Chapter 2:

An hour into the night and chaos was already starting to erupt in the club. The club's head of security, John Diggle, had called in extra staff for the evening anticipating problems because of the faulty computer system. Luckily, Oliver's connection at the Starling City Bank hooked him up with a pair of ATM machines that they now had stationed at the back of the club. Not being able to use their Black Label Amex cards was definitely turning into an issue for Starling City's one percenters. A few were even annoyed that they had to pay cash for their drinks at all. John tried his best to diffuse all potential problems and politely offered any offended quest a credit if they wanted to come back to the club on another night. Offering disgruntled patrons a two hour Happy Hour Plan for a future date was Oliver's idea and it had gone over well. Not only did most of the people decide to stay at the club, for the rest of the evening, without complaints, after receiving the Happy Hour credit it also ensured that they would be back again, with more guests in tow, to spend more money.

Diggle went up to the office to put the list of guests receiving Happy Hours on his bosses' desk and found Oliver hunched over his computer. His suit jacket was thrown haphazardly over the back of his chair, several coffee cups littered the desk, and Oliver looked positively frustrated.

Diggle sighed, "Oliver, everything is fine downstairs. The Happy Hour Gift Certificates were a great idea and everyone is happy. Go enjoy yourself. Laurel's party started 45 minutes ago."

Oliver bolted out of his desk chair and checked his watch. Shit. He had totally lost track of time obsessing over the computer system. "Thanks, Digg, you're a life saver. Laurel would have had my ass if I was any later."

"Anytime, man!" Diggle smiled and patted his friend's back. "You really need to relax a little, Oliver. Forget about all the club issues and just go downstairs and have fun with your friends."

Internally, Oliver grimaced but nodded his head at Dig and started to make his way down to the private room where Laurel's party was being held. "John, I told you that you didn't need to work tonight. You were invited to Laurel's party too. She specifically called me about 10 times to make sure that you were not on the schedule so that you could come and enjoy yourself."

Diggle laughed, "Why are you so scared of that little girl, Oliver? She wouldn't hurt a fly."

Oliver looked at Diggle with a raised eyebrow. "You're underestimating her, John. Believe me, once you've been around long enough she will stop being polite and will make sure you fall in line with the rest of us!"

"She does seem to like to boss you and Tommy around."

Oliver stopped out front of the room where the party was and leveled John with a look. "You have no idea!"

Digg laughed. "Tell Laurel I just want to check on a few of our security points and I'll be in shortly."

Before Oliver entered the room he yelled to his friend, "I would run, Digg! Run very, very fast!"

After Sara and Felicity left Sara's SUV with the valet service they walked to the front of the line to the VIP Entrance and were met with a wall of pissed off people.

"Is it always like this?" Felicity asked sounding a little frightened.

Sara shook her head. "No, never. I have no idea what's going on."

Just then Sara saw a familiar dark head moving his way through the crowd. She threw her hand up in the air and started shouting for John.

John heard his name and turned in the girl's direction when he saw the familiar blonde. His face broke out in a smile and he pushed himself through the crowd to get to the girls.

Felicity stuttered in disbelief. "Holy shit, Sara! That's Digg? That's the Digg you've been telling me about? The Digg who knocks on your door late at night and does naughty things to you?"

Sara gave her a satisfied smile and nodded.

Felicity smacked her playfully to the arm. "Lucky bitch!"

John finally made his way through the crowd, wrapped his beautifully muscled arms around Sara's waist, hauled her up to eye level, and then captured her lips in a smoldering kiss. When they finally broke apart Felicity heard him whisper, "hey, baby!" Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered something in his ear that Felicity didn't catch. John groaned at whatever she said and finally put her down.

Sara grabbed Felicity's arm and pulled her forward to introduce her to John. John politely said hello and then puts his arms around both the girls and pushed his way through the crowd. The girls were firmly clasped into John's body and they had to each wrap their arms around his waist to keep from falling.

John squeezed them both tight and broke out into a mile. "I love my job! Got a beautiful lady under each arm!"

Sara laughed and pinched his stomach. John leaned down and kissed the top of her head and Felicity decided that they are probably the cutest couple she had ever seen. She couldn't wait to get more information about their relationship from Sara.

They finally made it through the crowd and the girls separated themselves from their giant escort. They both had to smooth down their clothing and hair that was ruffled during the push through the crowd.

"What the hell is going on?" Sara asked John.

John sighed and gave her an answer but Felicity was positioned right in front of a speaker and couldn't really make out what he had said. She thought she heard the words "douchebag" and "credit card" but she wasn't completely sure what that meant.

John pointed the girls in the direction of the private room where the party was being held and told Sara that he'd be back once he had the situation at the front door under control.

