"This is a really important deal and I need my laptop to be working," Oliver Queen barked into his phone as he exited the elevator. "Please find someone who can take care of it tonight."

He ended his call and carried his suit jacket and laptop bag toward one of the two corporate apartments on the top floor of the Queen Consolidated building. His tie was loose and his sleeves rolled up for comfort. It was nearly 9 PM on a Thursday evening and he was finally going upstairs for a few hours to recharge his batteries. He had been living in the sparsely appointed suite off and on for months, finding it a convenient crash pad.

Queen Consolidated was close to completing an important acquisition and it was the first major deal he had shepherded since taking on the role of CEO from his late father, Robert Queen. Consequently, Oliver had become a little too intense about it lately. Working too many hours. Losing his cool over small matters. Now he regularly caught his EA, Judith, a veteran at the company, sporting worried looks when she thought he didn't notice. The purchase of the cybersecurity division of Darhk Technologies was not going well. It seemed like Damian Darhk was always a step ahead of him in negotiations and time was running out to put together a deal that was beneficial to QC. His stress level was becoming apparent to everyone. Not only was Judith concerned about him, but more practically, she reminded him that shareholders and employees alike were looking to him to reflect an air of strength and calm. And the Christmas holidays were coming.

QC always reduced operations between Christmas Eve and January 2nd. They had a reputation as a family company, after all. And while Oliver was proud to continue a tradition that meant so much to his employees, he was unlikely to slow down much himself. He needed to finalize a deal in the first week of the New Year and he was anxious to make sure everything went perfectly. Oliver expected his only social obligations to be a few minutes at the company holiday party at week's end and dinner with his sister, Thea and her boyfriend, Roy. This would not sit well with the elite of Starling City who expected the bachelor to turn up at all of the galas taking place all over town. As expected, Oliver had bought pricey tickets for all of the charity events, but had no intention of attending any of them.

Oliver turned the corner in the hallway when he noticed the swishing ponytail of a petite woman tapping her forehead against the door directly across from his. She had a cute figure, showcased in a marvelously fitted black pencil skirt and pink blouse. He was tired, not dead, apparently. Absentmindedly, he observed that Thea would have liked her shoes. Oliver admired her for a moment, enjoying the view and trying to recognize her before finally clearing his throat. The blonde spun around and faced him. His breath caught for a second or maybe two as he processed her blue eyes, fraught with desperation behind rectangular frames and the deep pink bottom lip currently caught between her teeth. Hers was not a familiar face, but it was lovely to look at. Maybe he was staring. Perhaps that was why she screeched at him?

"Finally! I called twenty minutes ago." The woman move toward him, grabbed his arm, and lightly pulled him towards her. Oliver was surprised, but didn't pull away because...wow, she was very cute and he was intrigued.

"What? What's the matter?" He finally managed to speak as she lined him up with her door. Her purple and blue nails, trimmed short, caught his eye as they continued to grip his bicep. He didn't mind. He was just confused.

"It's huge!" She whispered breathlessly. Oliver quirked an eyebrow before taking a moment to audit his current physical state. Nope. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he responded in a deliberately calm voice.

"The mouse."

Oliver shook his head and sighed with a faint smile. "This building does not have mice. I can assure you. We take –"

"Yes it does," she nodded and swallowed hard, staring deeply into Oliver's blue eyes. Oliver started nodding too, but he didn't know why.

"No, it doesn't. We have a service. Exterminators. They regularly…" he continued, trying to assure her and calm her at the same time.

The woman dropped her hand from his arm and covered her face with it. Oliver registered the loss of her touch, but was immediately afraid that she might be crying. Crying was something he was not prepared to handle.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing."

"No, it's something," she bleated. Finally pulling her hand away, she looked up into his concerned face. "Wow, you're…wow," she whispered, finally taking him in. His eyes looked tired, but that was a face she could dream about on cold, lonely nights.

"Really, we are pest free. Trust me." He smiled softly at her.

"You were pest free. I might have brought something into the apartment that had a…stowaway. He could be rabid. You never know."

Oliver's face grew serious as he contemplated the new information. Yes, then there could very well be a mouse in the apartment. Tamping down any inclination to be annoyed, he thought it would be advisable to tend to the pretty girl before the ferocious vermin.

