"It would be easier to get a read on you if you sat still for a minute." The woman's straight, shoulder length black hair fell in front of her ear where she promptly tucked it back, shifting her bangs. She looked up from the deck of cards in her hand. There was an unusual streak of white framing her face on the right side. If that didn't make her stand out, then her eyes surely would. One was brown and the other blue. It gave her a haunted sort of look but even so there was kindness and warmth behind them. "I need you to cut the deck. You know how this goes." She set the deck of cards on an oval glass table set before the tan leather couch she sat upon. Everything in the office was decorated in a similar modern fashion.
"I don't believe in this stuff." The woman seated behind the grand desk at the far end of the room didn't look up from her task, shuffling a stack of papers. She had a difficult time sitting still. She always had.
"My cards are always right. We need to be prepared, Scarlett." The woman tapped the edge of the glass table.
"We'll do it later, Jinx." Scarlett's hardened features softened as she spotted the worry in Jinx's eyes. Jinx tapped the table to insist. Upon their first meeting, Jinx had predicted suffering and death in her future. It wasn't a great first impression, but Scarlett appreciated Jinx's honesty. Jinx wasn't her real name. It was Julianna Bennett, but between them, it was Jinx. The name had been given to her by SHIELD, where she worked before being assigned as Scarlett's primary detail, standing guard as her secretary at Refuge.
"We need to know what lies ahead." Jinx explained. "Things have been pretty good the last few days. Perhaps a little too good. I'm nervous."
"Seeing as you keep telling me that I have the mark of death upon me every morning then spitting through your fingers as if to ward it off…"
"I mean, you're still here."
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I need to get changed. Still a long day ahead and this dress isn't fit for what's next." Scarlett gestured to the high-necked sleeveless blue chiffon dress cut just above her knees that she'd worn earlier to a meeting. The press had been permitted to sit in to observe a private demonstration of Refuge's newest prosthetic prototypes. It'd gone well despite the rumors that very morning about her dating one of her investors on the side. It was just another rumor in a sea full of rumors. "My luck must be bad for you to look at me like that. Probably all those mirrors I broke last week. Or the ladders I walked under this morning on the way in."
"Very funny." Jinx pouted after stifling a laugh. "I'm looking out for you. That's my job."
"You're supposed to be my secretary, a job I very much need you to perform despite it being a cover. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself." Despite her objection, Scarlett stepped from behind her desk, grabbed one of the two comfortable chairs in front of said desk, and dragged it to where Jinx had her cards setup. It was easier to let Jinx do her thing than to argue with her. Jinx was relentless when it came to superstition. She had a knack for accurate predictions. She also had a way of protecting people from those predictions.
Scarlett wasn't superstitious. Not even a little.
She didn't need to hear how death was knocking at her door everyday either.
"We both know that's not true."
Scarlett's hand stopped atop the deck of cards and she glared at Jinx. When Scarlett wanted to, she could be intimidating.
"I meant about the secretary thing. Not the other thing." Jinx corrected, with a nervous smile.
"Get it over with. This fortune telling nonsense." Scarlett cut the deck and then leaned back in her chair, checking the clock on her phone habitually. She liked to keep busy and thankfully running Refuge made that easy. There was nothing worse than a mind like hers left to wander. Jinx took the cut deck and placed the top nine cards face down on the table. The middle card was set down last.
One by one she flipped the cards and Scarlett tuned out the omens of death that followed. It was bad luck, suffering, and change. Omen after omen read to her by Jinx. Or at least that was what most days were like. Today was different.
"The meeting." Jinx's words cut through Scarlett's busy thoughts. A card that had never been flipped for her. The readings happened weekly. Even at odd hours where Jinx would show up at her house in a daze with her deck. She was compelled to read Scarlett's future and brought her good luck charms. Scarlett had a drawer full of them at home.
"That one's different."
"You're going to have an encounter with someone that will change the course of your life."
"Thanks Merriam Webster." Scarlett scoffed. Jinx flipped over the next card.
"Oh, Temptation. I like where this is going."
"Well, it's certainly better than being crushed to death." Scarlett had received that very specific prediction a number of times in the last month. And yet every building she walked into failed to crush her. She'd made a point of telling Jinx that when they went out together. She'd even texted her a number of times to let her know that she'd left another building successfully. The cards were just pieces of paper with some pictures on them. There was no magic behind them- only superstition. Belief gave that stuff power and Scarlett didn't believe in it. She was a scientist. She didn't put stock in things she couldn't see.
