—16—

Chloe woke with a start, eyes flying open. She glanced at the clock. It was only 4:00 in the morning. They'd barely been home from the gala for an hour and a half. Why in the world was she awake.

There was a thud down the hall and she sat up. Was someone in the apartment? Another light thud.

Holy shit, there's someone in the apartment. Is Oliver awake? Does he know? She looked around, panicking. All of her things were in Oliver's room except two: her robe and her tazer. What about her purse? Silently she cursed herself. She'd been so tired when she got in that she'd dropped it on the kitchen counter. She would have to get to it to use her phone to call the police. She suddenly wished she'd been spending the night in Oliver's room. She wouldn't feel so frightened right now if he were there.

Silently, she slipped out of bed and pulled on the robe, cinching the sash tight, as if it could somehow protect her. Opening the nightstand drawer as quietly as she could, she pulled out the tazer that she kept there—For exactly this situation, she reminded herself. It's weight in her hand calmed her slightly.

As quietly as she could, she crept down the hall, doing her best not to breathe loudly. Peering around the corner, she spotted a man's silhouette, leaning over what must be some sort of bag in the dark.

Squinting through the dark, she saw her purse on the bar just past him. He was facing the other way. If she could just get to it, and hold him off long enough to dial the number….

But just as she took another step out from the hallway, the man straightened up and looked straight at her. Chloe completely lost her head and shrieked, holding the tazer out in front of her. "Stay back!"

"Chloe!" the burglar raised his hands in alarm. Only it wasn't a burglar. It was—

"OLIVER!"

He felt along the wall and flipped a light switch, making Chloe's eyes hurt. She blinked them rapidly.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, her heart still pounding in her chest.

Oliver was looking at her like she was crazy. "Would you mind putting down the…jeez what is that, a light-saber?"

Chloe realized she was still holding it out in front of her and lowered her arms. "It's a tazer. I thought you were a burglar," she said sheepishly. "What are you doing?" she asked again, feeling totally stupid and suddenly flushing when she remembered the awkward car ride home that evening. She crossed her arms across her chest uncomfortably.

"I just got a call that I need to go to Metropolis for a few days. The plane's departing as soon as I get there. I didn't want to wake you so I was just going to leave a note.

Slowly, Chloe took in the fact that there was luggage behind him. He was dressed in a full suit, and had clearly showered since the gala. She had washed her face but was well aware that there were still flecks of gold paint left on her. She tightened her robe, feeling slightly stupid. She yawned deeply, exhaustion catching up with her now that the threat had passed. "Oh," she said, still feeling a bit sheepish. "Right."

Oliver was smirking at her. "So…you thought I was a robber. And your solution was to get out of bed and…taze me?"

He was making her tired. She sunk onto a bar stool. "I was trying to get to my cell phone." She gestured her purse.

He shook his head, laughing a little at her. "Chloe, do me a favor, if anyone ever does actually break into this place, especially if I'm not here, promise me that you'll stay in your room and lock the door?" He looked at her pleadingly.

Chloe frowned stubbornly. "I'm not going to sit around and panic while someone's intruding in my home."

Oliver sighed wearily, rubbing his hand over his face before glancing at the clock. "C'mere," he said, beckoning her to follow him back to his room. She stumbled tiredly after him, keeping a safe, arm's-length distance between them. In the room, he pointed to a small switch on a control panel on the wall. She had always assumed it was just for lights and thermostat control. "This," he said, "is a manual switch to flip the alarm. In the bizarre circumstance that someone is actually able to get past all the security in this building, and somehow get into the penthouse…" he stared at her and she felt a bit sheepish again, "hit this switch. You might as well sleep in here while I'm gone anyway," he shrugged. "All your stuff's in here. It will just make it easier on you."

Chloe nodded. "Thanks. I'll remember that."

"Good." Oliver shook his head as he walked out, muttering under his breath something about "pint-size" and "tazers."

Chloe watched him go, and then, too tired to drag herself back to the guest room, instead crawled into Oliver's bed and under the covers. She buried her face in his pillow and inhaled deeply. It smelled like his aftershave.

She was out in seconds.

