Looking from shop window to shop window, Felicity was taking full advantage of their trip in Gotham. Since there was nothing pressing until tonight, Felicity got up early to explore all Gotham City's fashion district had to offer. Exclusive shops, cafes, and restaurants that practically put Starling City to shame proudly declared their home in Gotham. Felicity could barely contain her excitement as she ducked into La Hush, one of the most expensive lingerie shops based in France. She didn't intend to actually buy anything, but she wanted to see and feel the silks and lace and mesh intimates for herself. The shop had more patrons than she expected given the outrageous prices but Felicity could see women examining bras and nighties before putting them in the purple mesh shopping bags. A woman who looked like she just stepped off the runway smiled and handed Felicity a bag before running through the list of promotions and telling Felicity to let her know if she needed any assistance. Another girl walked around with a tray of water, lattes, cappuccinos, and wine, serving customers with a smile. Felicity declined the girl's silent offer, recognizing the extreme guilt she would feel if she took a free drink and didn't buy anything. A display in the center of the store stopped her completely in her tracks. Felicity walked to the creative display and looked at the beautiful see-through teddy and matching thong and pantie set. Her eyes caught every detail in the delicate material and her fingers yearned to feel the difference between such expensive lingerie and her usual discount store intimates. Just as she was about to feel the heavenly fabric and throat cleared behind her. Half startled, she whipped around to see who had caught her sticking her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Felicity made eye contact with a very affluent tailored Italian suit. Felicity looked around the suit to see women gawking at the figure and at her. She dragged her eyes up the crisp black suit and made eye contact with the last person she expected to see in a lingerie store. Bruce Wayne stood with a confident smile looking not at all out of place or uncomfortable as she had seen other men in stores geared specifically to women's bedrooms. He held up a warm latte which she accepted a little shell-shocked. Felicity could have sworn 3 women came out of the dressing rooms to her left trying to get Bruce's attention by modeling lingerie in the 3 way mirrors. Felicity blew the contents of her cup then took a sip before clearing her throat.
"Something tells me this is not a coincidence, Mr. Wayne." At his knowing smirk Felicity rolled her eyes and secretly mourned her plans for the shopping adventure.
"I don't believe anything is a coincidence, Ms. Smoak, but if you're asking if I'm stalking you, no I am not." He took a sip of his latte and proceeded to reach around her to feel the teddy she was just looking at. He gave her a slow appraisal with his ocean blue eyes that made Felicity's skin crawl in delight. She immediately berated herself; she had had enough of attractive billionaires to last a life time, thank you very much!
"So if you're not stalking me, then what are you doing here…in a lingerie shop?" She tried to keep the skepticism out of her voice. Perhaps Bruce had a genuinely good reason for being in a lingerie shop in the middle of the work week.
"I need a present for someone." Felicity almost spit her latte out over his suit. That was not what she was expecting. Bruce gave her a good boy smile that she had no doubt he used in school to get him out of anything.
"Oh wow…well I didn't exactly need to know about your…extracurricular activities." Felicity looked down at her orange panda flats and took a sip from her cup.
"Believe me, there are no extracurricular activities so to speak. I need to find a gift for Lois Lane." Felicity almost spit out her latte again. She did not want to think about Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne doing anything remotely related to needing lingerie.
"Mr. Wayne, I really do not want to know about your sex life." Felicity started to walk away but Bruce laughed and gently grabbed her elbow.
"Ms. Smoak, I assure you Ms. Lane and I have nothing going on…currently. I owe her a gift because I happened to invite another reporter to the charity ball tonight, and I want to be proactive before she comes at me like a screaming banshee when she finds out." Felicity relaxed a little but then realizing where they were she gave him a skeptical glare.
"Why would an appropriate, proactive gift be in a lingerie shop?" She immediately regretted the question.
"Now that does pertain to my sex life." Felicity shook her head and began walking. "But I thought it would be rude to see you, someone I am interested in pursuing for strictly business related reasons, and not say hello. Or accompany you throughout your shopping trip. What kind of man would I be if I allowed a valuable woman to wonder the streets of Gotham alone?" His voice hardened for a moment and Felicity wondered at the sharp steel of his tone before shaking it off.
