. Bobby, on the other hand, picked at his food absently thinking that time was when he had his last class.

When Cynthia got up to use the ladies' room Bobby glared at his buddy. Warren grinned mysteriously but said nothing.