A moment later, Oliver reappeared in the room. "And another thing, I—" he stopped short when he saw her and chuckled. He turned out the light and quietly closed the door behind him. He was getting to like that woman a bit too much.

"Chloe, honey, what are you doing today?"

Chloe's eyebrows went up. "Hi, Mrs.…I mean, Laura. Well, I'm at the office right now, actually."

"Chloe! On a Saturday!" Laura Queen chided lightly. "Oliver told me you were almost as much of a work-a-holic as he was."

"Hmm, he sets the bar pretty high," Chloe thought of Oliver's abrupt disappearance to Metropolis last night, and again of his late appearance to Dinah and A.C.'s wedding.

Laura sighed a little sadly. "Yes, he takes after his father that way. Anyway, what time will you leave today?"

"Well, I was going to finish up around noon and have some lunch."

"Wonderful, I'll pick you up at noon then."

"Wait, what?"

"Unless you have plans?"

"No, I just—"

"Great, I've got the most wonderful treat for you. A friend's cousin turned out to be this lovely pastry chef who studied in France, and she agreed to set up a taste-testing for us this afternoon."

"Taste-testing?"

"For the wedding, Chloe," Laura laughed.

Chloe nearly asked "Whose wedding?" before she realized Laura meant her wedding. "Oh!" she said instead, genuinely surprised. "Well…sure, I guess." There really wasn't any polite way to back out of this, and she realized that now that she and Oliver had committed to this farce for so much longer, at least some semblance of a wedding would have to be put together. I suppose I should e-mail Vera. And have Edward start making some lists of contacts. She would, of course, pay everyone for their services even once they cancelled. My own personal attempt to boost the economy, she thought wryly.

"Oh, wonderful. I can't wait to see you. I'll see you at noon, then, sweetheart. Don't spoil your appetite!"

"Okay, Laura," Chloe agreed. "I'll see you then."

She hung up and buzzed Edward. He appeared almost instantly, a questioning look on his face.

"I'm going to meet the Queen Mother this afternoon," she sighed. "And I'm going to need coffee so I don't seem like something the cat dragged in."

Edward made a delighted noise and clapped enthusiastically. "Wonderful. What are you doing with her?"

"Private cake-tasting."

"Ooh yum. I can't wait to go pick your outfit downstairs."

"Edward, I don't need an outfit. I'm dressed."

Edward glanced over his shoulder and looked her up and down. "Oh yes you do."

Chloe frowned and looked down. She looked fine.

Looking fine didn't stop Edward and Mia from having a field day dressing Chloe in samples from various designer's lines. Chloe might have protested more, being as tired as she was, but they kept a steady flow of coffee coming her way, so what did she care? She had a vague feeling that there was more important things she could be doing in the office, but she didn't much care. After two late nights in a row, she just didn't have energy left to be worried.

Besides, she thought, things have been going surprisingly well. Perhaps the universe was trying to prove something to her, or maybe she was just lucky. But even with all the time she'd taken off this summer, and even with all the distractions dealing with Oliver and her family lately, the magazine was running just as smoothly as ever. She'd always been so hesitant to let anything go slack, but the evidence was plain that nothing had suffered in her absence. It wasn't that she didn't feel needed. There was still plenty for her to do, and she'd been kept plenty busy. It was just that it was evident that the publication that she had rebuilt from the ground-up had become self-stabilizing. Everyone knew what needed to get done and it always got done. She looked at Edward and Mia, who were approving her current outfit—an ivory blazer with a gold cotton blouse and dark wash blue jeans. She knew that Edward, now helped persistently by the ever-more-useful Mia was largely owed for Whistle's success. She made a mental note to give him a raise and a holiday bonus. And when Mia got out of college, she had every intention of offering her a full-time job.

It was nice, she decided as she took a sip of coffee, knowing that she was allowed to have a personal life, and that her life's work would survive. It was good having people that she could count on.

"Well, what do you think?" Mia asked eagerly.

Chloe sighed and set down the coffee. She stepped in front of the mirror. She turned to the left and then the right. "Yes," she smiled. "This will work."

"Excellent," Mia said cheerfully. "I'm getting good at this shit," she congratulated herself before heading toward the elevator.

