Conflicted
The doorbell rang. Harry didn't even take the time to put his legs into his pants, he jumped and aimed for the leg holes. She's here. Goddamn it you're late. Can't keep this one waiting. It's a matter of life and death for your sex life. Nah. She was a respectable girl. Besides, putting 'the moves' on her wasn't going to work. She had her own hunk of cash. And probably a man, too. Of course she does. Look at her! Harry couldn't look at her just yet. He was still in his bedroom, getting dressed as fast as humanly possible. The naked ten-foot sprint from the shower to the bedroom nearly broke the sound barrier (and a few toes). Thank god Charlie hadn't been on the second floor. Unnecessary exposure to your boss wasn't in the job description.
Finally. Armani was the way to go. But he stepped it up a bit today. Gucci. His best leather jacket. He liked leather. Dangerous. Take out the shoulder pads. Much better. He wasn't as tense today. Or at least, it didn't show in his shoulders like it usually did. He was wasn't tense... just nervous. Excited.
"She's downstairs, Mr. Osborn," Charlie said through the door.
"Thanks." Now he was nervous and tense. Keeping Audrey Sterling, 'the new face of Oscorp', waiting... Not the best idea. He adjusted his tie.
"Harry, I'm up here. I'll wait near the stairs. Is that all right?"
Hey, she called you Harry. One step for man... One giant leap for– Now wasn't the time for wandering of the mind. Focus, man, focus!
"That's fine." Harry smiled to himself.
Nice pair of loafers, and he was done. "Miss Sterl–"
His jaw dropped. Literally. Audrey was wearing the second skimpiest skirt he'd ever seen. Vegas showgirls don't count. Okay, it was the skimpiest skirt. It was already short, and then it angled up to the length of short-shorts with a curled up edge. How does she sit in that thing? One side long-sleeved, one side tube top. Ohhh yeah. This is gonna be an interesting dress for a business convo...
"That's... for a business dinner?" Harry grinned slyly. He knew what he was doing. Bosses in miniskirts gave him a certain confidence.
"Well it is Prada. Not a uniform, but I assure you, it's nothing from discount stores–"
"I didn't mean that, really," he murmered. Good one. You offended her. "I just.. Nevermind."
"Is it too..."
"It's sexy," he blurted, clenching his eyes shut. Ahhh said that wrong. Fffuck.
Audrey stifled a giggle."Hm. Thanks, Harry. Shall we?"
"Absolutely."
Audrey offered him her arm. They walked out of the doors to the limo parked in the circular drive.
"How about my car?" she asked Harry. She had a black convertible. Very hot car that looked like the Batmobile. He knew that car...
"How'd you get a Solstice? They're not even on the market yet."
"You just have to know where to look." The cryptic message was summed up by the next two words she said. "Black Market."
"...The Black Market?" Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. A market known worldwide for being sordid; dangerous. A place where they sell body parts for two cents on the dollar wasn't a place he imagined Audrey. "But... why?"
"Oh please, I didn't become a hit woman to get the car, Harry," she laughed. "It was two hundred thou."
Harry knew that car was worth double what she bought it for. "What did you sell them?"
"Sell them?" she laughed. "Nothing, Harry. Nothing! Now please..." Audrey took his hand. "...Let's go."
"Okay," he said in a hoarse murmur. She's just holding your hand. God, you would think she just grabbed your ass the way you're reacting. What's that? Awww you like her.
"Shut up."
"What?" Audrey said.
He mumbled, looking down at his jacket. "Nothin'. Talking to myself."
Harry opened the driver's side door for her.
"Wanna give it a test drive?" She asked.
Did he ever. The car was a marvel. "Hell yeah."
Audrey smiled. Harry loved her smile. She walked around to the other side of the car once he was in. He ran his hands over the leather on the steering wheel. Why didn't I get one of these beauties...? He unlocked the doors and let Audrey in. Oh yeah. I already got one.
"Stick shift," she grinned.
"What?"
"The car. It's stick shift."
"Oh. I thought you said... hehe..." the nervous laugh went into a blank stare. He drew a breath in sharply. "Nevermind."
"How's it handle?" Audrey asked him.
Turning out of the circular drive was a breeze. He was zipping down the freeway in no time flat. "Like a dream," he said. There was a faint smile of excitement on his face. "This one's... wow. I need to get one of these."
"Oh, and by the way, Harry. You look incredible in Gucci."
Did she just say that? "Aren't we supposed to keep this professional, Audrey?" Do you really wanna keep it professional? Go with it, man! It was true. This was a business dinner.
"Sorry..." She adjusted her glasses and looked out the window. It was starting to drizzle. There was a long pause, and an awkward silence until Harry spoke up. "Do I?"
Audrey laughed softly to herself. Harry loved this. She was the boss. Kinky. But no matter how he wished to make her into a 'bad girl', she was just... Wholesome? Not in those clothes, sweetheart. A smirk appeared on his face.