"That's nice of you, Mr. Wayne, unnecessary, but nice. I, however, am enjoying my "me" day so if you wouldn't mind—" Felicity walked purposefully through the boutique doors only to find that Bruce Wayne had in fact followed her out of the store as well. Fate was playing a cruel sick joke that she did not appreciate. She doesn't want the billionaire of Gotham to follow her, she just wanted to have a little alone time away from the billionaire who was ignoring her and the ex-billionaire who had cast her off and then told her he loved her and then she'd dumped. She was done with billionaires; regular old guys were her type from now on.
"Ms. Smoak, I can be very convincing." He strode next to her, not at all straining himself as she was walking as fast as her panda flats would allow her. She whistled for a cab then waited at the curb.
"I'm sure you can be, Mr. Wayne, but this is one of the rare times when I get "me" time and I would like to do so without an escort. I am very…I won't lie and say that I'm happy, but my job at Queen Consolidated is paying the bills just fine." Finally a yellow cab pulled in front of her and she opened the door.
"What if I told you I wanted you as my assistant director of Applied Sciences?" Felicity stopped with one foot on the curb and the other suspended in the air.
"My degree puts me towards IT." She looked back at him skeptically. That offer was too good to be true.
"Your degree can put you anywhere you want to be, Ms. Smoak. And I want someone like you in Applied Sciences. Lucius would be happy to have you onboard as well; he's thinking of retirement in a few years and would feel much better if he left Wayne Enterprises' Applied Sciences division in capable hands." Bruce held out his business card with his private cell phone number and handed it to the shocked blonde.
"You don't have to say anything now; just promise me you'll think about it. Have a nice day, Ms. Smoak." Bruce didn't wait for her response and instead handed a twenty to the taxi driver. He walked off as if he hadn't just given her a golden ticket to the Chocolate factory. The taxi driver honked his horn, startling her into action. She climbed into the taxi and directed him back to her hotel. Once at the hotel, Felicity stopped in the restaurant for lunch; she ate light since she was going to a ball tonight with ritzy food, but wanted to fill her up enough that she wouldn't need to snack during her beauty routine. After enjoying her sandwich, Felicity went up to her hotel room to take a nap. Just as she slipped her key card in, Ray walked out of his suite. They made eye contact and Ray's eyes peered into her room then back to her. He told her that he had a few things to take care of and he would be back later to get dressed for the ball. Felicity bit her lip and waited for him to say something else. When he didn't she nodded and turned to go into her room. Ray stared at the shut door separating them and fought the urge to knock. He clenched his fist and continued on with his plans.
Felicity did not acknowledge the tears welling in her eyes. She stripped off her clothes, set the alarm on her phone and tablet, and climbed into bed, happy to silence the world around her.
Felicity rose like a zombie, still unaccustomed to the time difference in Gotham. She shut the alarm off then trudged to the bathroom in her flip flops; nice hotel or not, she had no plans of getting some kind of foot fungus so shower shoes were always a must whenever she traveled. She turned on the water and thought about the luxurious jet filled bath in Ray's room. What she wouldn't give for a jet soak right about now. Maybe if she wasn't too exhausted after the ball she would enjoy soaking in the hotel's Jacuzzi with a glass of expensive red wine. Ok even if she was exhausted after this event she was soaking with a glass of red wine. Felicity turned on her favorite playlist while she was getting ready and began rocking out to a variety of songs that got her in the mood to have fun; the first song that buzzed from her tablet was "Sneaker Night" which she will never willingly admit to liking but if she was stuck with waltzes and fox trots for the rest of the night than she needed something that wouldn't bore her to tears now. She stepped into the tub and turned the shower on, moaning as the warm water hit her skin. She took a few moments to contemplate her life and belt out a few notes before she started shaving and washing up. She washed her hair with conditioner so it wouldn't strip it so clean that she wouldn't be able to do anything with the squeaky clean tresses. As she washed the raspberry conditioner and mango coconut shower gel out, she wiggled in time with "Can't Be Tamed", changing up a few words because she could. Felicity shut the water off and grabbed a towel, careful not to trail water everywhere when she stepped out. She wrapped a towel around her hair and took her tablet with her to the bedroom. She instantly smacked her forehead as she looked at the dress she'd brought for the event. She was so stupid for bringing a dress that she couldn't wear underwear with because of unsightly lines; way to go Felicity. She put on the luxurious terry cloth bathrobe and began to lotion herself up. Once she moisturized her skin she rolled on her favorite perfume and took her toiletries and tablet back into the bathroom. She put a little oil on her hair to tame the frizzy mass of curls then set to blow drying the locks.