Chloe watched her go and looked at Edward. He shrugged. "It's true. She picked this one out. I just found the shoes to match," he smirked, holding up a pair of ivory peep-toes.

She took them from him, grinning. "Thanks. Maybe I won't give her your job just yet."

Edward looked unfazed. "Just don't forget: She still can't get the espresso machine to work."

Chloe laughed. "You're right. Your job is definitely safe."

"You'd better get going," Edward said, glancing at his watch. "It's nearly time."

"Right," Chloe said. "You know the drill. Anything dire—"

"—gets put through directly to your cell phone. Anything else we either handle ourselves or push through to Monday for you to deal with personally. I know, love. I've steered the ship before." He winked at her and Chloe smiled.

"How's Darren, by the way?"

Edward offered his arm, steering Chloe toward the elevator. "He's fine. Visiting his mother in Monterrey."

"How thrilling. Have you met her yet?"

Edward looked embarrassed.

"You have! For God's sake, I'll be attending your wedding next I suppose."

He turned bright red and she gasped.

"I WAS KIDDING!"

Jeez, even my assistant is getting married before me, Chloe thought miserably.

"Is everything all right, Chloe, dear? You seem a bit put out."

Chloe looked at Laura across the table from her. "I'm sorry, Laura, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind."

"I'm exhausted, myself," Laura admitted. "That was a late night last night. I can't imagine how the boys must be feeling."

"Boys?"

"Robert took off this morning with Oliver. Such a tragedy."

Chloe looked confused.

"Didn't Oliver tell you?"

Chloe shook her head, feeling awkward. What was she supposed to know here? She lied quickly to cover for them both. "He didn't want to wake me, just left a note saying he'd call this evening."

Laura nodded. "Of course. Well, Chloe, last night one of our board members in Metropolis woke to find that her husband had died of an aneurism in his sleep. She just lost her son last summer, too. Car crash. Poor thing."

"Oh my God, how awful."

"I know it. Robert and Oliver both rushed out as soon as possible, of course. They're taking care of her right now. Robert's always cared so much about the people we work with. Board member or janitorial staff, he'd rush halfway around the world for them. And he's raised Oliver to be the same way. I remember last summer, Marian practically shipped Oliver out via Federal Express, just so he wouldn't miss the Curries' wedding on her account."

Chloe stared. "That's why he almost missed the wedding? A board member lost her son?"

Laura frowned. "Yes, of course. What did he tell you?"

"I—" Chloe broke off, shaking her head. "Nothing, I just…I didn't realize."

Laura took a sip of her water. "Well, we both know it would have to be pretty serious to take him away from his best friend's wedding like that."

Chloe was blushing hotly. Why hadn't he just said that at the wedding? Because he knew you were too busy judging him, a little voice inside her head whispered. And because he didn't want to bring any dark clouds over Dinah and A.C.'s special day. You don't talk about death at a wedding.

"Enough of this," Laura chided herself. "I didn't invite you over to be gloomy. I invited you over to have chocolate eclairs," she said, taking a little bite. "No reason for us girls to be lonely just because the men are away. What do you think?"

Chloe looked down at the miniature pastry sitting before her, lifted it with her finger and took a bite of it. It was heavenly. A light, flaky, buttery pastry surrounding creamy, smooth custard, and melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate topping it off. "Oh my god it's perfection. Forget cake. We'll just have these." When the wedding was cancelled, she'd keep the pastries to comfort her in her loneliness. Lois could join in.

Laura laughed. "I agree. This is definitely going on the list. Have you put much thought into the kind of food you'd like to serve? I was thinking an entire dessert table. We could do a chocolate fountain if you like, but I'd rather not. As much as I love them—"

"You always end up with chocolate on your outfit. Me, too," Chloe laughed. "Maybe just chocolate covered strawberries instead. No mess that way."

"Perfect," Laura said, jotting down a couple of notes on the pad of paper she had with her. "Chocolate covered strawberries and definitely the eclairs."

"Madame?" a voice asked from the entry to the dining room.

"We're ready," Laura said, smiling. Amelie, the chef's assistant, then entered the room fully, carrying a large tray.

"I 'ave here some of ze cakes. Did you enjoy ze collection of pastries?" Amelie asked in excellent English, considering she was French.

