"Besides the point you made a fool of me in there, or the fact I didn't agree with you just signing off and giving them all the power that you gave them?" he said, modulated anger alive in his voice.
"Lawrence, everything about this deal is a benefit to Hughes Labs, and if Mr. Wayne wants to check up on the project on occasion, well, let him. I have no plans on going beyond the boundaries we've set down, so I'm not worried about anything."
"If we have the samples in our possession we should be able to do with it what we wish." he said, ambition oozing from his tone.
"No, Lawrence, there are laws in place for a reason. Hughes Labs follows those laws and rules. And we always will. If you aren't happy with that, then perhaps you're with the wrong company." she told him lightly. "Driver, drop Mr. James off at Hughes Labs, I need to go shopping."
"What for?" he asked, still not satisfied.
"Well, not that it's your business Lawrence, but Mr. Wayne and I are going out to celebrate this evening."
"What!" he hissed leaning towards her. "I forbid this! The whole reason you won't date me is because we work together, but you can go out with Wayne?"
The iciness came back into Callie's voice, and her eyes darkened in anger. "First off Mr. James, Mr. Wayne and I are going out to celebrate a very lucrative joint venture between our two companies. Secondly, if you'll recall I said that dating each other would be tricky since we worked together, but I also told you I wasn't interested in that type of relationship with you. I'm sorry if you were expecting something more, but I've been honest with you from the start."
He leaned forward grabbing her wrist in a crushing grip. "You'll be sorry for this."
"I suggest you let go of my wrist." she said softly. "I also suggest that you put in notice of resignation. I don't believe that Hughes Labs is the place for you to be at the moment. I'll be taking over full operation, effective immediately." The limousine had pulled up next to his vehicle. He gave her one more glare, and got out of the car angrily.
Callie looked at her wrist and could already see a bruise in the shape of fingers appearing. She sighed trying to think of what jewelry she had that could possibly be big enough to hide that. Shopping it is, she thought with a wry grin.
Callie came back from her shopping expedition quite pleased with her purchases. She'd found the dress for the evening almost immediately. It was a pale blue, strapless sheath that fell to mid thigh. Small matching satin buttons ran along the back from top to bottom. Sheer hose, matching pale blue sandals with a three inch heel, and satin clutch were purchased next. Lastly, to complete the ensemble, she purchased a thick, platinum cuff bracelet. It was encrusted with diamonds and pale blue sapphires, and she bought the choker to match. Callie pulled her hair up into a French twist, leaving only a few tendrils escaping. She had just finished putting on lip gloss when the bell to the hotel room sounded. Grabbing her clutch, she went and opened the door to a very handsome Bruce Wayne.
"Mr. Wayne, right on time." she said exiting the room and letting the door shut behind her. He offered her his arm, and they walked to the glass elevator together.
Bruce was wearing a three piece suit made of a deep blue fabric. Freshly shaved, with just a hint of expensive but incredibly sensual cologne. His shirt was a lighter blue, and he wore an expensive Armani tie in various shades of blue. "You look lovely."
"Why thank you. Just what every girl should hear once in a while. I would say the same for you, but you aren't really lovely are you? More… striking." she said, tilting her head slightly. "So tell me Mr. Wayne, where are we going this evening?"
"I think you should probably call me Bruce." he told her, "And I thought we'd go to Vincencia's."
"Then you should call me Callie. Vincencia's…Very nice. I understand it's quite difficult to get a table there on short notice, Bruce." she said adding a slight emphasis on his name.
"I guess I just know the right people." he said with a grin.
She laughed, and he led her to the car.
Dinner seemed to go well with Callie sharing some of her experiences in Europe, and Bruce telling her of his plans to rebuild the transit system. She noticed that he didn't go into his personal life, or the past, and he noticed that she avoided quite a few topics as well.
"So what made you come back to Gotham?" he asked casually as they finished their after dinner drinks.
Callie fidgeted slightly before answering. "It was time for me to come back. Time to take over the family business. After the explosion, well, really when I woke up. I couldn't quite deal with it. Never really knowing what had happened, or what had caused it. So I went to the Rome, Paris, and London offices. I got good experience, and decided that it was time. It's what my parents would have wanted."
"Well, I'm sure that will brighten up Mr. James world quite a bit." he said with a bit of sarcasm.
"Actually, Lawrence won't be staying with Hughes. He's decided his gifts are required elsewhere." As she said this she moved her hair back, and the cuff slid slightly revealing the bruise. Most people wouldn't have noticed, but Bruce Wayne wasn't most people. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Besides Lawrence wanted more from me than what I could, or would offer."
"I was under the impression there was something between you." he smiled lazily.
"No." she said with a bit of finality. "I don't date very much. There really isn't time for it in my life."
"Oh, I date all the time."
She found herself laughing for the hundredth time that evening. "You are a funny man Bruce Wayne. But I think it's time for me to be going home and going to bed. I have a big day tomorrow. And I have two companies to answer to now."
They drove the short distance to the hotel, Callie relaxing in the seat next to Bruce the entire time. That shocked her slightly, but it felt nice. Relaxing with someone was a rare gift. He escorted her to her door, and once there took her hand in his.
"I had a good time tonight Ms. Hughes." he said, his gravelly voice rumbling through his chest.
"As did I Mr. Wayne."
He kissed her hand, and waited for her to open the door. As soon as she entered the room he strode down the hall. A man with a purpose. Obviously there was a gentleman in Gotham that needed to realize that women weren't out there to be mishandled. And Bruce Wayne knew exactly how to get his point across.
Callie shut her door, and leaned against it. She sighed knowing that her night wasn't quite over. She had a little nighttime visit to make. Someone needed to realize that not all women could be mistreated.