Steve looked at the door Natasha had left for a few more minutes, until his body was able to recover from the loss of her embrace. He turned and walked towards his house. When he had been walking for some time, he noticed that James was with him and looked at him with a half-mocking smile.

"Didn't you have things to do?" Steve asked in surprise.

"Yes, but I saw you so obtuse that I thought I should help you before someone runs over you or something." James mocked without a trace of fun.

"What's the matter with you?" he said, standing next to him.

"No wonder everyone thinks you're dating when they meet you guys!" cried James, frowning.

"Who?"

"Nat and you! You look like boyfriend and girlfriend!" he said seriously.

"No. Not at all. She's just my friend. My best friend. Like a sister. And as a part of my family, I don't like when she hides things from me or when she treats me as if I'm not important. She's a very special girl to me, but I could never see her in a way ... " Sexual, he asked himself and frowned. "I could not see her in a way that can corrupted our friendship.

"You can tell you have something pretty with her. But sooner or later you will fall. A friendship so strong leads to confusion." James said, still very serious.

"She's not my type at all, I'm not attracted to her. Besides, our friendship is clean and pure, I would never spoil it... With nothing." He corrected himself unable to utter such a foul word to the most important person in his life.

"Is there really zero chance that there could exist something between you? Bucky asked interested.

"Zero possibilities! But why or what? You said you weren't interested in her." Steve asked.

"I know! But the truth is, I'm really attracted to her. I liked her as soon as I saw her, but then when I tried to know her, she was very serious and she barely spoke. She was like this because you were half missing and then she barely looked up. Now I know it was because of work. But I don't think the girl I met is the real Natasha. When I saw her today with you, it was a revelation. The force with which she takes things. It's clear that she has determination." He said with a laugh." She's very intelligent. We didn't fool her for a second. And I never imagined her so sweet. When she smiles ... " He bit her lip and put his hands to his face. "I want to know her better, much better."

Steve listened attentively to everything James said and agreed with each statement. It was obvious that the boy actually liked his friend, that he didn't wanted to play with her. He remembered the image of her in the arms of the gorilla. Better than with that guy with anybody, Steve thought. James seemed to be serious, and if he wanted to conquer Natasha, he would not object. If she had to have a boyfriend, at least she would have one he could control. If he got out of line ... he would not. I wouldn't let him. But James seemed more serious than he thought in the first instance. He wouldn't play with her.

When night came, Natasha didn't call Steve, but went to his house. He was in bed flipping through a magazine when he entered his room. He looked at her, smiled and tossed the magazine aside.

"I wasn't expecting you." Steve said.

"I'm dead!" cried Natasha, throwing herself on the bed.

The bed was huge so they fit both with no problems. Even so, as she stretched out, Natasha placed her arm on Steve's abdomen.

"Come here!" Steve ordered, pulling her to place her on his chest. "Are you really tired?" he asked, stroking her hair. He kissed her forehead and continued combing her hair with his fingers, undoing the tail she was wearing.

"Exhausted! I will not take part in the next party they set up."

"Wow!" It's all he could say as he was concentrating on the shiny red hair between his fingers. He had never noticed how silky it was. Why would she always wear it on a tail? He was sure that loose would be an incredibly mane ... No, said Steve, I wouldn't think it was sexy. Besides, a mane couldn't be sexy. Still he had to restrain himself from asking her to get up to see how her hair was loose.

"But tomorrow everything will end," continued Natasha. "Are you listening to me?" She raised her head to look at him.

Natasha waited for Steve to respond. And he hoped to breathe again as soon as possible. Her red hair ruffled by caresses and cascading to one side, Natasha was dazzling. He had definitely been wrong, Steve thought, she was gorgeous! Her huge green eyes were completely hanging over him, her red hair accentuating the softness of her neck and the fleshy, parted lips. A beauty!

Oh God!

Natasha began to grow impatient, and as an act of anxiety over the dumbness of her friend, she bit her lip. Steve felt his whole body tense and his heart began to beat at a thousand beats per second. As soon as his body let him run out of bed and went to the bathroom. He couldn't see Natasha as a woman. It was Tasha. Damn it, he reproached himself. If he hadn't realized before how beautiful she was it was because she was a friend to respect, not to fantasize about. And he was sure that the image he had just seen would torment him that very night. She couldn't be so miserable as to ignore his friend simply because she looked beautiful. He would leave the bathroom and act as usual. After all, being pretty didn't change anything. He was still attracted to another class of women. Those who play to madden him with desire, sexy and daring! And Natasha was not one of those! He would go out and talk to her for what she was, a friend, Steve thought sharply. As soon as the problem was passed, of course.