"They were superb. You must give Claudette our compliments. This is a rare treat," Laura gushed.

"And ze bride?" Amelie asked, smiling at Chloe.

Chloe blushed at being addressed that way, but still grinned. "Absolutely phenomenal. The eclairs were our favorite."

"Fantastic. I shall inform Chef." She set down a platter of individual sized cakes, and whisked away the near-empty platter of pastries.

"I have to admit," Chloe beamed, "this is not how I pictured spending my day."

The small table, which had been set with a white linen table cloth, fine China, and polished silver, now held the platter of cakes, each iced or or smothered in whipped cream or fruit compote, a small toothpick with a label sticking out of them. They looked completely delicious.

Laura looked utterly delighted. "I know! I was so charmed when Marie mentioned her cousin was a pastry chef. When I told her my son was getting married, she insisted on setting something up. And what perfect timing with the boys leaving last night. It's nice to have company," she said happily, lifting a plate off of the tray. "What say we try something a little lighter first. Angel food cake with blueberry compote," she read off of the little card.

Trying not to feel guilty, Chloe lifted an identical plate and placed it in front of her.

"What do you think?" Laura asked.

"I think it's delicious."

"But is it what you want for your wedding?"

Chloe paused. It was such a direct question, but no one had ever asked her that before. What did she want for her wedding? Her future, perfect dream wedding that had a real groom?

She shook her head. "It's good, but I think I want something more…."

"Chocolatey?" Laura asked, lifting her eyebrows conspiringly.

Chloe smirked and nodded.

"But maybe we could have little bits of angel food cake on the dessert table," she said thoughtfully, taking another small bite. "It is delicious. Very summery though? When were you two thinking as far as dates were concerned? I can't get Oliver to give me a straight answer. He just keeps saying it's all up to you."

Chloe couldn't help smiling. She thought for an answer carefully. "I was thinking, maybe late spring would be good. Before it gets too hot." And well after Jimmy and Kara's wedding.

Laura nodded. "I always think long engagements are smart. There's time to plan everything and do it just the way you want."

Chloe smiled. It was a shame that Laura and Oliver were a package deal. If only she could choose a fiance and a mother-in-law separately. She'd always thought that Lois was getting the ultimate prize in the in-law department, but Laura and Robert Queen were right up there, really.

"Oh, Chloe, try this one!" She pulled the card out of the cake before Chloe could read it and let her try it.

Chloe took a bite and gasped. "Oh my God."

"I know."

"Is that…coffee?"

Laura nodded. Between layers of buttery yellow cake was a layer of coffee mousse, and on top was a layer of light chocolate, whipped frosting.

"I don't need to try anything else. This is perfection."

Laura laughed. "Don't tell them that, they might take the tray away! And anyway, you can have more than one layer of flavor, you know."

Chloe laughed as well. "Good point. You're right. I'm going to need to try all of them."

One week later Chloe was feeling guiltier than ever, but she'd also been talking to Laura Queen all week, which was a little too much fun.

"All right, Laura," she said into her cell phone. "Yes, we'll talk later. No I just got home. Yes, I think that sounds lovely." She hung up and set her phone on the counter.

"Been talking to my mother?"

Chloe shrieked and turned around. "Oliver! For the love of God, DON'T DO THAT!"

Oliver was lying on the sofa with his hands behind his head, looking amused.

"When did you get back?" she asked. He'd been gone all week. He phoned a couple of times to check in with her, make sure she was sleeping in his room, etc., but other than that, she hadn't even known when to expect him home.

"Just a couple of hours ago," he said, getting up. "Dad's finishing things up in Metropolis and he'll take the jet home tomorrow morning."

"The jet?" Chloe asked faintly. She was well-off, considered herself in the upper class as far as the economy went, but she kept forgetting that Oliver was just…loaded.

"Yeah, I rode home commercial so he could take the jet when it was convenient. Told him I had to get back for tonight."

"What's tonight?"

He laughed. "Hey, I promised a night on the town, and a night on the town you shall have."

Chloe suddenly remembered Oliver's promise to spend the night 'having fun' with her. "Oh, Oliver, you didn't have to come back for that. You should have stayed!"