"The meeting you'll have sometime soon, the cards don't specify timing, will offer a great temptation. Whether or not that's good or bad remains to be seen."
"Temptation is usually good. At least where I'm concerned." Scarlett grinned. It was something she used to her advantage. Temptation. Looking the way she did, which the press harped on far more than she liked, offered her a variety of opportunities to use temptation as a tool. And sometimes even as a weapon.
"Every romance novel I've read argues the opposite. Those who fall for temptation often have a terrible fate." Jinx laughed and flipped another card. "The Pest."
"Ugh, please don't tell me that one's literal. I really don't want bedbugs." Scarlett had a difficult time keeping her sarcasm in check during these readings. Jinx, was nonetheless, patient with her.
"The meaning of this card is so far unclear. It might reveal itself through the reading." Jinx flipped another card. "Surprise. Oh no." Jinx scowled.
"Ah, yeah, I remember this one. It's always bad, right. It's also The Gift depending on how it's read? It's never The Gift for me though, right?"
"Right. In conjunction with the cards we've flipped and its positioning to the right of center it's read as Surprise. The Gift is rare." Jinx was happy to explain even though Scarlett didn't believe in any of it. She was naturally curious, even of superstition.
"I've had enough surprise. It'd be nice to have the gift for a change. Maybe you're misinterpreting. Maybe I'm going to have a meeting with the representative from Maserati who wants me to be a spokesperson. But it'll… be infested with bedbugs." Scarlett curled her lip in distaste. Jinx couldn't hide her laughter. Scarlett often broke uncomfortable tension with humor. She didn't know why, but this reading made her uneasy. She just had a feeling. Scarlett hated when she had feelings. It gave validity to superstition.
Jinx's predictions had ramped up in danger. Illness, mayhem, and ultimately death. It was the norm now. It was somehow weirder to have benign predictions.
"No, it's definitely Surprise and I don't think it has to do with a Maserati." Jinx's eyes lit up as she turned the next card. Directly beneath temptation sat the Dark Haired Stranger. Scarlett looked at the card in surprise then back to Jinx who had a familiar, dreamy look on her face. It was the same one she got when discussing whatever smutty novel she was reading. "There's…"
"Don't. Don't say it." Scarlett warned, pointing her finger. "Put those thoughts away. Keep them to yourself. I get this enough from the press. I don't need it from you too!"
"Temptation will be brought to you by a Dark Haired Stranger." Jinx didn't hide her grin. "And that temptation will be powerful, Scarlett. A dark haired stranger will bring romance into your life in the near future."
"Ugh, can you ask them not to?" Scarlett rolled her eyes. The rumors were out of control. Every person she had a meeting with was now her date. Every person she smiled at on the street was a past fling. There were times, of course, where there was validity to the rumors, but Scarlett had no interest in romance. That didn't mean that she didn't have needs that required fulfilling. There was only so much she could do that alone before it wasn't fun anymore. Even so, the press was out of control with the stories. TMZ was eating her alive. It was borderline silly. Now it seemed like the superstitious cards were getting in on the action.
"Afraid not." Jinx pursed her lips and then flipped the next card. The prediction went back to normal. Despair, suffering, and death. That was more like it. The cards were very intent on her suffering. Jinx, however, was so excited by the prospect of romance in her future that she was completely nonplussed by the danger they predicted. Usually, by the end of a reading, Jinx was planning a barrage of good luck and warding charms. When Scarlett refused them, she found them in her purse, her pockets, her coat. She'd taken to wearing formfitting dresses so she wouldn't end up with an evil eye in her pocket during an interview. She'd had it happen before and had to explain it to a reporter.
"So, still going to be crushed and death is around every corner. Got it. Sounds pretty on par with everything else from the last few months." Scarlett smoothed out her skirt and stood. Jinx cleaned up her cards and joined her. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a coin with a square hole at its center. She offered it to Scarlett.
"To ward off bad luck. Even though the reading wasn't as bad today." Jinx smiled.
"I don't believe in this stuff. Fate is what you make of each day. The bad luck, as you call it, is of my own making. You know that already." Scarlett knew the words would fall on deaf ears. Jinx was already planning to leave the trinket somewhere amongst her things, she was sure.
"Just take the coin."
"No." Scarlett walked away, dragging the chair back into place with her.
"The cards never lie."