"It's going to be okay." Now it was Oliver's turn to grasp her elbow softly and lead her across the hall to his door. "Just wait in here and we'll get someone to sort it out. It will be fine."

"Are you sure?" The woman looked very troubled and keen to make the whole thing go away.

"Yes." Oliver produced a key card from his pocket and unlocked the door. He escorted her into the large open-spaced living and dining area of the suite. The décor was similar to the waiting areas downstairs in the office, high-end corporate. The kitchen was nicely appointed, but not the least bit homey.

"Eccchh," the first word out of the blonde's mouth, was unexpected, but completely understandable. Oliver smirked as he put his things down in a nearby chair. "Your place is just as drab as mine. Only bigger. So maybe that's worse." But then she moved to the bank of windows that showcased the Starling Bay. "Oh, but this is much better. I have a perfect view of the industrial part of town on my side."

Oliver studied her as moved around the kitchen, producing two wine glasses and a bottle of red from a hidden stash. The woman turned and saw the beautiful man approaching her carrying a glass of medicinal Pinot Noir and immediately became embarrassed.

"Not that I am complaining! It was incredibly generous of Queen Consolidated to put me up during the negotiations. There aren't any hotels available because of the holidays and I really didn't want to sleep in a rental car. Gosh, my room is palace considering how some people are living. It's just that it was just so…blah, you know, so I went out and got a tree." She stopped and took a sip, lingering on the flavor and relaxing for a moment. "There were so many nice ones at the lot and I know I'm Jewish, but there aren't really any rules about not having a tree, so I bought one and had a guy from downstairs help me bring it in. I had no idea there would be a passenger. And I am babbling. This wine is amazing. I am so sorry."

Oliver smiled a little. "Who are you?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm Felicity Smoak. I'm from the cybersecurity division of Darhk Tech. Well, actually I run it."

With that revelation, Oliver burst out into a full chuckle. Felicity couldn't help but be surprised by his reaction. "Is that amusing?"

"Not at all. It's just that I've been hearing about you for months now. I thought you were in the UK." Oliver took a sip from his own glass and leaned on the kitchen island.

"I was. But then I found out what was going on and I insisted that Mr. Darhk send me to discuss technological compatibility issues and, honestly, find out if Oliver Queen was the kind of man I could trust. You see, the cybersecurity division was my company first. Damian Darhk acquired us three years ago. I love what I do and I care about my team. We are the best in the industry. Really. Even though I may seem a little ridiculous in the face of…rodents."

"That's what I've heard," Oliver replied as he headed towards the kitchen phone.

"Honestly though, I don't mind them. I think it's just the context, you know? Outside in a field or walking and talking in gloves in a cartoon, I am fine. But on a kitchen counter. That's just wrong. Say, have you met Oliver Queen? I'm meeting him tomorrow and I'm freaking out a little. He could be my boss soon and I don't know if I should be worried, I mean, anybody has got to be better than Damian Darhk."

At that, Oliver looked at her quizzically.

"Wait, I didn't mean that. Well, I meant it, but I didn't mean to say it out loud in front of a perfect…what am I saying is…Who are you, if you don't mind my asking?" She finally spoke aloud the question that had been niggling in her ear since his face had destroyed her central nervous system.

Oliver raised his index finger, smiled quietly and pressed a button on the speaker phone. A male voice immediately connected.

"Yes, sir?"

"Hey, Lou. Apparently we have a mouse situation going on up here. Is someone dealing with it?"

"Yes sir," the disembodied voice answered in an anxious tone. "We are just waiting for the exterminator. He's on the truck, about five minutes out."

"Great. Well, show him up to that apartment as soon as he gets here, okay? When he's done, we'll need a cleaning crew in there to freshen things up."

"I can just send our regular crew up, sir. They don't leave until 10:30."

"That sounds great. And would you call over to Nino's Pizza and order me the usual and a..." Oliver looked to Felicity with an implied question. "Margherita?"

Felicity perked up with a grin and whispered. "With pineapple." Oliver smirked. Of course she would want something a little off beat. "Margherita with pineapple, Lou. And a couple of pies for you and the cleaning crew, okay?"