Oliver gave her a look. "Relax, Sullivan. My dad's got it taken care of. I did what I could, but according to him I have 'obligations to my fiance' or something." He winked at her.

Chloe wasn't fooled. "Is she okay?"

"What?"

"The woman on the board. Your mother told me she lost her husband."

"Oh." Oliver paused. Marian Solsvig was a lovely woman who was proof the bad things happen to good people. As if it hadn't been difficult enough that she lost her son in a car wreck earlier that year, to lose her husband so suddenly was just unfair. But Oliver and Robert had been looking out for her all week, and her nephew had arrived from New Zealand the other day to take care of her. She was a woman of faith and seemed to be taking things in stride, although Oliver could tell she was lonely. She'd been so charmed when Robert told her that Oliver was engaged. It was the happiest he saw her the whole week and she'd spent the rest of the visit asking Oliver all about Chloe. Since it made her happy, Oliver had obliged. When he left that morning, Marian had said the oddest thing.

"Be sure you don't let that girl get away. You downplay it, but I can tell you love her. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about her."

Oliver had mumbled something in response, and she had given him a warning look.

"I mean it, Oliver. I can tell you're not expecting it to last—whatever you may say in front of your father—but you need to hold onto that girl. From what you've told me, she's something special. And people shouldn't go through life alone."

He looked at Chloe. "She's doing fine. Some of her family arrived yesterday so she won't be so lonely for a while. She's a strong woman, I think. So what were you doing with my mom?"

Chloe blushed guiltily. "Planning our wedding. It started with a cake tasting and I thought 'Where's the harm?' and then cake tasting turned into color schemes which turned into table settings which turned into interviewing caterers…it got a little out of hand. She's commandeered Edward and completely booked me for the next couple of months. I've got dress shopping to do and venues to look at. I think she wants to hire a wedding planner…I feel so bad!" she groaned, plopping onto the bar stool.

Oliver shrugged. "Well, at least it's going back into the economy."

She laughed. "That's what I decided!"

"Never mind planning a fake wedding. You have obligations to your fake fiance tonight," Oliver said, pulling her off the stool and dragging her down the hall. He shut her in the bedroom and told her through the door, "Wear something sexy!"

"Where are we going?" Chloe asked curiously.

"I'm not telling."

She heard him vanish down the hall. "Hmmph," she grunted. She was tired. Part of her really didn't want to go out. But part of her was a little excited. Wear something sexy. Well, why the hell not? "CAN I WEAR JEANS?" she called through the door.

"YES!" he called unnecessarily from outside, mimicking her volume.

She stuck out her tongue at the door. "Well fine then," she muttered. "I will." She grinned, going over to the closet where all of her things were hanging. She pulled down a pair of designer jeans and a white halter with a low cowl-neck that hung down to her navel. Then she fished in her underwear drawer for a gold lace bandeau bra to wear underneath. He wanted sexy, he was going to get sexy.

"So have you seen the tabloids?" Oliver called from the kitchen while she finished getting dressed.

Chloe blushed. Oh, she'd seen them. "Why?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"The city's obsessed with us. Calling us the 'golden couple' again."

"Funny." Chloe had been followed by the photos all week. Everywhere she turned, every news stand in the city was a display of her and Oliver dressed in their costumes from last weekend. "Golden Couple," "Golden Kiss," "Golden Engagement," were splayed across the cover of each and every one. Edward and Mia kept leaving them lying around the office, and she had finally succumbed to reading one of them. It had a full page shot of her and Oliver kissing on one side, and a close up in the corner with an article about how she and Oliver were the perfect couple and Star City's hope for the future, etc. The way they talked about her and Oliver…it was like the city owned them. People wanted to know everything about their personal lives, even if it was completely fictional, and somehow, Chloe found she didn't mind. It was endearing that she and Oliver were being portrayed as one of the people, somehow representative of the city's happiness. She knew it mostly had to do with Oliver taking over his father's company, but they tied her into it, too. His support system, his happiness.