A few minutes later Steve had managed to calm down and leave, more relaxed, to his room. He looked at the bed and she was still there. She had put on the ponytail again, and her hair had once again become the crumb of old hair. She was looking the magazine he had left earlier and frowned. He knew her and knew exactly what she was reading. He sighed, relaxed. She was back to being the one he knew. He didn't know what that strange, sexy woman had looked like, but luckily for him it had disappeared. In front of him was the girl with whom he played basketball whenever they could, the one who accompanied him to watch football, the one that got him out of the mess, where she was usually the one who got him, and of which he was sure she knew each detail of his life. Whatever happened to her lately would disappear. Maybe it was the discovery that others saw her differently, which provoked that. But she had not changed and he did not want her to. And much less that changed their relationship.

"Nat, I have something to tell you," said Steve, approaching the bed.

"If it's what you did in the bathroom, save it!" Natasha said, immersed in what she was reading.

"It's not!" He blushed for a moment, until he realized that she was referring to another action that covered a basic need, for which the toilet was designed, not the one he had actually covered. He relaxed and smiled. It was a simple coincidence that his little problem emerged in front of her. And he just made it disappear.

"Well, tell me." Natasha said, putting the magazine aside.

"I wanted to talk to you about James." he said, sitting down on the bed in front of her.

"Again? What do you want to know now? We barely see each other; don't you think we'll sneak around or something?" she acknowledged thoughtfully. She didn't have the strength or desire for another argument.

"Quiet. We spent time together and I discovered that he is a good guy."

"How sexy!" she said sarcastically, disconcerting her friend. It had been a long time without controlling what she said and it had become normal that the only topic of talk were bad men and how bad they could become in the domain where it was allowed: the bed. But now she was not with the girls and she had to control herself. "What about him?"

"He told me that he likes you." he said calmly.

"That has been said a long time ago. What is the news?" she asked, not understanding where his friend was going.

"We knew that he thought you were pretty, now he has confirmed that he wants to know you more deeply." explained Steve as slowly and carefully as if he were talking to a retarded or a baby who is just beginning to speak.

"And?" Natasha said, losing her temper. If she could not bear to treat her like a fool, even less that he begged so much. It was clear that he thought he would scandalize her or something.

"Come on. All the girls at the university would kill for a chance with him and you don't even consider him. Don't you like him or you don't like men?" he teased, not sure he heard the answer.

"Oh sure. If everyone likes him I have to like him. By that overwhelming logic I should be naked under your sheets waiting for you and begging for you to make me yours, just like the whores that throw to you everyday.

Dammit! He was trying to see her as a boy even though she was clearly speaking that she was a woman with desires for other men. Why did she have to say that? "Naked under your sheets waiting for you and begging for me to become yours." It would not be easy to forget or ignore. But they were friends, and he had to joke like a cocky man who doesn't take anything seriously.

"You're halfway done. You're already in bed. Now all you need to do is take off your clothes and I'll do the rest." Steve joked, praying that their relationship would not be ruined for a sex joke.

"How lazy! We'll leave it for another day." continued Natasha with the joke. She had barely noticed that it was the first time they'd joked about sex between them. It was something so frequent in her day to day, that it didn't seemed different to her. She used to prick frequently with all the men she knew, being difficult, as they reproached her.

"So?" he asked, relaxed by the normality with which she had taken the joke.

"What?"

"What do you think of Bucky?" he wanted to know impatiently.

"Ahh! Can I be totally sincere?"

"Yes. Otherwise I would not ask."

"I've never spoken to you like that before, so it could sound strange." Natasha said skeptically.

"No problem. We are friends and we can tell each other everything." he said, smiling.

"Okay! Physically he's my type. But I have hardly had a chance to meet him. So I can't talk about his personality. But ... " she continued before he interrupted her "I'm one of those who think he has to attract you from the first moment. That when the time will pass you can start to love someone is bullshit. With time only care is achieved. If the chemistry is not given from the first moment, it will never be given.

