nextgenerationmarvel | Old Times' Sake (Marcelo)

WHO: Stephanie, Marcelo
WHAT: A dinner date, supposedly to discuss business.
WHERE: La Navarra
WHEN: 7:30, Friday evening (prior posted due to my being away on Friday night)

Normally, before meeting with a fellow businessperson for an important discussion of relevant things, she would rehearse whatever it was she planned to say before her assistant, Reginald, who would offer a precise, learned critique. When she had declined to do so for this particular dinner, despite it being with a very important individual, the local "big man" of Veridian Dynamics, Reginald had understood implicitly that the real business of the "dinner meeting" wasn't really business at all, and instead he'd devoted himself to tending to her stock portfolio, as well as to the management of her current, fairly extensive property holdings around the 11th Street Shelter.

Instead, she'd spent the time preparing herself more personally, getting her hair styled, nails done and spending the afternoon at a beauty spa. She'd had something of a revelation, thinking in the time between when she'd sent the text to Marcelo and today. They'd had troubles in the past with being together often enough to sustain a relationship, but neither of them were happy apart from each other. Her and Marcelo. To wit, Stephanie wanted her Brazilian prince back, and like any Shaw worth their salt, what she wanted, she would get, and in style at that. Slipping into the dress she had chosen for the occasion, she looked at herself briefly in the mirror, making sure everything was just right.

She wondered what he thought about her invitation, whether he assumed it would be a mere business discussion after all, or if she wanted to simply spend an evening together as friends, or what she really had in mind. Stephanie mulled it over for a moment and decided she liked the idea of keeping him a little unsure, surprising him a little. For a moment, a little doubt crept into her mind- what if he didn't miss her as much as she missed him after all? She shooed away the undesirable and patently false doubt. No, the mistake she'd made, that they'd made was to let things go. If she didn't think she had the opportunity to undo that nasty mistake, she wouldn't have asked him out for dinner at her favorite restaurant.

When she arrived there, they greeted her with the respect many reserved for royalty- after all, this was her restaurant, even more than the one that she and Brooke owned. She knew its space as well as anyone, the owner included, whom came out to greet her with air kisses and just a slight air of familiarity. She was their best customer, after all. A very special prix fixe menu with wine pairings (and a selection of their favorite spirits for pre-dinner and possibly post-dinner cocktails- and as they were in an entirely private part of the restaurant, they would even be able to smoke cigars if they wanted, public smoking laws be damned). Decor brought in specially from a company that had done similar services for the President, the British Royals on their last American visit and Tony Stark. No expense, no preparation had been spared.

Now, though, all that there was to do was to slowly enjoy a pre-dinner drink and wait for Marcelo to arrive. 1966 Domaine Boingneres armagnac, to be precise. Bold, but smooth. A complex flavour with a hint of mystery ...

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"Later." Stephanie replied briefly, just a little bit of the best sort of tension bleeding through in her voice. That was all she was going to say on that particular matter for now. Though that didn't preclude letting her foot slip out of her heels and brush up against his leg.

"You know, I even got ice cream from that place we went to on our first date. If we want. Though poor Alonso would be awfully sad if we missed out on the desserts on the menu." She playfully twirled some of a pasta dish on her fork and held it up for him to take.

Marcelo grinned. He'd take later. If there was still a later after she got the secret of Vesper. He did shift in his chair when he felt her foot brush against his leg.

"How about we want ice cream later, too? That way Alonso doesn't become sad on such a good night." He leaned forward to take the taste of offered food.

He gave up on checking on his tie. It could do it's own damn thing.

Needless to say, Stephanie had no idea what was waiting for her in the mysterous third bedroom. Right now, she really wasn't thinking about it, though. Just about how she felt like a massive chain had been taken away. As he finished the nibble, she kissed him again.

"Full of good ideas. We really should eat his desserts. They're quite spectacular." And designed to be shared.

As they spoke, the main courses arrived, along with sides.

