"Congratulations. You can finally approach me openly now."
Vincent invited Natasha inside.
"Do you need to rest?"
Natasha's eyes were slightly puffy, her skin lacking its usual luster. Compared to her radiant appearance at Midtown High, she looked exhausted.
Vincent deduced she hadn't slept at all last night.
"Is Mr. Hall asking me to fulfill my promise now?" Natasha smiled charmingly.
Her gaze was seductive, practically pulling him in.
"Natasha, I just see you're tired. I'm offering a bed, nothing else," Vincent said with a straight face.
Not yet. The chase is still on.
"Well, aren't you a gentleman," Natasha sighed, finally dropping her guard. "Is your bedroom upstairs?"
"Yes."
Natasha kicked off her heels. Then, she unzipped her blue bodycon dress, letting it fall to the floor.
Vincent's eyes were drawn to her figure. She was a warrior, her body honed to perfection.
Natasha noticed his stare and didn't shy away. She walked past him, barefoot, heading up the stairs.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Soon, the sound of the shower running echoed through the house.
Vincent went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He froze it instantly with his touch, downing the ice-cold liquid to cool his own fire.
Gwen and Jessica are great, he thought. But Natasha is on another level. A demon designed to tempt men.
"Holding her must be... an experience."
Vincent shook his head and started making breakfast.
He pulled out the massive King Crab and lobsters he had caught in the deep ocean.
He made a rich seafood congee, the aroma filling the house.
By the time he finished, Natasha walked down the stairs.
She was wearing nothing but one of his white dress shirts. It was unbuttoned at the top, barely covering her thighs. Her hair was wet and messy.
"Smells good," she said, sniffing the air.
She tasted the congee and gave a thumbs up. "I've been to China, but this beats anything I had there."
"Living alone means learning to cook," Vincent shrugged. "My palate is picky. New York restaurants rarely satisfy me."
Natasha watched him eat. She knew his file. Orphan. Hell's Kitchen survivor.
" Why did you choose to live in Hell's Kitchen?" she asked curiously.
"Are you asking as a friend? Or as an agent?" Vincent countered.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference?"
"As a friend, I tell you everything. As an agent, I tell you what you need to hear."
"Let's try... friend?" Natasha smiled, leaning forward.
Vincent nodded. "Hell's Kitchen is chaotic, but it has rules. It has Daredevil."
Natasha didn't react to the name drop.
"And my neighbor, Jessica Jones, is a decent person. Plus, I wanted to find the people who killed my parents."
"Revenge?" Natasha nodded. "So you saw the dark side of humanity, and that inspired Fifty Shades of Grey?"
She gave him a knowing look. "I liked the book, by the way."
Vincent's heart skipped a beat. Damn, she's good.
"It was just a way to make money," Vincent explained coolly. "Western society is decaying. People are numb. They need taboo stimulation to feel anything. Dopamine addiction. I just capitalized on it."
"They want thrills. I want cash."
Natasha analyzed him. Smart. Manipulative. Understands psychology.
"Speaking of cash," she switched topics. "You shorted Stark Industries when everyone was buying. You made millions. How did you know?"
"I saw Tony on the news," Vincent lied smoothly. "He looked sick. Palladium poisoning, maybe? I gambled that his health would tank the stock."
I can't tell her I have future knowledge.
"Eat up, Natasha. Then get some sleep."
"One more thing," Natasha pressed. "The Atlantic Anomaly. The frozen island. I want the truth."
Vincent paused.
"Well... I found an island full of monsters," Vincent said casually. "Fire-breathing pythons. Armored T-Rexes. Unnatural experiments."
He grinned.
"I didn't know whose lab it was, but I figured I'd do the world a favor and put them on ice."
Natasha's eyes widened. SHIELD didn't know about the monsters.
Vincent had just traded intel for immunity.
"Monsters?"
"Yeah. Go check it out. If you can chip through the ice."
Now Get The FULL NOVEL at Once!
Get 40% OFF Using Code: DFCC7
@patreon.com/Authorizz