"And is there chemistry between you two?" he asked calmly.

"Bucky doesn't go unnoticed but I really don't like being unable to say that I know him. But yes, he attracts me." Natasha confessed delicately.

"He will love to know." said Steve, smiling.

"If he finds out. Because you will not tell him and I don't know if I want him to know. I don't need a cupid. I have managed very well without you so far. Besides, I have some unresolved issues." she said, thinking that if Bruce could listened to the conversation, he would immediately execute her two friends. Although she was sure that if he could do such a thing, he would extend the sentence to all attractive heterosexual men. And everyone else, too.

"The gorilla is your boyfriend?" he asked grimly.

"T´challa? I'd like to." Nat teased, bursting into laughter. "What I meant is that I'm not into having a boyfriend. You know me, I've never had any - formal, she thought - And I'm not sure I want to have it. Besides, that has to be given, not planned. And I'm surprised that you agree. I thought that on the day that I have a boyfriend you would campaign against him, not in favor of being thrown out. So needy do you see me?" she snorted in a clown tone.

"I can't imagine you with a boyfriend at all. But if you have to have one, at least, he can be trustworthy" explained Steve relaxed.

"Trustworthy? What a shit cupid you are. Come on." she said, shaking his hair as she got up. "I'm going to be late."

"You take care yourself for me" he said, throwing himself on the bed.

"That's what I tell you! That I don't want to be aunt ahead of time." she joked, walking to the door. "Until Monday. I'll call you Sunday to see what's up, if I have any free space. Bye."

Natasha was surprised at how well Steve was taking on the changes that were emerging. He had not protested at the thought of one of his friends hovering over her and even encouraged her to become engaged. He had joked about sex and had not been uncomfortable, nor had anything broken in their friendship. It could be that she had been mistaken in hiding him how she really was with men. Maybe he could distinguish between how to deal with friends and with the rest.

Steve thanked heaven for not seeing her again until Monday. He had enough time to think about everything that had happened. His best friend was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He could not forget that image just inches from him. He had heard her joke about sex, talk about men, and behave like a woman. Safe and clear ideas. And it had been tremendously sexy. He seemed to be dealing with two different people, and he had all weekend to think what to do. Join them? No, that wasn't possible. Could the new disappeared or continue to ignore her existence? That was for the best, even if he has no idea how to do that.

After a sleepless night, Steve dawned, surprisingly cool. He had thought over and over about Natasha, James, and the gorilla at the club. Not to mention all the lotteries he had armed, imagining how many boyfriends she had or how they would have been. But then he had discarded it. Still Natasha, she had no experience in the field. And she herself had affirmed that night. It was stupid to be thinking about such things, he told himself before deciding to get some sleep.

When he got up and had breakfast, he could not avoid thinking about the same subject again. To clear up he stayed with James to play basketball for a while. And he wouldn't talk about Natasha.

He was making a movie in his head for nothing, he thought. That she was a woman and he would have ignored her so far, doesn't make her more attractive than the others. What was happening to him was that he was not ussed to such female behavior. If they were given more often they would get used to it and stop caring.

Natasha slept placidly more hours than she had slept in all that week. Luckily she had no classes and she was able to sleep, which she needed urgently. She did some homework, ate herself relaxed, and prepared for the night. She would need all her patience -which was too little- so she won't end up throwing a thousand things at the wealthy millionaire who had rented the place. She wanted to be hours before everything started to make sure everything would work out as it should and spent the afternoon adjusting to be perfect. When she arrived at the place she found it open, which only surprised her in part. The manager was as obsessive with perfection as she. No doubt her boss had been in charge of contracting two obsessive-compulsive on purpose so that every detail was solved before it could spoil the least.

"Sam, tell me at least that you slept in your house!" Natasha teased, approaching him.

"Yes, and I even showered and changed my clothes," he sneered, as if he'd made a sacrifice.

"What are you doing here so early?" she scolded him with a tender tone.

"I make an inventory of the things that are for the party. The things that are going to break, that is, everything! And what we will need tomorrow to open as always. "Sam explained, still looking at the papers in his hands. "And you?"