"I don't think we'll be leaving here hungry." She laughed as she looked at the food.

"Well, someone should be the brains to your brawn. Why not me?" He smiled gently. Not that he meant she was missing in either department, but he knew she was a heck of a lot more durable then him. "Though you get to pick out the dessert, you know the best of the best here."

He eyed the food. He hadn't eaten this well since... he and Steph went all out at a restaurant. So months in the very least.

"Nossa. You went all out, didn't you, Steph?"

"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." She grinned. "Besides, they like me here." She was their best customer, after all.

"You're hardly lacking in brawn, you know." It was true that yes, she was a mutant and thus stronger than he was, but she knew he was quite strong for a non-mutant and especially where it counted.

"So when do I get to hear querida again?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

"Or is worth doing a lot, if I recall some things correctly." He couldn't help himself. Stephanie was the sexiest woman he knew. That she had shared his bed so willingly and enthusiastically was something high on his list. His woman to her man.

He put his fingers to his forehead. "I'm sensing with my keen mind, you have missed being my darling."

Darling sounded funny coming out of his mouth in English rather than Portuguese. He dropped his hand away from his face.

"Well that, querida, is a request easily granted."

"Mmhmm. Indeed." Stephanie grinned slightly. They were such a perfect fit, in ways both sublime and frankly lewd. Neither of which she had any embarrassment about whatsover. She'd rapidly discarded the idea about pleasure being suspect after actually having had some in her life.

"I have missed being your querida, mi amor." Stephanie replied, her voice almost a whisper. The small smile couldn't help but break into a small laugh. "It does, actually. Querida sounds so much better than "darling". Darling sounds like something that should only be said in a ridiculous British accent."

"Someday, I will dress as Gomez Addams, and completely not look the part. You, of course, will pull off the gatinha of Morticia Addams easily." He grinned. Marcelo was starting to get full. He was slowing his eating down so he could have some dessert.

"Or if you drop the g, maybe from a Texan wearing a cowboy hat. Otherwise, very stiff upper lip, I agree."

Stephanie simply rolled her eyes and continued eating her dinner, her appetite undiminished by all she'd had so far. In fact, in many significant ways, it'd only increased.

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about there, but I'll assume it's a compliment of some sort." She grinned. Because if it wasn't, well, she knew just where he was ticklish. And where he didn't like to be poked.

"What now, darling?" Stephanie replied in a nearly pitch-perfect faux-Received Pronounciation. "What's this about a stiff lip?"

One of the things she missed about him more than anything, honestly, was the ability to be silly and not feel like it was a liability.

Marcelo squinted at her. It was a theatrical squint mostly brought on by all this wine paired with food. "You've never seen the Addams Family television show or movies?"

Sometimes, he forgot how sheltered of an upbringing Stephanie had.

He laughed at Stephanie's new accent. "Much better than my French accent. I sound like Inspector Clouseau with a head cold." He paused. "You've seen the original Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers? Or do I have to add those to our movie nights, too?"

That he was planning occasional nights of sitting on the couch, cuddling and watching movies might have been the wine talking.

That wine, it must have an insidious tongue indeed, for the idea of movie nights actually sounded pleasant. Though she was quite sure that she didn't want one tonight. Stephanie had a healthy sense of priorities.

"I suspect you could probably put a lot of movies on my list. When I was young, I had very little chance to watch them and now I don't have the time." She laughed and took a sip of the wine, as a pre-dessert cheese tray was brought to them, with various accompaniments.

"Last course before dessert. Honest." She laughed, but really, she needed little incentive to go into yet another course.

"Then we'll squeeze some cuddling time on the couch into the schedule. Somewhere between school, work, and sex," he assured. He blinked at the cheese course coming out. He forgot how well-fed just eating alongside Stephanie he got.

"It better be. You might have to roll or carry me out of here if there's too much more." Though did try some of the cheese. And wine. Always more wine.

Old Times' Sake (Marcelo)

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