John took a few steps and turned back around and grabbed Sara's arm. "Oh, and Sara, whatever you do; do not tell Oliver about the situation at the front door." He gave her arm one last squeeze and then walked away.

"Oliver Queen, I demand that you get that pensive expression off your face and have a good time. This is my birthday party and I want everyone to be as happy as I am," Laurel Lance decreed as she forced Oliver to take a glass of champagne. "One glass is not going to kill you, Oliver. I have absolutely no idea how you became so boring."

"Well, breaking your back and living at a rehab facility for 6 months will do that to you," Oliver answered acerbically.

Laurel had the decency to look apologetic and she placed her hand on his arm, "Ollie, that was not meant as an insult and you know it. I'm so proud of the man you've become and the things you've done with your life since the accident. But that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to have fun at your best friend's birthday party." She slid closer to him and wrapped a friendly arm around his shoulder. "Come on, have a glass of champagne, eat some of this ridiculously expensive food that Tommy paid for, dance with a girl, have a little light-hearted conversation. Just relax and enjoy. I promise you won't regret it!" Laurel placed a light kiss on his cheek and moved to the other side of the room to greet her sister who just walked in the door.

Oliver took a small sip of the champagne Laurel handed him and grimaced. He stopped a waiter that was walking by and handed him the glass. "Bring me a glass of Scotch, please." If he was going to be stuck at the party he was going to at least indulge in one good drink to relax a little.

Maybe Laurel and Tommy were right. Was he working too hard? Taking himself too seriously? After his accident he had made a promise to himself that he would stop being an irresponsible trust fund baby that cared about nothing but having a good time and his own satisfaction. He wanted to make his parents proud of him and that meant standing on his own two feet and carving his own path in life. He had stopped drinking in excess and instituted a self-imposed ban on woman. He needed to learn to respect himself and others in order to be a better person.

But maybe there was a happy medium. Maybe it didn't have to be all work and no play. Maybe it could be mostly work and a little play. He had good friends that respected his decisions and loved him unconditionally. It was possible that it was time for him to appreciate them a little more and let himself enjoy the time they spent together.

Oliver accepted his drink from the waiter just as Tommy walked up next to him and slung an arm over his shoulder. "What's this? Is that drink in your hand or are my eyes deceiving me?"

Oliver smirked. "You're a funny guy, Tommy!" Then he smiled at his friend and shrugged. "Decided that I was going to stop worrying and relax with a drink. I think I can handle one every once in a while."

Just then Tommy looked over as Laurel was saying hello to her sister who had just walked in with an unfamiliar blonde bombshell. "Well, hello there, new-girl Barbie!"

Oliver looked over Tommy's shoulder to see what had caught his attention. "Who's the girl with Sara?"

"I don't know. Shall we go over and introduce ourselves?" Tommy gave a waggle of his eyebrows and walked away.

Oliver sighed but followed his friend. "Are you ever going to stop pretending that you're some single guy on the prowl, Tommy? We both know that you're head over heels in love with Laurel and would never even think of being with another woman."

Tommy just shrugged and laughed. "Eh, it's fun and it annoys Laurel, so it's really a win-win for me."

Tommy and Oliver walked over and Sara wrapped them both in a quick hug. "Guys, this is my friend Felicity Smoak. Felicity, this is Laurel's fiancé, Tommy Merlyn and our very good friend, Oliver Queen."

Tommy placed a gentle kiss on Felicity's hand and executed a silly little bow. "It's an honor to meet you Felicity! Any friend of Sara's is a friend of ours."

Oliver shoved his friend aside and took Felicity's hand in a gentle shake, "Hi! I'm Oliver Queen. It's nice to meet you." Then he gave her hand a small squeeze, and stage whispered, "We're not as all strange as, Tommy. I promise."

Felicity smiled at Oliver. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. I, uh, recognized you from you're picture on your father's desk at QC." Oliver raised an eyebrow, slightly confused and Felicity realized her last statement was stated in an awkward manner that could be taken wrong. "I mean, because I work there! At QC! I'm in the IT department and I fix computers. I've fixed your father's computer many times." She froze, "And by computer, I actually mean computer, not like some kind of code for something inappropriate." UGH! Not that I think your father is inappropriate, at all! He's always been very kind to me…in a completely platonic employee/boss kind of way! And, I'm stopping now!"

Sara stepped in to rescue her friend. "Felicity has an issue with rambling inappropriately at times. Once you get to know her it's really quite endearing." Sara gave her a one armed hug and smiled. "She's a genius and I think there's just so much stuff stored in that brilliant brain of hers that strange things start slipping out at awkward times." Felicity was blushing profusely and Sara noticed her distress. "And she's a little nervous about meeting everyone tonight."