Using her hair brush as a mic, Felicity transformed into sultry Carrie Underwood singing "Cowboy Cassanova" over the loud blare of her hair dryer. Once her hair was straight, Felicity proceeded to curl it and arrange her silky tresses into an elegant but a little textured up do. She left a few curls out to frame her face and to twirl down her neck in a faux effortless look. She inserted her silver diamond studs then shifted her attention to her makeup. Felicity decided to go with a fresh face, only defining her brows, adding a little mascara, and a natural pink lipstick with a mauve undertone. Satisfied with her hair and makeup, she walked back to her room to get dressed. She took the seductive royal blue dress out of the box and held it up to the light. The silk glistened and glitzed under her regular hotel lighting so she knew it was going to shine under the ballroom lights. She slipped into the dress, loving the sensual slide of cool silk over her freshly shaved legs and up her warm body. The dress alone was an aphrodisiac. While the crimson dress had made her look like a passionate goddess, the blue one made her look like a poised enchantress. She looked in the mirror and a wicked smile took over her lips. She slipped on a pair of silver shoes to complete the ensemble and she was ready to go. Just as she turned off her tablet and the bathroom light, a knock sounded at her door; felicity grabbed her silver clutch and checked out of the peephole just as a precaution. She opened the door to Ray waiting patiently in the hallway. His eyes widened as soon as he saw her and it took a minute for him to step out of the way so she could walk out the door. He cleared his throat and shifted his grey tie.
"That dress looks good on you." He complimented. Felicity flashed him a smile in thanks. She took in the curve of his suite over his expansive muscle and voiced her appreciation for his tailored suit. He held his arm up to her, which she took, then led her to the elevators and out of the hotel lobby.
The annual Wayne Foundation Ball was always the event of the year in Gotham. The wealthiest of the wealthy gathered in one room to show themselves off in the guise of donating to charity. Felicity made not of all the exits, a habit since working with Oliver. Surprisingly enough, the event didn't get robbed as many times as Felicity would expect given Gotham's criminal history. She smiled for the flashing cameras and gripped Ray's arm a little tighter. Since the tabloid episode Felicity had been very conscious of her body language where the media was concerned. Ray ushered her into the ballroom and Felicity took in the high vaulted ceiling painted with harp playing angels on clouds. She felt eyes on her and smiled pleasantly to everyone she caught looking at her. She knew they thought she didn't belong among them, and they were completely right, but Felicity wouldn't let them know that. She held her head high like a regal queen having court with her subjects. Ray's grip tightened a little on her waist causing Felicity to look at their approaching guest.
"Mr. Wayne." Ray smiled, extending his hand to his newest partner. "Great party. Thank you for the invitation as always."
"Please Palmer, call me Bruce. Mr. Wayne sounds too formal for a celebration." Bruce shook Ray's hand then looked down at Felicity.
"Ms. Smoak, you look as radiant as ever, or perhaps, even more so." He narrowed his eyes in appreciation. He extended his hand to Felicity which she shook.
"Mr. Wayne."
"That invitation was extended to you as well. We are celebrating new possibilities for Gotham City tonight. There is no need for us to be so strictly proper, Felicity." She had no clue how he managed to roll his tongue with the syllables of her name but the way he said her name was like warm melted chocolates and a rich glass of wine. She had no doubt that Bruce Wayne held a Ph.D. in seduction hidden beneath his impressive plethora of degrees. Felicity smiled gently and removed her hand from his warm grasp.
"I'll see the both of you later, but for now I cannot be a rude host and ignore the rest of my guests. Please enjoy yourselves." He headed over to another couple walking through the grand double doors. Another man came to talk to Ray, so after polite introductions, Felicity excused herself to the bar. She ordered a glass of wine and almost jumped when she felt a hand smooth itself over her back. Someone touching the silk of the dress to her back was dangerous for her highly sensitive nerves. She turned around and almost dropped her glass, which Bruce so kindly took from her. He set the glass onto the bar and pulled her out to the dance floor.
"What in the world are you doing?" She whispered looking around to make sure no one heard her.
"Since your guard dog has left you unattended, I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to dance with you, or the only opportunity for that matter." Bruce grumbled. Felicity scoffed and placed her hands in the respectable place for a waltz.
"Of all the women here tonight, I'm the one stuck with you."
"Or blessed." Felicity glared at him. "You're right, with a dress like that I'm the one blessed to be in your company." He twirled her around forcing the lights to twinkle over the deep blue fabric. He pulled her close and rested a hand on the small of her back. They danced in comfortable silence until Bruce broke it almost halfway through the waltz.