"Look, there's terror in my future but only because of the bed I made for myself. No good luck charm can keep me from that." Scarlett shuffled papers on her desk. She made a point to never speak of it without precautions. Very few places were safe from prying eyes. Too many strangers came into her office. Too many strangers came into her home. Besides, there was no use staying in the past. She had plenty to deal with in the present. "These cards, if they're even picking up anything at all which I highly doubt, are seeing something that's my own fault." Scarlett turned back to face Jinx, resting her backside against the edge of her desk. "I've got a meeting downstairs. Are we quite done with this ritual of yours?"
"For now." Jinx smiled sadly and followed Scarlett out of the office. She took her space behind the desk and slipped her cards in the top drawer. Her desk was decorated with quirky art, photos of her pets, and a stack of romance books. "That reminds me…"
"Yes?" Scarlett checked her makeup in the mirror on Jinx's desk, taking a moment to reapply her lipstick before blotting it with a tissue from the box nearby.
"You have an appointment with SHIELD tomorrow morning. Mickey will pick you up at eight to provide a cover for the press as an investor." Jinx's delivery was grim but Scarlett didn't see the problem. Secret meetings with SHIELD were the norm these days.
"Add it to my calendar as an investment meeting. Tomorrow morning is more than twelve hours away and I still have a thousand things on today's calendar to get through." Scarlett looked down at her dress and decided she would get changed before she headed down. "Dress?"
"Right!" Jinx stood, grabbed a dry cleaning bag from behind her on a coat rack and handed it to Scarlett. "I'll take that one when you've changed."
Scarlett bowed her head in thanks then disappeared into the bathroom inside her office. Form fitting, black, with red accents, it was much more her style than the chiffon was. Scarlett then handed the bag and the discarded dress to Jinx. Then she made her way down the hall. Days filled with boring meetings weren't her cup of tea. She didn't think she'd ever get used to it. Scarlett didn't think she was fit for this sort of life either but no one else seemed to notice. The media proclaimed she slipped into the role seamlessly. She'd been asked where she studied and for her prior job experience.
None of that would be revealed, of course. She'd studied at Cambridge but she couldn't share that lest someone find her records. Scarlett's life was as much of a mystery publicly as she could manage. Checking her phone, she got into the elevator that took her downstairs through the sleek, modern building. Scarlett responded again to an email from Stark Industries CEO Tony Stark. At first, she'd thought it was a funny prank but after doing her research, she found it was truly from the man himself. This would be the second rejection email she sent after having received the first yesterday morning.
Scarlett didn't have time for new projects. Or the energy, honestly. Besides, Stark had too much history with SHIELD. They would certainly not approve of her working with Iron Man. The offer forgotten, she sat through her meeting with engineers and physicists in charge of developing patents she'd filed this last month. Some were in the development stage, others in the testing phase, and a few were heading to a manufacturing phase. Scarlett controlled a room. She always had. In her head, she was relatable, receptive, and even friendly. But she'd been told many times by many people that she was intimidating. She was even certain that many of her employees believed what the gossip blogs published about her.
While she listened to presentation after presentation her mind went back to the email. Why would Stark Industries contact her now? Refuge had emerged from the wreckage of her battered past months ago. If the press found out that Tony Stark wanted to work with her and she'd said no, denying one of the most brilliant minds of her generation, she would have to come up with a better reason than it being a bad look.
She'd never liked Stark Industries. She always thought they were an overrated company led by an overrated semi-celebrity. She certainly couldn't say that to the press. It sounded harsh in her head so it probably sounded terrible out loud. Though, she would admit, Tony Stark was brilliant. The work he'd done was admirable, but his celebrity was unwarranted. She sighed as she reflected on her own sudden celebrity which she credited to her being pretty.
Scarlett finished up her meeting, offering opinions on each project and giving direction on moves to make and how to continue.
Being a CEO was not on her list of things to accomplish in life and yet, there she was. As much as Scarlett liked being in charge, she was more of a hands-on person and a loner. She barely recalled the trip back to her office, her mind buzzing with work. Jinx probably greeted her and reported messages, but Scarlett walked past her her and ignored them. Probably. Or told her to send them in an email. Routine was slowly killing Scarlett. How long was it before she'd snap? But she couldn't afford to snap. That was what kept her chugging along each day.
On her desk there was a cup of strong coffee waiting for her. Scarlett was at once grateful for Jinx. She'd send her a little thank you later. Even though Julianna was only assigned to her because SHIELD wanted eyes on her, Scarlett had grown fond of her. Scarlett didn't have many friends and she couldn't thanks to her newfound celebrity. Jinx, despite working for SHIELD, didn't always agree with their decisions. Being monitored by SHIELD made Scarlett nervous. She refused to dwell on the reasons why. Not without a glass of wine in her hand.