Oliver smiled at Felicity. Her embarrassment was sweet and he felt an odd instinct to make her feel better. He didn't even know this girl but for some reason he just knew she was special! "Can I get you something to drink?" He asked hoping to get Felicity to relax.

"Ah, yes, thank you! A red wine would be great."

Oliver called the waiter over again and ordered a red wine for Felicity and a gin and tonic for Sara. He was just about to ask the ladies if they wanted to get something to eat when Tommy spoke up.

Oliver determined, right then and there, that his friend was well on his way to being more than a little drunk. "Wow, Oliver! I almost don't recognize you tonight! First, you meet up with your old friend, Scotch on the Rocks, and now you're buying a lady a drink. It's like the Oliver from the old days!" Tommy raised his glass to Oliver in a mock salute and finished his glass.

Laurel gave a nervous laugh and started to steer Tommy in the direction of the buffet. "I think it's time Tommy got something to eat. We'll catch up with you guys in a little bit."

John chose that moment to walk in and he threw his arms around Sara and picked her up again. "I'm starving, too! Let's go eat, baby!"

Sara laughed and locked her arms around his neck, "But, John, we're in public and you're boss is right over there!" Sara threw Oliver and Felicity an exaggerated wink as John whisked her away to the buffet table to join Tommy and Laurel.

Felicity suddenly realized that she was very alone with Oliver Queen and she made a mental note to think very hard about what she was saying before she spoke anymore. She'd already embarrassed herself once. She didn't think she could handle that level of mortification again.

"Uh, so, Sara and John, they seem happy." Oliver nodded. "Does he always carry her around like that? It's the second time he's done it tonight and we've only been here about 45 minutes. I mean the first time was because the crowd at the front door was ridiculous and he was just trying to say hello…" Felicity trailed off when she saw the panicked look on his face. "Ugh, I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to mention that to you."

"Come with me." Oliver took Felicity by the wrist and headed across the room were John was loading up a plate with food. By sheer luck Felicity was able to keep up with Oliver's long strides. She was almost sure if she tripped he would not have noticed and she would just be pulled across the floor behind him. He looked very upset and it was all because of her and her stupid mouth.

Oliver stopped suddenly and Felicity ran right into the back of him unable to stop her forward momentum because of her spectacularly high heels. Oliver instinctively reached back and steadied her with an arm around her waist.

"What was wrong at the front door?" Oliver practically barked at John while Felicity mouthed a silent apology over Oliver's shoulder.

John gave Felicity a small nod that she shouldn't worry about it and turned to Oliver. "It's covered, Oliver. One asshole was pissed because he couldn't use his gold card at the front door. I moved him over to the VIP entrance so we wouldn't hold up the line and all of his idiot buddies thought that meant they were getting special treatment and moved over with him. They all crowded in front of the door demanding to be let in and that's when the girls showed up. I gave the guy the Happy Hour like you suggested, escorted him to the ATM machine and all is well!" John patted Oliver on the back. "Relax, man, I got this covered. And by Monday, the computer system will be fixed and everything will be fine."

Felicity was enjoying the arm that Oliver still had wrapped around her waist pulling her into his side as he spoke with John. His cologne was intoxicating and she was sure she had never smelled anything better. From the way she was standing she had a perfect view of Oliver's chiseled profile and once she almost had to check herself to see if she was drooling. He was a beautiful billionaire, indeed!

Felicity perked up when she heard John mention the computer problems and turned her attention back to the small group. "What's wrong with your computers?" She said getting Oliver's attention.

Oliver scrubbed a hand over his face and was taken back when he realized how close he was holding Felicity to his body. His mind stopped for a moment when he realized how nice it felt having her pulled tight against his side. Her hand traveled to his chest as she spoke to him and he had to force his brain and mouth into action. "Ah, our POS system went down last night and the company we bought it from can't get anyone here to fix it until Monday. Until then we're only taking cash and hoping our waitresses and bartenders can total up a hand written receipt the old fashioned way."

Felicity glanced at Sara who was definitely trying to tell Felicity not to speak up by the look on her face but Felicity ignored her. "Want me to take a look at your computers? I, mean, I don't have any experience with a POS system but a computer is a computer. And, still haven't met a computer I couldn't fix."

"Really?" Oliver asked in surprise. "You would do that for me?"

Felicity smiled. "Of course, I be I can get you up in no time!"

John sputtered into his drink and Sara let out a howl of laughter. Felicity cringed but Oliver just hugged her closer and whispered in her ear. "I think I would like that, very much, Ms. Smoak."