"Natalia Romanova." Natasha extended her hand, her Russian accent languid and sensual. "I've heard much about you."
Looking at the angelic face that was a dead ringer for Scarlett Johansson, Hawk barely suppressed a laugh. He took her hand, his thumb lightly stroking her palm, his smile deepening. "Ms. Romanova, your name… seems more suited to appearing in some Moscow intelligence file than at a Wall Street gala."
Natasha's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but her smile never wavered. "The line between finance and intelligence is often very blurry, isn't it?"
"Indeed." Hawk leaned in slightly, his voice low. "Just like your objective tonight—are you here to steal my business secrets, or…" His gaze paused on her red lips for a moment, "…something else?"
Natasha chuckled, her fingertip lightly tracing his tie. "Perhaps I'm just curious what kind of man can wipe out Bates Capital in three weeks."
"A man's secrets shouldn't be casually probed, Ms. Romanova," Hawk gently shook his head, laughing softly. "Unless you offer up one of your secrets in exchange."
"A fair trade." Natasha smiled and raised her glass, apparently quite interested in Hawk's deal, even contemplating which secrets she might offer. Suddenly, Romanova seemed to think of something. She nudged Hawk's chest suggestively, her voice turning seductive. "Actually, I'm an international intelligence broker. If you have any valuable information, Mr. Hawk, it can fetch a good price. Or I can exchange it for information of equal value."
"Wow, cool!" Hawk put on an exaggerated expression. "Well, I do have one secret. I wonder how much it's worth?"
Romanova looked intrigued, making a "please continue" gesture.
Hawk carefully looked around, as if genuinely afraid of his secret leaking, then cleared his throat and whispered: "I am… six feet one, 220 pounds, eight-pack abs, ten inches…"
"Wait a minute…" Natasha couldn't help but laugh. She leaned in, her voice full of curiosity. "Are you really ten inches?"
Looking at the approaching Natasha, Hawk took a closer look. The woman was truly beautiful: glistening blue eyes, a high nose bridge, plump red lips, a seductive aura, and a half-smile that carried a hint of cuteness.
"Genuine goods, no fooling."
"Mmm-hmm." Natasha elegantly took a sip of her mojito, her red lips parting. "Mr. Hawk, I don't think this is the right place to discuss this. I hope we can exchange ideas on this matter more in-depth." She casually picked up a tart, bit into it with those moist red lips, and gave a look of pure rapture. The alluring gaze she directed at Hawk was utterly enchanting. It made a young man like Hawk feel a stir of excitement, and he silently cursed. A seasoned enchantress, indeed. They really do get more brazen with age.
Two hours later, in the Lane Tower gym.
Natasha was completely worn out…
She was currently showering in the bathroom. The phone she'd left outside rang. Hawk went out, wiping the water on his face with towel, picked it up and handed it into the bathroom.
"It's a guy named Coulson."
"Got it." Natasha took the phone. "Hello, Coulson."
"Where are you? I can't find you. Your voice sounds a little strange. A bit hoarse."
"It's nothing serious. I just choked while drinking earlier. My throat's a little rough, but no big deal." Natasha muffled her throat and coughed. "I'm in the gym upstairs. I drank a little too much, so I came up to sober up."
"Sobering up in the gym?" Coulson, who was handling the rendezvous outside, was puzzled. What kind of operation is this?
"That's right. I was just doing some Smith Machine Squats. I'm taking a shower now."
Listening from outside, Hawk couldn't help but admire Natasha's professionalism. She really had done some Smith Machine Squats. Mixing truth with lies like that—not even an AI could detect it.
Coulson knew Natasha was a fitness fanatic who often lifted weights in the gym when not on a mission. Smith Machine Squats were a common exercise for her, primarily targeting the glutes, outer thighs, and adductors. Though he found it odd, he didn't press for details.
After the call, Natasha finished her shower, holding onto the wall as she walked out. She shot Hawk a sharp look.
The two dressed quickly. After tidying themselves, they stepped into the elevator together.
"So, Mr. Hawk, now will you finally unveil how you managed to take down Bates Capital in under three weeks?" Natasha smoothed her recently dried hair, her eyes full of allure.
Unfortunately, Hawk was currently in his "Sage Time," immune to all debuffs, unless she granted him another minute to recover.
"Just lucky," Hawk shrugged, subtly taking a half-step back. "However, if S.H.I.E.L.D. is interested in my 'luck,' Director Fury could simply invite me for coffee. Why send the famous Black Widow to my bed?"
Natasha's pupils contracted sharply; she froze for a fraction of a second, but her smile remained perfect. "It seems your intelligence network is quite formidable, Mr. Lane."
Hawk shook his head. "For instance, I know you have a micro-communicator hidden in your ear, a ceramic dagger strapped to your right thigh, and your perfume—" He leaned in slightly, inhaling near her neck. "—contains trace amounts of a nerve agent. Unfortunately, it's ineffective against me."
Natasha's smile finally faltered for a moment, but quickly returned. "It looks like tonight's 'game' is more interesting than I thought."
"Game?" Hawk chuckled softly. "No, Natasha, this isn't a game." He suddenly reached out and clamped his hand on her waist, pulling her into his embrace, his thin lips practically touching her earlobe. "As S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, you should know this world is quite dangerous."
Natasha's breath hitched, but in the next second, her fingertip was pressed against his throat. "And what about you? Hawk Lane, which side are you actually on?"
Hawk didn't flinch. Instead, he smiled. "I stand on the side of maximum profit."
Suddenly, the elevator stopped before reaching the top floor.
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are 50+ advance chapters available for you to read!