Joe passed on tossing a dart, declaring he'd rather place bets with Bruce on who'd get what body part. Binh managed to plant one right on the left breast, bringing a roar of approval from the group.

"Nice," Hawkeye murmured. "Almost romantic, except for the potential blood loss."

"Funny, that's what my wife says too," Binh replied straight-faced, making everyone laugh.

"Your aim is too good; clearly you're not drinking enough," Tony announced, and waved Devil over to freshen up the glasses. Steve looked at the manikin, which now had two darts in it, and glanced at Bruce, who was blushing as he picked up his projectile.

"We all know this is misogynist and childish, right?" he murmured.

"All of which make it fun," Tony reminded him. "Come on, Bruce—out there we're polite and politically correct and in touch with our feelings. Here and now, we're channeling our inner sexist pigs!"

"Not a difficult task for some," Bruce shot back, but a small grin curled his lips and he allowed Thor to tie the blindfold. A quick flick and a second later, the dart was wobbling from a point between the manikin's eyes.

"There you go. I've always thought a woman's brain was the sexiest part of her."

"Dude, you need to get out more," Hawkeye sighed.

"Intelligence is a good thing, but it vanishes when other members stir," Thor added. "This I know well."

Next it was the Asgardian's turn, and Thor's dart flew straight and true . . . and far past the manikin all the way across the huge room to catch the edge of Angel's right wing, pinning her to the far wall as she gave a squeal of surprise. Instantly everyone leaped up from the table and crowded over to her offering apologies. Thor pulled the dart free and trailed a hand down her cheek, his gaze concerned.

"Valkyrie, are you injured? I apologize for my poor aim. I did not mean to clip your flight!"

"It's okay, I'm good," Angel gulped, managing a quick smile. "That was my fault, being in the line of fire like that."

"We've only got two more," Tony assured her, neatly tucking a five hundred dollar bill under one of the glasses on her tray. "After that, no more sharp objects, babe."

Angel smiled up at Thor even as she pocketed the bill. "I'm all about forgiveness!"

Tony's shot came closest to the bikini line on the manikin; below Steve's but not by much, and he waved away the good-natured jeering. "What's that? The sound of jealousy, yes?"

"All right Barton, your turn," Bruce murmured, and Tony snapped his fingers. Devil sauntered up with a small tray that held three drinks on it. "Before you try to shame us all with your target talent, you must drink one of these little beauties first. We have some Irish Poitin, or USA Everclear or Polish Spirytus, so pick and we'll see how good you are."

Steve held the blindfold as Hawkeye flashed a quick smile at Devil. "You pick, honey. I always did like drinking with a bad girl."

Devil chose the poitin and held it to his lips, tipping it down as Hawkeye drank amid cheers from the rest of the group. Steve tied the blindfold on as Hawkeye coughed, and when it was on, spun him quickly at Tony's nod.

"Oho! A true challenge to the master of arrows!" Thor called, waving over the un-chosen drinks and downing them himself with a quick belch. Hawkeye fought a wobble but his hands came up, moving in quick snaps; the hiss of feathers cut through the still air as the red dart, followed by six sleek black ones sang in their flight. Condoms popped loudly.

Steve found himself laughing; the six black darts formed a rough heart right at the manikin's crotch, with the red dart perfectly planted in the middle. At the table, the rest of the group gaped, then broke into applause, rising to cheer Hawkeye, who tore off his blindfold and grinned. He smiled like a naughty boy he was and crooked a finger at Devil, who came over to kiss him amid another roar of approval.

"Nice shooting," Steve told Hawkeye, who was blinking a bit.

"Th-thanks," came the reply. "Ooh. Need to sit."

Everyone made room for him and he dropped into his seat, rubbing his face. Tony leaned over, smirking. "I figured you'd have extra darts, so that's why the grain alcohol."

"Still won," Hawkeye pointed out. "Got a kiss out of it too."

"The night is young, Robin Hood," Tony shot back. "Very young."

After that the appetizers showed up, and Steve had to admit that the bacon puffs were terrific. He wondered if he could ask for the recipe for Lauren, and with a pang of guilt realized it was the first time he'd thought of her all night. He hoped she was okay, and wondered if he could sneak out and send her a quick text.

Before he could move though, Tony stood up again and clapped his hands for attention. "Appetizers come in all sorts," he announced, "So while we're working our way through these, a little cheesecake might be good too."

At that, a slender gold pole rose up from the floor, clicking into the ceiling socket. From the speakers, the sounds of Superfreak began to blare out, and Steve squeezed his eyes closed, feeling mortified for a moment. "Great. Cheesy and sleazy," he muttered under his breath as a long-legged woman in six inch gold platforms appeared in a cloud of green smoke and reached for the pole.

"Oh damn," Hawkeye muttered, leaning forward. "Legggggggs."

"Jeez Louise, that's one hell of a pair of gams," Joe agreed in a slightly strangled tone, and Steve risked opening his eyes to see the woman flash a perfect smile of even white teeth. He noticed the teeth belatedly, because the rest of the woman was striking. She was a brunette, with bright green eyes and sleek hair that flared around her high-cheekbones; although Steve knew he'd never met the woman, there was something vaguely familiar about her.

There were whistles and calls of appreciation, and the dancer took them in stride, swinging around the pole provocatively, her tiny green and gold bikini barely covering anything as the music reverberated through the room. Steve tried not to stare but it was difficult not to . . . appreciate some of her lascivious moves, particularly when she wrapped one leg around the pole and slithered in an arc of sensual grace.

"I swear I've seen her before," Steve murmured to no-one in particular.

Thor cocked his head, looking like a puzzled Labrador retriever. "Those legs . . . and eyes . . ."

Before he could say more, gunfire erupted.

For a few second nobody reacted, and then in a group Tony, Steve, Thor and Hawkeye rushed to the door, just reaching it when an explosion blew through it, sending Tony slamming back into the others. The music died, only to be replaced by yells and screams. Plaster sifted down, and the two cocktail waitresses shrieked, diving for the bar.

"Down!" Tony yelled, his voice hoarse but in charge. "Happy! We have a situation!"