She had only mere seconds to react when she spotted something flying out of the corner of her eye. Scarlett stood to get a better look but it was too fast. Her balcony doors suddenly crashed open on their hinges, and something metallic flew past them like a bullet. Instinctively, Scarlett ducked beneath her desk and covered her head to keep the shattered glass of the doors from cutting her up. Was she under attack? Grabbing the gun she kept hidden beneath her desk, she stood, hunched and ready to take cover again. There was no explosion so it wasn't a missile.
Much to her shock, and frustration, in the middle of her office, surrounded by glass and the broken frame of her balcony door, stood the unmistakable Iron Man. Brilliant orange and red armor surrounded impressive technology. She kept her gun hidden below the desk but didn't let it go. Why the hell was he in her office? Where was her SHIELD detail when there was finally a threat? Clearly they weren't as prepared for an attack on her life as they claimed they were. Certainly not as prepared as she was. Where was Jinx in all of this?
The armor pulled silently away from the pilot's face, retracting back into the remaining suit. Tony Stark was revealed, looking rather pleased with his wild entrance. His usual devil may care and expensive look remained completely intact despite how disheveled he should have been beneath all that armor. Hand still on her gun, she contemplated aiming it just to show him what happened to people who snuck up on her. But if he was just there to prove a point then that would show far too much of her hand. She didn't need to be arrested for pulling a gun on Tony Stark even if he had literally broken into her office.
"What the fuck?" She finally managed when Tony didn't make any move to explain himself. He was beyond an introduction. There was no mistaking who or what he was.
"Too much?" He responded with a coy smile. When she'd rejected him via email he thought perhaps she'd misunderstood the offer so he'd clarified in a second email. Then she'd rejected him again. That was unacceptable. Tony didn't take no for an answer easily. In this instance, he outright refused. This was the first thing he'd wanted in months.
"I don't think there's a single thing you could say that could excuse you breaking through my balcony door! What if I had people in here? There's glass everywhere! Someone could have gotten hurt. I could have gotten hurt!" Scarlett put the gun back where it belonged when Tony overlooked the mess he made. The last thing she needed was Stark's suspicions. It was bad enough with the press snooping around.
Her heart was still pounding. The Pest, she grimaced at the thought.
"Scarlett Damien, right? Tony took a step and the suit began to retract and then reformed into the Iron Man armor alongside him. She had to admit that it was pretty impressive up close. Tony wore Armani beneath the armor which seemed ridiculous. But everything about him was kind of ridiculous so par for the course, she supposed.
"Yes. That's who you'll be writing the check to when you've replaced everything you've damaged and had my office professionally cleaned." Scarlett ran her fingers through her unruly curly brown hair and rested her other on her hip, simply aghast. Tony was amused and unsurprised that she'd lingered on the suit. Women often ogled the armor. It was sexy. But she was quickly derailed by the damage he'd done. He had to admit, it wasn't his smoothest entrance but he certainly got her attention. "What are you doing here? What do you want? Where is my security?" Scarlett gestured to the door of her office.
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Damien." Tony laughed. She was everything he'd expected her to be. Not just an exceptional photoshop job either. In fact, they undersold her in those magazines.
"That's not an answer." Now that she knew he wasn't a threat, Scarlett just wanted to know what the hell was going through his head. They'd never met. They'd never spoken outside of those emails. Nothing about her reply offered him an opportunity to have a meeting nonetheless break into her office.
"You're difficult to get a hold of." Tony was out of practice flying in the suit. The long distance had been fine, but the landing was, admittedly, rough. "I have some business I wish to discuss with you. Your secretary gave me the runaround when I called."
"Pretty sure this could have been an email and that I already responded. Twice."
"I figured that emails don't really convey tone. Plus, I wasn't sure if that was you or your secretary responding." Tony smiled but was racking his brain over why she'd flat out reject his offer. It made no sense. Who wouldn't want to work with him? He was the greatest mind of his generation. He was sort of jealous of the people who got to work with him because he would never get to work with someone of his caliber. It was sad, really, to be the smartest person in the room all the time.
"It was me and I told you to buzz off but, you know, in a professional way." He'd thrown out all chances of her responding professionally now. "Did I accidentally attach the signature where I invited you to break through my balcony door? My mistake. I seem to be sending that one out a lot lately." Scarlett rested her hands on her hips and then walked around her desk gingerly. Tony chuckled, pleased she was joking with him. Very few people met his level of sarcasm gracefully.