"This restaurant," Audrey started, "it's filled to the rafters with every celebrity and Broadway actor you've ever heard of, and a few you haven't. The inside... I've heard it's like an old romantic black-and-white film. I love black and white. And all the retro super-heroes; the villains."
"Yeah," said Harry, "the corny costumes and theme songs. Remember Robin's tights?"
Audrey sighed and let out a short laugh, "Yes, I do. But I loved the heart and soul of the villain. What provoked them. The Penguin. The Riddler. Lex Luthor. All those oldies. They were my heroes... Superman did look good in those tights, though."
"And Catwoman with all that leathery spandex."
They spent the rest of the ride reminiscing and laughing; the time flew. Harry found he didn't have to impress her with intellect. That's great, because you aren't half as smart as she is. They... understood the world in simplest terms. They could talk forever about different decades; how the world worked today. They both new the business world in the rawest form.
"We're here," she said softly, pointing to the restaurant. It was pouring now. The rain on the roof of the car made a calming lullaby that nearly caused Audrey to doze off. Harry smiled.
"This place. Beautiful."
"Yes, I know."
Harry made a last attempt at chivalry when he took the umbrella around to her door. He opened the door for her and kept her out of the rain.
"Aren't you one to impress," she laughed. "But that's quite fine. I love the rain."
"Thunder," Harry said, "that's the real power." He'd never felt so childish and yet so at home.
"But thank you," said Audrey, "I'll need the umbrella for these clothes."
They walked past the line to the very front, where the maitre d' waited. "Miss... Sterling?"
"Yes," she answered.
"Ah. Reservations for two, center table. Non-smoking?"
Harry nodded. He hated the smell of his uncle's cheap cigs as a child, and the aroma still haunted him to this day. And his father! Good old Norman. His yearly "Birthday" cigar started becoming monthly, then weekly, daily... Gradual addiction. No one knew what it was to be home with him. Not even you did. Spent your time in the dorm trying to stay away from home. Got you your own apartment and how did you thank him? Didn't even visit him that Christmas. His last Christmas. His last...
"Isn't this place wonderful?" Audrey said, enthused by the low hum of fame in its entirety. They were walking into the back archway of a crowded dining hall.
Harry stopped breathing as soon as he walked toward the table. Peter was only inches away from his table. They'd be sitting back to back. Anger coursed through his veins like his own blood, but fire under his flesh. Pete. Traitor. You thought he was your friend! He killed your father, stole your girl, and tore your friendship to pieces. You have... nothing. Because of him. All because of him.
Shut up.
You know how much you want to spill his blood in a river around you.
No. The darker side of Harry Osborn would never appear.
You want to see him dead. Hell. You would kill MJ to get to him.
No... Not MJ. She didn't do anything to me.
You know you would. Take out your switchblade. You can do it. You can end it now. End him now.
That's insane. Harry would never hurt Pete. No matter how angry he was. Pete was his friend...
A friend wouldn't kill your father, Harry. Remember? Remember how much he loved Pete? Like his own son!
But Audrey. Audrey was there. Harry still hung onto the only shred of friendship he had with Peter. He walked to the table in silence.
He just looked at you. He knows you're here. Look how he's hiding from you. Coward!
He pulled out a chair for Audrey. He didn't hear her thank him, he was too distracted. There was nothing he could do to avoid...
Mary Jane... MJ's right there. Your girl. The girl Spiderman took away.
Spiderman... no...
He took your soul, now take his life.
Shut up.
You know you never really wanted to be his friend. He was such a dork. MJ was your goal, even when you knew he loved her.
"SHUT UP!"
The room went silent. Audrey held onto the table in shock. All the chatter and excitement had screeched to a halt, and every pair of eyes in the room moved to the source of the yell. All eyes on Harry.
"Hello MJ," Harry managed.
First she looked scared, then, she masked it perfectly with surprise. "Harry! I missed you." Mary Jane gave him a hug. With that embrace, the majority of the noise and clutter in the room commenced.
It used to be more than just friends... She used to love you. Pete took her away.
No. Mary Jane never loved Harry. It was out of sheer boredom that she dated him. And then Peter came along. Her knight in colorful spandex. "I missed you too."
"...And um..." Mary Jane hesitated. "Pete's here with me."
Peter looked to Harry.
TRAITOR.
"...Hey." He was so delayed, and his eyes were slightly wide. As if recovering from trauma.
"Peter." There was nothing else he could say to his best friend. Your best friend who took advantage of your friendship. Stole everything. Punish him for his misdeeds. You want to. You need to. You have to.
Harry's hand trembled, trying to fight his distorted conscience. He took his seat.
"Hm... Excellent taste in wine," Audrey muttered, trying to set a happier mood. "What would you like to drink, Harry?"