"I've been thinking about lowering the lights a little all day so that the place is not so empty, so I came to do some tests. And by the way, the inventory has been ready since last week! Stop with the stress!" Natasha said sympathetically. Sam sighed and looked away from his papers.

"Let's see those lights. I see you different." he said in surprise.

"I do not have a cleavage." Natasha said simply.

"Yes, that's it." he said nonchalantly, walking toward the light control.

Steve had stayed with his friends, like every weekend. He met with Sharon, like every weekend. And he got lost with her, like he did every weekend.

"Let's go to my place?" Almost asked Sharon.

"No. Later. "It's still early." Steve snapped, looking around as if looking for something better to catch his eye.

"So what do we do then?" she demanded.

"You can do whatever you want. I just saw someone who told me he would not go out today and there he is Entering "The Ritual"!" Steve exclaimed surprised before running off, leaving Sharon behind.

It had been hours since the party had started, and except for some mishap, everything was coming out perfect, but the bloody guy who had asked to make such an event, still didn't show. Natasha was even more furious than before. And she thought that wasn't possible. She asked everyone to come and tell her, as she should welcome him or a kick his ass, which is exactly what she wanted.

It couldn't be! One of the security guys accompanied James as she had asked to be dealt with Mr. Barnes. And to make sure it was him, running out of hope, she saw the man gesturing that this was the guy he was waiting for.

Natasha wasn't one to see surprise on her face, so she walk along the wide track, crossing the room almost completely to face him, face to face. A moment of tension earlier when they had met, both paralyzed, but she regrouped with a smile and did her job.

"Welcome, Mr. Barnes! I hope everything is to your liking." she repeated monotonously, making it clear that she did it very often and was no one special.

"Natasha?" James mumbled, looking her up and down.

"Natasha Romanoff at your service for one night. I think neither knew the other's last name. Or at least, I can assure you that I didn't. "

"I think I'm the cause of your work stress," James said more relaxed.

"You are!" she corroborated expressionlessly.

James hadn't recognized her when he saw her. He had stared at her because she was the most beautiful woman in the room. But the closer he got to her, the more he remembered that face of someone, and when she spoke he knew. Her face was no longer angelic, and although it was a pity, it was not reprehensible. Her eyes were striking causing all the attention to be gathered in them, marked with the makeup was impossible to stop looking at them. Her lips were barely colored; her cheekbones were marked without any artificial color visible. Everything made her green eyes two precious emeralds that everyone wanted to admire. And her red hair collected in two bunches on each side. Her image was flirty and neat. She wore a spice of Chinese kimono or a dress of that style, over black pants. These did not look good because the kind of toga reached below the knee. But it was tight-fitting and short-sleeved, which made him admire her curves and the perfection of her chest. But it was a turtleneck, with a small opening beneath a shoulder, typical of oriental clothing. Discreet and tremendously sensual. He had not been able to articulate words until she spoke.

"Anyway ..." Natasha drew his thoughts out with a sigh. "At least I can get revenge for the bad times you've put me through." she said with a smile.

"So you're a waitress here?" James asked, regaining his composure.

"I'm HR." she explained without emotion.

"Oh!" he said, proclaiming the merit of the feat. "Congratulations! Are you going to take advantage of the job to get back at me?"

"Don`t need to! I have better resources." she said with a malevolent smile.

"Should I ask for a bodyguard?" James asked, still laughing.

"Oh no! I would never hurt you physically." Natasha said, approaching him until she brushed her lips against his cheek and continued to his ear. "Sexual frustration is much more painful." she explained with a laugh before she turned to leave and perplexed.

Oh blessed God! Had he said that the dress, or whatever the hell it was, was discreet?

Watching her wiggle in front of him to leave, he began to notice how the pants made pressure on the area of the fly. That damn toga could not hold more than the small cuffs and the neck, exposing its velvety back and small waist. You could see much better the black tight pants that started very low on her hip and shaped all their curves. All the blood was accumulating to James in the same area and it seemed that it was going to explode. That damn garment was non-existent from behind and promised that sweet back would be soft to the touch And he wanted to prove it!

Natasha seemed to hear his thoughts because just before leaving the room, she turned and smiled wickedly. She knew in the state in which she had left him and cleared him with just a look that had been premeditated. That woman was diabolical and never in his life he had liked anyone more than in that moment, James swore.