The dream grabbed her like a tight glove.

She'd felt his gaze on her all day long, intense as it took on her new outfit. It revealed more skin than she was used to, but given his reaction, it was a good thing. The wonders of a cropped top and micro skirt… For the first time in years, she felt free. Daring. Herself. She wanted to explore, to feel. To know if their next kiss would be as good as the ones she remembered. To feel him against her, hot and strong and hers.

Chloe climbed the stairs on tiptoes, careful not to make herself heard. She wanted to surprise him. To see his eyes fell on her and darkened when he'd realized she wore basically nothing but his shirt. The fabric felt amazing against her skin, but not as amazing as his hands felt when he caressed her, gentle and a little callous, then possessive and not so gentle. Oh, she longed to relive that enticing moment when he took her in, drank her in, and made her feel whole.

Here he was, seated on the couch, brooding, like he did so often these days. It was up to her to pull him out of his dark thoughts, put pleasant ones in his head instead, images of her, of them. He caught sight of her, opened his mouth to speak. Chloe pressed one finger against his mouth… "Shush… I'll do the talking…"

Then his hands reached for her hips when she straddled him, his head lowered to her neck, nip at that sweet spot at the juncture between her jaw and her shoulder, and all she could do was whimper his name. "Oh, Oliver…"

Chloe shot up in her bed, her heart speeding to escape her chest. Her head spun when she stood up too fast. She staggered to the bathroom in the dark, her skin clammy and burning hot. Even her nightwear was drenched in sweat. She stripped and stepped in the shower to wash out the sweat and the vestige of her dream, embarrassed by the pulse between her legs.

This was the third time in a week she'd dreamt about seducing him, but this time she had felt it. The possessive weight of his hands on her hips, the delicious rub of his lips against her fingers… How was she supposed to face Oliver the next time he'd called? He'd been travelling for nearly two weeks, called to Denmark right after Thanksgiving, then London and now New-York. She missed him like crazy. But to want and jump him the same way she'd launched herself at Clark all those years ago? She remembered her best friend's reaction at the time. The humiliating rejection still stung, years later. There was absolutely no way she was exposing herself to that again. Ever.

Oliver showed little signs he'd be any more receptive than Clark had been anyway. Sure, there were some lingering stares when they face-timed to talk about their days, his meetings, her interviews… He flirted with her via texts but it was all innocent… Like the kiss he'd dropped on her forehead to say goodbye. She wasn't Oliver Queen's type. It was all right, really. They'd shared a moment and nearly destroyed their friendship in the process. They were back on a steadier ground now, thankfully. It was enough. It would have to be enough.

Feeling calmer and clean again, Chloe shut down the water. She wrapped a plush towel around herself as she came back to the bedroom to contemplate the mess. Her bed was a tangle of sticky sheets and pillows, more than they should have been with a simple wet dream. Her stomach was a little upset again, she had trouble sleeping once more. Even since her mind had gone over the blockage, her panic attacks had subsided. Now her body reacted to stressful changes in a different way. Teary, cranky, hormonal, hot flashes… Yes, she ticked a lot of boxes.

Chloe selected a fresh tee-shirt in her drawer, dressed, and start stripping away the sheets from the mattress. Putting everything in the hamper, she remade her bed, but sleep had lost its appeal. One glance at the alarm clock told her it was close to six in the morning. Nine on the East Coast. Knowing it was foolish and still unable to resist, Chloe picked up her phone on the nightstand.

Oliver's text message was short, and sank in her stomach like a ton of bricks. 'Lex called. Heading to Metropolis this morning. O.'

Nausea hit so fast she barely made it to the bathroom. Chloe sagged with her forehead against the cool faience, her throat raw, her whole body shaking from exhaustion. When she felt confident she could breathe without keeling over, she stood on wobbly legs. She brushed her teeth, but the mouthwash's smell made her gag so she forwent rinsing her mouth with the solution. She washed her face then reentered the bedroom.

The sun had started to rise so light filtered through the curtains she had forgotten to pull the previous evening. Chloe crawled on the freshly made bed, sighing in relief when her head found the pillow. She closed her eyes. Oliver was probably on his plane anyhow. She'd call him later.

She woke up again when her phone buzzed like an angry bee against her cheek.

"'lo?"

"Hey Sidekick." Oliver paused. "Am I waking you up?"

"Sort of… Sorry, I woke up too early and went back to sleep." Sometimes, a half-truth was better than a white lie.

"Lucky you. I think my system is still on European time. Getting up to catch my flight was a bitch."

She laughed. "Oliver, you're travelling on a private jet, you control the flying schedule."

"Would you mind calling my pilot to tell him that?"

Chloe rubbed the sleep from her eyes, backing a little on her pillows. "I could, but then you would have nothing to complain about."

"I'm sure I'll think of something. Are you sure you're all right? You sound a bit off…"

"I'm fine, Oliver. You know how it is when you sleep in late. It's hard to wake up."

"If you say so…"

He didn't sound convinced so Chloe changed tactics. "Blame Hal. He has too much stamina. He had me up all night last night…"

They asked their friend to patrol Star City and California, as usual when Oliver was away.

"Cute. Very cute." Oliver grumbled before he latched on another subject. "I don't know what Lex found. He called me late yesterday night. Whatever it is, he wouldn't discuss it on the phone, or send the papers. I'm meeting him at the Ace of clubs for diner tonight."

"Okay." She tried not to think about the headlines tomorrow when the press caught whiff of Oliver Queen and Lex Luthor hanging out in the most exclusive club of Metropolis.

After his Russian escapade, the press had been adamant about finding out his relationship status. Even QI people chatted about it. Thankfully, no one really paid attention to her. She'd stayed out of the way and for the few people she'd talked to so far, namely security and the HR, she was only a fancy consultant who'd wrung out some hefty benefits out of the company to make some sort of scrapbook.

"Since I'm here, I'll stay another day or two. I want a closer look on the projects Queen Industries is involved with here. Then I'll come home."

"I miss you," she blurted out.

Chloe blushed furiously, very glad he couldn't see her face. A pregnant silence stretched as Oliver seemed to weight his words. Her heart did anxious somersaults on her stomach. "I'm quite missable."

The absurdity of his answer pushed the traitorous organ back into place. "Even if that word exists, I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean what you think, Oliver…"

"Sure. Mock the homesick, miserable CEO who spent the past thirteen days in horrible meetings without his favorite Sidekick, why don't you."

"Favorite? You mean you have others?"

His husky reply gave her goosebumps. "You're my one and only Sidekick. I look forward to next weekend."

She had to retake control of the conversation before she swooned. "Oh. Yes, the Christmas party… About that… I'm not going with you."

Chloe grinned when she heard a loud 'poke' followed by a curse, as if Oliver had hit something. "Beg your pardon?"

"I'm going with Tess. She's my plus one." She savored the small victory while Oliver muttered something inaudible under his breath. "What was that?"

"Nothing. How's the book going? Have you found your Golden Thread yet?"

Oh, she'd got him all right. Chloe bit her bottom lip hard not to laugh. "No, not yet. Working for Queen Industries is just awful. My boss is impossible. I've never met someone so demanding before. 'How are you?', 'Did you sleep well?', 'how much coffee did you have today?' 'Are you eating all your veggies?'. I swear, some questions are bordering harassment." She heard him snort in laughter, chuckled herself. "You will let me know what Lex says?"

"I'll ring you as soon as I make it back to my hotel room, Tower."

Meaning, he'd connect through the Watchtower secure connection. "I'll be there."