"He watches you like a hawk." Felicity lifted her head off his chest and gave him a questioning glance. Bruce nodded over his shoulder, then spun her around to see Ray vaguely nodding at Lois Lane. She looked stunning in her own right in an emerald dress that boldly declared the figure underneath the thin scraps of fabric. Lane looked as infatuated as a pit-bull with a new chew toy, sliding her hand down his arm and throwing her head back in a tinkling laugh. Felicity begrudgingly admitted that they looked good together, if he was into a woman like Lois. And why wouldn't he be? She was beautiful, determined, hard-working, and successful. She had a career in her own right. She was like Isabel; the thought strayed into her mind before she could stop it. Would that woman ever become irrelevant again? Felicity looked away and back at Bruce. He looked down at her eyes, looked over at Ray, then furrowed his brows and looked back at her.
"If I'm not being to forward Ms. Smoak—"
"You are—"
"I'd say there is more to your relationship than meets the eye." Felicity sighed and looked away. She wanted to shout that there was nothing going on, but she couldn't form the words.
"You didn't strike me as the type of man who puts any weight to what tabloids say, Bruce." His eyes deepened to a dark blue at the sound of his name.
"I don't. I put weight in what I see, and from what I see either the spark hasn't combusted yet, or it did and it left you both burned." Bruce watched her face for any reaction. He was a genius at reading people, and he knew Felicity Smoak was not all she seemed.
"I do not sleep with my boss, Mr. Wayne."
"I'm not saying you do. I'm saying that there is an attraction between the two of you, a longing that has yet to be fulfilled." He pulled her closer, forcing the breath from her lungs. "So, which is it?" Felicity bit the inside of her cheek. Bruce was a complete stranger; she shouldn't devolve information to him, especially since Lois Lane seemed to be a personal…whatever it was they were. Bruce drew small circles on her back, waiting patiently for her to answer.
"A bit of both I guess you could say." Felicity sighed. Bruce only raised his eyebrow, signaling for her to continue. "We have…discussed whatever it is between us and figure it's best for us to retain a strictly professional relationship."
"Hmm." Bruce started. "But that isn't what you want, is it?"
"I have my reputation to think of. I have bills to pay and the last thing I need is for a news line to run about a skanky secretary who slept with her boss. To add insult to injury, I'm blonde."
"You dye it." Felicity looked at him with shock that quickly morphed to suspicion.
"I told you I had been keeping an eye on you." Bruce shrugged as if that absolved him of any guilt. It only served to make Felicity question the man she was dancing with even more.
"Anyway, circumstances just don't allow for Ray and I—I mean Mr. Palmer and I, to be anything more but a CEO and his over glorified but underappreciated 'Girl Friday.'" Bruce spun them around the dance floor thinking intently.
"Felicity, I have a lot of experience with ill-fated romance. Trust me, if it's only circumstances keeping you apart, and not something fundamentally wrong with the person, well circumstances can easily change; people not so much." Felicity saw the pain hidden beneath his eyes and easy smile. She wondered what woman Bruce loved but could not have; she wondered who was fundamentally wrong, Bruce, the woman, or both of them? When the final chord of the waltz struck, Felicity felt like she had been dancing forever. And maybe she had been dancing forever, dancing around problems that she had no clue how to solve, or maybe her dancing around them was what created the problem in the first place. Bruce led her back to the bar, ordered a glass of red wine and left her nursing the expensive crystal. She looked over to where Ray was disentangling himself from Lois and walking to her. He led them to their seats as Bruce was called up to give his speech.
Felicity was caught between exhaustion and excitement on the way back to the hotel. She tried to decide if she still wanted that soak in the Jacuzzi paired with wine or if she'd had enough wine and excitement for one day. Ray told her good night and waited for her to open her door before continuing on to his bedroom. Felicity returned the sentiments and walked into her room, kicking her shoes off and wiggling her mermaid blue painted toes, trying to get the circulation back after an evening of dancing and standing and walking. Felicity turned on her tablet playing Yuna's cover of Nirvana's "Come as You Are" as she slipped out of her dress. Felicity had just managed to slip on a satin camisole and shorts when a firm knock sounded at her door. She pulled the pins out of her hair letting her previously restricted curls cascade down her back as she walked over to the door. She ran her fingers through her hair and opened the door. Ray stood in the hallway.