Hearing her voice brought him back into the land of the living.
"Oh." The waiter was standing at their table. "Sauvignon Blanc?" Now he thanked god that he had taken French in high school. His accent was quite impressive. Too bad he had nearly failed English.
"And you, Miss?"
"The same, thank you."
"I'll return with your wine shortly." The waiter scribbled it on a small pad of paper.
"I didn't know you spoke French."
"I don't. But I did pick up an accent after four years sitting in the back of the class," he joked. Audrey laughed, taking a sip of water. I'm glad she thought it was funny. But you weren't kidding.
"What language did you take, Audrey?"
"Oh, I took Latin all through high school. But I took three years of French in college. Beautiful language. A beautiful country, too. Ever been?"
"France? No..."
"Oh.. It's beautiful. You'd love it, Harry."
"I'm sure I would," Harry said as their wine was delivered in a bucket of ice.
The waiter seemed timid. "I apologize for the delay."
There's at least one hundred to serve. He's only been gone four minutes... What is he talking about?
"Really, it's fine. Actually, you're early."
"Oh. Th-thank you. Is everything correct, Miss Sterling?"
"Yes," she said stiffly, "fine. Now if you please." Audrey motioned to the table nearest them. He scuttled away.
Harry gave her a sideways glance. "You know him?"
"Old boyfriend," she muttered as the waiter walked back through the kitchen doors.
What the... Old boyfriends don't act like crime victims. You know there's something more there. Ask her.
It wasn't polite to discuss her personal life over a business dinner. If that's what it was...
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A/N: This was the longest chapter so far.. Wow. Long delay for school and band practices! I will still continue, but slowwwly. I will go back to normal speed around the end of this crazy band schedule (Nov. 25), and uber-typing will begin on December 21st. Keep looking for the story when you can! I have hit a very interesting part of the story.
And now, a brief interlude of songfic. It's not over yet, baby!
She spoke of chemistry equations he'd never heard of, but it didn't matter. They ordered, though he didn't even read the menu. All he said was "same," and moved on. Just basking in her light was enough to keep him captivated the entire evening. He'd even forgotten about Peter and Mary Jane, who'd left long ago. Peter... He'd heard Pete's chair sliding across the floor, and he'd waved indirectly at Mary Jane when she bid him good night. But Harry hadn't truly been aware since Audrey first spoke.
He nodded, and could understand the words, but never did they register. How could beauty have this hold on him? Well you're human. That's a start...
You and the night and the music
Fill me with flaming desire
But it was more. There was this air about her that was so unlike any other woman he'd ever known. Enthralling... It was almost too much to handle. The looks, the smarts, the grace, the wit, the daring, and the leadership. Definitely a better president than you would have been. Wonder how Allen will react to a 'lady-boss'. Harry found himself watching her twirl fettuccini on a fork. Everything about her was grace. Smooth lines, quick, graceful movements. She was like art in motion.
Please, for your sake, let this night have a very good ending.
Setting my being completely on fire
Audrey drove the car on the way back from the restaurant, both a bit dazed, but nothing too dangerous to drive. Harry was more sensible of the two, but he had had one two many glasses of that instant romance called alcohol. Still, nothing... accomplished...
You and the night and the music
Thrill me but will we be one
She put the car into the fourth gear and sped down the highway, heading for the 'mansion' that was Harry's home.
After the night and the music are done
Audrey pulled into the circular drive and parked, unlocking the doors.
"So," Harry said, his eyes still on the ground. He looked up for a moment, then the ground. Audrey, ground, Audrey, ground. Pick one! "I had a wonderful time tonight." The words would have come faster from his mouth had he been in his right mind. "Really."
The next sentence from Audrey came as a surprise. She slunk to the door, "Who said tonight ends now?"
Oh my god your prayers have been answered! Go for it! But it wasn't an open come-on. "What are you talking about?"
She took his hand and pulled him through the door. I think it's safe to guess at her intentions...
"Audrey, you're my boss. Are you su–"
"Harry, use logic. This isn't going to get you promoted. Just laid."
He would have protested, but she was strangely accurate. So much for pure young lady of high standards and strict morals. Maybe the suit was a porn cliche.
"And besides, who am I going to tell?" Her smile was enough to convince him. Go with it. Don't be stupid...This is your only chance. With his half-grin, Audrey led him upstairs.
Until the pale light of dawn and in daylight
The door was slammed, and clothes were thrown to the floor in haste...
Hearts will be throbbing guitars
If he had forgotten to say something, now was not the time to remember... His mind was dulled by the scent of perfumed skin.
Morning will come without warning and take away the stars
If we must live for the moment
Love 'til the moment is through
As everything had moved so quickly before, fumbling with bra hinges seemed to slow time. Snap...Snap...Snap- playtime.
Audrey shoved him back onto the bed and soon followed.
After the night and the music die
Will I have you?