And that kiss. Even she had to admit the photo made it look hot. Hell, who am I kidding? It was hot. She could still feel it all the way down to her toes. Oliver was many things she hadn't considered when she first met him, and good kisser was definitely one of them. Maybe it had just been way too long since the last time she was kissed by a man. She rolled her eyes at herself. "Like I've forgotten the difference between a good kiss and a bad kiss," she muttered, pulling the top over her head. She wiggled into the jeans and zipped them up. She eyed herself in the mirror, twisting from one side to another. She had to admit, she liked herself in gold. It was a good color on her. She hadn't realized quite how much until last weekend.

She looked at her assortment of shoes and then poked her head out the door. "Am I going to be on my feet much?"

Oliver had a slice of cold pizza in his mouth and tore off a bite. "Yes," he said thickly through his mouthful of food.

Pouting, Chloe returned to the closet and ignored her stilettos for a pair of flats instead. When she walked out of the room, Oliver was washing down the pizza with a glass of water. He stopped when she appeared. "Damn, Sullivan," he shook his head. "You look good."

Chloe blushed. "Thanks." She looked him over. "You're going to—"

"Change? Yeah. Just waiting on you." He put the water glass by the sink and vanished to his room. Moments later he rematerialized, wearing jeans with a button down, the sleeves rolled up and top few buttons undone. "There," he said. "We match."

Chloe raised her eyebrow. His linen shirt had gold embroidered detail on the left side. "You're pathetic. People are going to think you're whipped."

"Too much?"

Chloe nodded, suppressing a giggle.

"You're the fashionista," he shrugged, but Chloe could tell he was just trying to make her laugh. Minutes later he was wearing another shirt, this one a solid dark brown.

"So where are we going?" Chloe asked as he got his keys and leather jacket.

"The garage."

Chloe snorted, following him out the door. "And after that?"

"I told you it's a surprise."

"I hate surprises."

"I guessed as much."

Chloe rolled her eyes. Oliver led her through the garage and stopped.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"I am not getting on that thing."

Oliver smirked. "Scared, Chloe?"

She glared at him. "I don't trust you."

"Oh, come on." Oliver said, straddling the bike and revving the engine. "Live a little."

She remembered once thinking that all Oliver needed was a mustache to twirl and he'd be the spitting image of the devil. It was true. He'd clearly been sent into this world to either tempt or kill her, whichever happened first.

Full of misgivings, Chloe nimbly mounted the bike and slipped on the leather jacket when he handed it to her. She hugged herself tightly to Oliver, trying not to squeal as he slowly rode them out of the garage. She knew he'd never let her live it down if she did.

All thoughts of dignity got lost in the wind when he took off on the highway. She shrieked and clung to him as tightly as possible, burying her face in his shoulder and squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "OH MY GOOOOOOD!"

Oliver laughed. "Relax!" he yelled over his shoulder. "You're safe!"

It wasn't for a good ten minutes that Chloe finally believed him enough to peak over his shoulder. They were clearly heading out of the city. "Where are we going!" she called loudly in his ear.

"The airport!"

"WHAT?"

Oliver just laughed and Chloe groaned. They were flying somewhere? Really? She hadn't even packed an overnight bag just in case. What if she needed something? Or they got stuck somewhere. But as far as Oliver was concerned, this was a healthy dose of spontaneity for her.

They pulled into a private airport and Oliver had to help peel Chloe away from him, she'd been holding on so tightly. She muttered something about horses.

"What?" he asked chuckling.

"I'm just remembering my pathetic attempts to ride horses at Calrk's farm. No good at that, no good at this."

"Hey, clearly you survived both."

Chloe just narrowed her eyes at him. "For goodness' sake would you tell me where we're going? I can't take this."

Oliver sighed. "Fine, if you must know, we're going to a small city out on the coast."

Chloe just looked confused. "Why? And wait, how are we getting there?"

"Plane, duh."

"I thought your father had the jet."

"He does. We're taking the other, smaller one."

He said it completely casually, heading toward a 8 passenger plane with a large Q stamped on the side. Chloe stared after him in disbelief. "Oh," she mumbled in an inaudible mocking voice. "The other one. Naturally."

Once they were in the air, Oliver started fixing Chloe a cocktail at the mini-bar, and Chloe looked out the window.