"Refuge is a pretty big company. You're obviously a busy woman and couldn't make time for me. I understand that it's valuable but I promise that what I have to say is worth the time it takes to hear it." Tony's smile was charming and would melt the hearts of most women where they stood but Scarlett didn't seem phased. Why was that? It momentarily threw Tony off his game but he didn't regret his decision to fly there.
He was only more intrigued and determined. Scarlett wasn't fawning over him like many did. She didn't seem afraid to offend him, even. Maybe Tony needed the challenge. It'd gotten him out of his house and even out of state for the first time in months.
"No offense, but I'm already tired of being asked by the press what it's like to be compared to the son of Howard Stark so, this is all very unwelcome. It's only been a day since you emailed me and I've already had a dozen inquiries in to what it's like to be offered a job by the great genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark. I honestly don't have time to give them more fuel for their metaphorical fires. Isn't there enough press about the both of us without all this fanfare?" Scarlett sighed with a look at where her balcony door used to be. "I imagine your newest headlines will involve property damage."
"Huh, you're funny. I didn't expect you to be funny, looking at you." Tony gestured to all of her since what he meant was obvious.
"I thought you were supposed to be charming. Go ahead, dig your grave a little deeper. Was six feet not enough? Look, I get it. You're a big gestures kind of guy but all you managed to do was scare the hell out of me. And make me wonder where my security is." Scarlett couldn't help but wonder where Jinx's prediction about shattered windows was. Besides that, the papers reported that Tony Stark was now a recluse. But there he was, about as far from reclusive as one could get. She wasn't offended by him either. Scarlett had been misjudged for her appearance nearly her whole life. It wasn't a hindrance it was an asset.
"You sure didn't look scared." Tony walked around her to get a better look. Behind her, he gave her the once over and decided he would have to share with Rhodey later. She was everything she was advertised to be but he hadn't expected the fire. He knew she was a genius but he'd expected something quieter. More demure. This was better. "You looked ready for a fight, actually."
"I was. I still am. You're not the only one out there who can take care of themselves. If something flies through my damn window, I will not roll over and play dead." Scarlett was supposed to be playing the helpless businesswoman but to hell with that. It wasn't who she was. Tony was lucky he hadn't wound up shot. It seemed a reasonable response, all things considered.
"If I thought that then I wouldn't be standing here." Tony gestured to his suit that could have kept him safe. Then he rubbed his hands together and approached with caution. Scarlett was shocked, truly, that Jinx hadn't run through the door. This was bad. She was going to have to completely overhaul security. "Besides, I hear you have a history no one can crack. Can't possibly know what I'm in for."
"I didn't take you for a gossip." Now that her heart wasn't racing as hard, it was kind of funny. She walked away from him and to his armor. It was different than the ones she'd seen on the news. Different than the Warmachine that the military allowed her to admire. They'd wanted her to take it apart and rebuild it for them so they could keep advancing it and make more. She refused. If Tony Stark wanted that then he would have done it himself. She guessed that their having it had to do only with the fact that Tony's buddy was military.
Yet, Tony mentioned the armor in his proposition. And she was curious, she couldn't deny that. It was a beautiful piece of machinery. More graceful than she expected despite Tony's entrance. Glass crunched beneath her heels.
Tony admired her curiosity. He hoped it would to the job. That it would seal the deal. That was the greater plan, after all. Convince her to work with him.
"I find gossip amusing. And I only partake when I don't have enough information to draw my own conclusions. And you have to admit, Scarlett, that the gossip surrounding you is very interesting and plentiful. Probably due to the lack of information available. Even I couldn't find anything about you." Tony gingerly approached, hands now clasped together behind his back. There was no anxiety. It was blissful. He was his old self. Nothing about this was forced as he was afraid it would be. And despite her reaction, she hadn't called security and she hadn't even asked him to leave. That was a good sign.
"What do you want, Stark? Why are you here?" Scarlett was fascinated by the armor. Robotics was something she was passionate about but what Tony had built was on a superior level. It was more beautiful than anything she'd created and she was not known to be modest.
"You know the answer to that already."
"And I told you twice that I wasn't interested. So why are you here?"
"For someone uninterested you sure are curious about my armor." Tony stood alongside her. She looked him over and then looked back to the armor and gave a short nod to admit she was.
"I'm listening." Scarlett was playing spot the difference. She'd admired the older armor. This one had many changes. Same colors, but she imagined that was for branding. Tony was a businessman through and through. She wanted to hear him out. And he was as charming as they claimed he was. As long as he was willing to pay for the damage to her office, she didn't see the harm in listening. Besides, Scarlett had sold part of her soul to get the funding for Refuge to be built just how she wanted it. He'd probably be surprised by the damage he'd done.
Even if she only listened to an entertaining offer, it would at least be a break from boring meetings. And she knew it would be entertaining. When she was younger, an engineer at the time, she'd seen him speak at a symposium. It wasn't easy to make particle physics sound sexy, but he'd managed it. It was for those same reasons that she despised him. He sometimes made what they did sound like a joke. Men like him were the reason women like her were held back for promotions.
"I have an incredibly generous deal that I'd like for you to consider. I know you don't want to be my employee and you won't be. I figured you'd be hired on a consulting basis. You'd be invited in. See my workspace, see my problems, and see if you can help. If you can't, you make a hefty consulting fee just for stepping in the door. If you can, you get credit for half the idea, and all the proper fees that go with that." Tony had rehearsed how to spin the offer to make it sound tempting on the flight over.
"Does it look like I'm worried about money?" Scarlett at last tore her eyes away from the armor and then scowled at the damage to her balcony. Glass was everywhere. She clicked her tongue in disapproval. "I suppose shatterproof doesn't account for acts of super hero." She muttered, careful to step around the larger chunks. All things considered, it'd held up well. She'd have Jinx have someone come in and put up a tarp until she could have workers in to fix it. Hopefully within the next day.
"Considering I'm fairly confident that dress is Dior, I'd think not." Tony looked her over again. Scarlett shook her head. "I'm wrong? Really?" Maybe he did need to get out more. Fashion was something that too many people underestimated. Tony understood women and many women loved fashion.
"You get derailed very easily."
"Right, of course. It's more than just a deal with Stark Industries. That was just the opening number. Not that you need anymore philanthropic causes under your belt but if you really are interested in doing good for the sake of it like you claim, then put your money where your mouth is. This element here? Maybe you've heard of it…" Tony unbuttoned his shirt and rapped his knuckle against the arc reactor in his chest. "Clean, renewable, affordable energy. Distribution, however, is a problem. That's where you come in."
"Yes, you said all that in the email. Without the pomp and circumstance." Scarlett agreed that this avenue should be explored, just not by her. It would truly change the world if he could make it work and convince energy companies not to go completely postal. But the truth was she couldn't get involved with Tony Stark no matter how interesting he was. It was too complicated. That and he was surrounded by drama. Scarlett had enough of her own drama. The last thing she needed was rumors of the two of them out on the town. He wasn't single either, which made things more annoying with that kind of gossip. Scarlett had been called just about every name under the sun in the last few months with the exception of home wrecker. She was sure the tabloids were just waiting for a chance to use it.
Scarlett wasn't good at ignoring the rumors in the papers. It took a toll on her. She didn't care what they called her, but it did wear her down with time.
"But more importantly, working on the energy project would make a great cover for what I really want your help with." A smirk played on Tony's lips and his brown eyes sparkled with mischief. Scarlett cursed those eyes at once. They were nice. But he had a reputation. The slutty kind. She supposed she did now too though. That and she was supposed to dislike him. But dammit there was something likable about him. She couldn't help herself. Did that make her a bad person? No, it just made her no more special than anyone else who fell for his charm. Even so, she would make a point not to fall victim to his game.
"Oh?" Scarlett did her best to look bored and avoided his big brown eyes. There was no harm in looking. Men did it all the time, so why not her? In fact, she was certain that Tony had given her the once over at least ten times so far and he was in a committed relationship from what she understood. She was single. Yet, she avoided those eyes directly. They were dangerous.
"This is the Mark XLII." Tony gestured to the armor at his side. "My newest suit. The prosthetic technology you've created, from what I've researched, works without brain surgery. I could use that insight with this Mark. I've never let anyone touch them before, at least not so intimately. You'll have to be gentle. It's their first time." Tony smiled confidently, seeing the intrigue behind her eyes. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"Hm." She wasn't sure how to respond and somehow found her way back to those brown eyes. So she turned her attention to the armor, circling it again to study it and to give herself a moment to collect her thoughts. Was she really considering this? SHIELD would be furious with her. They were trying to protect her, supposedly. Tony brought trouble the moment he arrived.
But this was unique. The armor was a work of art. Created by skilled hands and genius intellect. It wasn't a weapon. She was confident of that after seeing it up close. It was an extension of Tony himself. The Iron Man armor was beautiful and she wanted to be a part of it. She had a chance to be part of it. But it was such a bad idea. It was terribly inappropriate. Even if it didn't put her in danger, it would drag him into things beyond his knowledge. Yet there she was selfishly tossing around the idea.