"Oliver?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"You know you're spoiled rotten, right?"

He shrugged. "I know."

"Just so we're clear."

"Gotcha."

"So why did we have to leave town? Where are we going?"

"A club."

Chloe turned to look at him like he'd lost it. "We had to leave town…to fly out of town…for a club?" she demanded. "Are you out of your mind?"

He handed her the drink. "No. I'm just more clever than you. You're tired of being hounded by the paparazzi, so I'm taking us somewhere where we won't be expected or recognized. The only ones who are expecting us are air traffic control, and as far as they're concerned, we're one of my father's partners borrowing his jet for business purposes."

She stared at him, beginning to see the genius of his plan. She sipped her drink.

"Admit it. I'm a genius."

"You're substantially less of a neanderthal than I thought you were," she allowed.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"As you should," she winked, leaning back in her seat to look out the window. There was definitely a benefit to this compared to her usual mode of travel. Sure, first class was nice, but it was still commercial. She still had to deal with luggage and waiting around in terminals and crying babies like every other passenger. And she had yet to meet a flight attendant who could make a cocktail as well as Oliver Queen.

At a small, private airport outside of a small, private town, there was a car waiting for Oliver and Chloe with dark tinted windows. Chloe was actually excited when they pulled up by the club, a vintage speak-easy with a dance floor on the upper level that had a view of the beach. It had been such a long time since she'd been out just as a regular person. These days she was always picking her itinerary as a place to be seen or a way to promote something. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gone somewhere just for the hell of it. And she couldn't wait to be unrecognized, just another woman in a bar.

Oliver had a light hand on her bare lower back as he escorted her inside, and he left her at a tall table to get them both drinks. She rested her chin on her hand and looked around. Although most of the dancing was upstairs, there was a dance floor and music playing here as well, clearly a Saturday night standard for a bar that was overflowing with the weekend crowd. She'd only been sitting there for a moment when someone approached.

"Wanna dance?"

She almost expected to see Oliver when she turned her head, but it wasn't him. Standing in front of her was a cute 20-something with a popped collar on his red polo and a cocky grin. Chloe grinned back. Why the hell not? He clearly had no idea who she was. "Sure," she said, getting down from the stool.

His over-confident smile faltered when he spotted her ring. "Sure you're fiance won't mind?" he asked, glancing around.

"Definitely not," Chloe laughed, imagining the absurdity of Oliver getting jealous of her dancing with someone. It was almost ludicrous.

It was also exactly what happened. Oliver didn't know what to think. He returned with a tray of shots for him and Chloe and could only stare in confusion. He wasn't confused about Chloe dancing with someone else. He was confused about how it made him feel.

I took her out to show her a good time and that's what she's having, Oliver told himself, leaning against the table and watching her. So why the hell wasn't I picturing her having a good time with other guys? That's the biggest benefit of no one recognizing her here. She doesn't have to be attached to me.

His gut was squirming. He had no right, none whatsoever to be bothered by this. So why was he? He remembered what Marian had said about him and Chloe before he left Metropolis. He had assumed she was just one of the many fooled by their act, thinking he and Chloe were hopelessly in love. But had Marian seen something he hadn't? Was it possible that Oliver had feelings for Chloe?

He swallowed nervously, checking his phone for something to do, the music throbbing with his pulse and Chloe's hips.

I like her all right, he thought. She's a great person. And I'm attracted to her…I mean she's beautiful and nice. Of course I'm attracted to her.

So why was it so impossible that maybe he had a…thing for her? He'd assumed when he first met her that she wasn't his type. The more he got to know her, the more the excuses dwindled. All right, so I've got a crush on her. That makes everything a little more complicated. But that doesn't mean I can afford to get confused. This whole thing with Chloe is going to go on a few months longer than expected, but it's going to come to an end. She needs to find somebody and I have no right to trap her into something just because I can't keep my hormones in check.

He was barely finishing the last thought when the source of his problems appeared by his side, eyes sparkling. "Is one of those for me?" she asked, sitting down.

Oliver grinned. "Three of them are for you."

"Fantastic," Chloe said, sitting down across from Oliver, who finally settled into his seat as well. She reached across from him and grabbed the salt shaker.