"What are you thinking?" Tony was impatient. Her thoughts were racing, that much he recognized. It was something he did himself. The silence made him uncomfortable. He wanted her to agree.
"I have too much on my plate." Scarlett did her best to sound bored. But her disappointment that she couldn't say yes was obvious. "I'm no good at handling virgins as you've probably heard." Tony laughed.
"Too much on your plate? You have time for this, trust me. You should make time for this." Tony gestured around the office. "What's more important than this? I get it, you have investor meetings, a company to run, military deals, private deals, the whole… company going public. Make time."
"A business to run, charity, personal projects." Scarlett counted on her fingers. "The prosthetic production is about to begin, I have to oversee it. Then there's patent meetings, lawyer meetings, manufacturing processes, testing. You should know how much work this is. You shouldn't even know about the military deal but… you are you. I suppose your friend with the Warmachine told you about it."
"Of course he did. Are you really going to give up a chance to work on something that could change how you look at robotics because you're too busy?" Tony argued. Yes, he wanted something from her but she wanted something from him too. He could tell. This relationship could be mutually beneficial but only if they could work out a deal. Tony wouldn't leave without getting at least a maybe from her. If he could, he'd get the yes.
Tony would get what he wanted. He always did.
"I have already changed the way the world looks at robotics." Scarlett sneered though the offer continued to tempt her. Thankfully, she was stubborn. Always had been. Working with Tony Stark would not be worth the fallout. It could only end badly. But she wanted to- oh she wanted to. It was interesting. The most interesting thing that had happened since she'd setup Refuge. That and Tony was clever. Not only was he clever but he was also charming, intelligent, good looking, and fun. Oh, she missed having fun. And what a hypocrite she was. She'd despised him for all those same reasons only a few years ago. It'd taken her having her own life changing experience to realize that he truly had changed.
"And I want to see that too. Skill of this caliber, Scarlett? It doesn't collide very often. Think of the things we could accomplish if you gave it a chance."
"I'm pretty sure that someone out there is already theorizing what we're accomplishing on their blogs." Scarlett rolled her eyes. Tony laughed again. Maybe he wouldn't think it was so funny when it was his girlfriend who was hurt by all of this.
"That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant, Stark."
"Then how can you so easily walk away from this offer?"
"Because it is easy. They're just two letters strung together and well… walking is something I've been doing for years. You should try doing it in heels then we'll see which one of us does it better."
"You want this. I can see it. You hate that you have to walk away from it. And it's more than just because you're busy. Take it from a guy who has spent the last twenty years running a Fortune 500 corporation, Scarlett. At some point you realize you can do whatever you want. It's the risks you take that make you successful." For the first time since he'd crashed through her window, Tony sounded like a legitimate businessman.
"The timing is poor." His reading her this easily was distressing. Maybe it was because she didn't want to turn it away.
"Timing is never perfect. Something will always get in the way if you let it. Change your mind." Tony's argument intrigued her. But he wondered if she would tell him what he wanted to hear just to make him leave her alone. He didn't want this to be the end of it. Tony hadn't been passionate about anything in god knew how long. He would chase this high right up until he was hit with a restraining order. "You won't regret it. You'll only regret not doing it."
"If I agree to consider it, will you shut up?" Scarlett batted her eyelashes playfully but she wasn't sure she could say no to his face if he kept pushing like this. How could she work with a man she'd blindly hated for no good reason for years? Well, there had been reasons at the time. His company had been responsible for illegally selling weapons to terrorist organizations and Scarlett saw firsthand the wreckage left in their wake. Then there was the fact that Tony was a pig. Well, at least according to the papers he was a pig. She knew now that the papers and blogs were often complete fiction. But with every accusation there was a bit of truth, just like there was with her.
Before either could say more, the door to her office opened.
"Miss Damien, your conference…" Jinx went through a variety of emotions in that moment. Surprise that Scarlett wasn't alone. Fear that the balcony door had been ripped off its hinges, glass sprayed across the room. Even so, her tone did not properly express the shock that Scarlett expected. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, fine. What about this doesn't look fine?" Scarlett walked past Tony and to her assistant. "Where were you?" She hissed.
"I was handling a problem in the lobby. Who is this… dark-haired stranger?" Jinx could barely hide her amusement. Scarlett's expression fell and her mouth became very small in response. Jinx knew very well who this man was. And her reference to her card reading was unwelcome. How could Jinx think of romance at a time like this?
"Tony Stark." Tony held his hand for Jinx to shake after approaching, standing alongside Scarlett. Jinx did not shake his hand and instead took it and turned his hand over in hers, examining his palm. She studied it and muttered to herself. "What's happening?" Tony spoke covertly to Scarlett.
"Miss Bennett." Scarlett roused her assistant from studying Tony's palm and then forcibly pulled his hand free. Then she took a breath to be mindful of her blood pressure and spoke soothingly. "What is it you were saying? And where is my security when my door is blown into my office?"
"Oh, right. You have a conference call in ten minutes. And I don't know where security was. I'll look into that." Jinx smiled and her eyes darted down to Scarlett's hand that was still carefully holding Tony's. With a snap, Scarlett let go of his hand and brushed hers on her dress as though ridding herself of something foul. If she gave Jinx an inch she would take it a mile.
"Okay. I'll take it down in my workshop. Tell them I'll be just a moment late. Send my apologies." Scarlett turned her attention to her office. "And send up security, maintenance, and whoever the hell can fix my damn office." She pinched the bridge of her nose and started again. "Have maintenance put up a tarp with some duct tape and bungees. Then get me a meeting in the morning with the contractor who built the office so I can talk about replacing this as quickly as possible." Scarlett rubbed her temple. A nasty headache was settling right behind her eyes. Between Jinx and Stark, she couldn't imagine why.
"Send me the bill for the damage and clean up." Tony was apologetic. "I shouldn't have broken the window like that. But I can't resist a dramatic entrance especially to someone who rejected me twice already."
"You certainly made an entrance." Jinx beamed, unbothered by this blatant break in. Scarlett was halfway to taking a deal with Tony Stark just to spite SHIELD at this point. Jinx walked off to her desk to do as she was asked.
"Well, that was fascinating. What was all that with my hand? Should I wash it? I should probably wash it." Tony looked down at his hand.
"She's superstitious. You're fine." Scarlett walked back to her desk. "Reading palms, tarot cards, all that. Jinx is a nickname she has around here. It's charming most of the time. It would have been more charming had you not broken into my office." Scarlett typed away at her keyboard and transferred access to her tablet which she picked up before locking her computer again. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a meeting and work to do downstairs."
"In your workshop?" Tony wondered if she did most of her own work. Her company had the finances and manpower to do it for her and yet she still seemed very hands on. Tony was one of the very few in his position who took his work home with him and had his fingers in almost every project.
He couldn't solve problems without being knee deep in those problems.
"Yeah, you know, where work happens. A shop for work, some would say." Scarlett sighed. "So much for having time to get changed. Thanks to you, I'm overdressed for this." Scarlett apologized to the dress she was likely about to ruin. "If you don't mind." She shooed him.
"Except I do. What if I joined you?"
"Huh?" Scarlett reminded herself of her blood pressure. Getting rid of Tony Stark was proving to be a problem. An overwhelming problem. The Pest.
"Just to observe you. I'm curious to see how you work." Tony also was curious to see how she'd work in that dress. And it was true, he was curious of how she worked. He was trying to keep the flirting to a minimum. She was right. He wasn't single and she had enough press about her lovelife to last a lifetime.
"I'm way too busy for this, Tony." Scarlett whined.
"You called me by my first name. Seems like progress." He smiled hopefully. He didn't want to go back to California. Going back to Pepper empty handed felt like failure. He couldn't handle more failure right now. "You won't even realize I'm there."
"You've already proven that's impossible."
"No, really. I'll be on my best behavior. No armor. No theatrics. No snark."
"The last time I didn't know you were here you broke through my balcony window."
"That was nearly ten whole minutes ago. You have to learn to let go, Scarlett." Tony looked to her with disapproval and she couldn't hide her laughter.
Why was he so damn charming?
"I'm just going to skip ahead to the point where we argued enough that I'm late to my meeting… you're not taking no for an answer, right?"
"Smart. It would be a waste of time. Not in my nature to give up."
"I really am going to be late."
"All the more reason for you to agree so we can get going."
"Fine." Scarlett shrugged. As long as he kept true to his word it would be fine. And if he wasn't then she'd call security. If he interfered in her meeting, she was going to be furious. Hopefully from one CEO to another, he would understand that. "But only because I don't have time for this. Last thing I need is you breaking another part of my business because I told you no."
"See? We're already working together swimmingly."
Scarlett led Tony from her office and the two stepped into the elevator in the hall.