"What happened to your boyfriend?" Oliver asked, training his voice to sound casual.

"What? Oh—popped collar guy. He's gone to hit on someone else's fiance now," she laughed, wiggling the fingers on her ring hand in front of Oliver. "You know, this thing is great for warding off men. I can have fun with no expectations. It's awesome."

Oliver laughed, passing her a shot and a lime wedge. "Poor bastard," he said. He licked his wrist and salted it, watching Chloe do the same. "But no expectations—I'll drink to that," he proposed, raising one of the shots in the air. Together, they both tipped back the tequila, Chloe wincing as she grabbed a lime wedge and Oliver smacking his lips before following suit. "Having fun yet?" he teased.

Chloe faked a heavy sigh. "Not really. I mean, it's going to require a few more shots before I can get over the fact that I'm stuck here with you," she shot him a mischievous look.

"Oh, well, excuse me! Didn't mean to cramp your style!" Oliver joked.

Chloe laughed, reaching to take the salt-shaker back from him. She licked her wrist and sprinkled it with salt, but just as she was about to take the shot from the tray, he stopped her. He took the shot glass from her fingers, hand wrapped around her forearm, he covered the pulse point of her wrist with his mouth. She squirmed at the feel of his tongue on her skin, face growing hot. His eyes met hers as he slowly sucked on her skin before knocking down the shot. Finally, he released her arm and grabbed a lime wedge instead, eyebrows raised in challenge.

Getting over her sudden discomfort, Chloe grinned. "Fine, if that's how we're playing it." She imitated Oliver's actions, licking his wrist before salting it, sucking on it again before letting go to take the shot. She didn't meet his eyes as her tongue darted out quickly to get the salt off his wrist, and Oliver was enjoying the red flush in her cheeks, obvious even in the dim lighting of the bar. Flagging the waiter he indicated that they wanted another set of shots as he and Chloe both took their third from the current tray, emptying it except for the glass of lime wedges. Trying to act more risque than she felt, Chloe offered Oliver her wrist again, daring him to do it again. Quirking an eyebrow, he acquiesced. She suppressed a shiver as she watched him suck on her pulse point a second time. He salted it, licked it again and took his last shot.

Chloe could feel herself growing warm from the tequila already. He offered her his hand, and she pressed her lips together as she held his arm. Instead of his wrist she licked the side of his thumb and Oliver started to wonder what he'd been thinking when he started this.

So much for not letting my hormones screw us both over, he thought warily.

A few shots later, Oliver ignored Chloe's proffered wrist and pulled her out of the chair toward him.

Note to self, the remaining sober part of him thought, I cannot be trusted with Chloe when I drink tequila. The alcohol was buzzing in his brain, making Chloe's skin far too appealing for her own good.

Chloe's stomach flipped as he pulled her toward him. She suddenly remembered going out with Katherine's wedding party…the last time she and Oliver had been drinking tequila together. She remembered dancing with him—and a mad desire to feel his lips on her shoulder. Later in the night, when they'd both gotten much more drunk, he'd actually done it, like he sensed what she wanted. Now, as if the sense memory had returned to him, too, he met her eyes for a brief second before dipping his head down to suck on her shoulder. He salted it before dragging his tongue across it and Chloe actually shivered in response. His hand had settled on her hip and she watched him up close while he downed his shot and then sucked on the lime wedge.

She narrowed her eyes. He was doing this on purpose. Trying to prove what a big shot womanizer he was. She wasn't about to let him get the best of her. Looking up at him through her lashes, she pressed two fingers to his temple, gently encouraging him to tip his head to the side. Not waiting for him to react, she leaned into him and licked his neck, the smell of tequila mingled with cologne flooding her senses. She missed his expression of shock as she sprinkled salt on his neck and licked it again before taking her shot. She forgot about the lime wedge and brought her lips back to his ear. "I wanna dance," she said decidedly, leaving him and heading for the stairs to the upper level.

Oliver watched her go, swallowing tightly. His eyes followed her to the stairwell, where she gave him a look that asked "Well? Aren't you coming?"

Damn, he thought. I am in so much trouble.

He grabbed the last shot of tequila on the table and downed it, shaking his head before following after her.