A smile drew across Felicity's face as she took another sip of wine. This stranger was a decent man, apparently – helpful to her and considerate of his employees.

"Thanks, sir. Anything else?"

"No, that should do it. Just send the delivery up when it comes and let me know when the apartment is ready for our guest. Thanks!"

"Sure thing, Mister Queen."

The look on Felicity Smoak's face was priceless. Surprise. Admiration. Embarrassment. All the feelings swirled around her lovely face as she stood clutching her wine glass.

She may have mouthed the words "holy frack." Felicity locked her knees to keep from stumbling forward. Oliver adopted a charming smile and strode around the kitchen island to meet her with his hand extended.

"Sorry to be rude. Oliver Queen. If I had known you were here, I would have welcomed you earlier. I need to give my assistant a talking to."

Felicity reached out and found her palm enveloped in warmth. A delighted smile painted across her mouth.

"Oh, no. It's my fault. I wasn't expected until tomorrow. I got an early flight in and Judith did an amazing job getting me settled in early. And now I've gone and become a troublemaker."

"You are no trouble at all, Ms. Smoak."

"Felicity, p-please." She stammered and found that she couldn't disengage her eyes from his while he was still holding her hand. Why was he still holding her hand, anyway?

"I'm really glad you came, Felicity." Oliver took great delight in saying her name out loud for the first time.

"I imagine you saying that under other circumstances," she drifted off for a moment before remembering herself. "I am so sorry. My mouth has a will of its own sometimes. I have no idea what it's trying to say."

Oliver chuckled and finally let go of her hand. He took a step back and turned to present the living room.

"Please, have a seat. I actually appreciate this chance to get to talk to you and, honestly, not having to eat dinner alone is a bonus. I've kind of been living like an animal lately."

Felicity laughed and moved carefully from her spot and sat on the leather sofa. She placed her glass on the marble table and shifted towards Oliver, who moved to the kitchen to retrieve plates and cutlery.

"Do you actually live here?"

"Nooo. I just stay up here during the crush periods. You know, it's easier to be close to the office and saves me from driving when I'm tired. I have a condo in town, but I've only been there on weekends lately."

"The acquisition is a big deal, isn't it?"

"It's very important to me." Oliver set the dining table like a civilized human being, even remembering to find napkins in a drawer. "Adding cybersecurity is an important step to growing our company in the next five years. We could build our own division, but…"

"It wouldn't be as good."

"Yes. You are the best and we need that. I'm still trying to figure out why Darhk is letting go of you."

"I might have some insights…but I probably shouldn't say. Confidentiality. I'm sorry."

"No, of course not. QC and Darhk Technologies are competitors and I wouldn't ask you to reveal any business intelligence, Felicity." Oliver came over and refilled her wine glass.

"Thank you, Mr. Queen."

"Mister Queen was my father. I'm just Oliver."

"Oliver." She repeated, nibbling her bottom lip, then grinning at him.

Cataloging everything she did, Oliver was kind of wrecked by her at this point. Beautiful, sweet, and if reports were true, an actual genius. He really needed to acquire her…her division now, more than ever, if only to get to know her better.

Eventually, the pizzas arrived. Oliver and Felicity used their time eating dinner to their best advantage. They swapped stories about family and their early business experiences. Oliver was fascinated to learn how Felicity created the startup that attracted the interest of Damian Darhk. Felicity, in turn, was keen to find out more about Queen Consolidated's technology programs.

"I wish I could show you some portfolios on my laptop, but…and this is embarrassing, it's not working right and I'm waiting for a tech to show up and fix it." Oliver checked his cell phone for a message from the IT Department.

"You know," Felicity leaned forward across the table, depositing her napkin on her empty plate. "I could take it look at it for you. If that's okay?"

"I think you are outrageously overqualified to troubleshoot my laptop, Felicity."

"That has never stopped my Mom from asking me to delete apps off her phone for her. So, it's really not a big deal. Let me, please. Broken computers hurt my heart."

Oliver gazed at her seriously. He might have licked his lips. "Well, the thought of something hurting your heart is unthinkable."

Felicity swallowed as best she could. Then she remembered to breathe. Then she smiled and stood up.

"Show me the offending machine!"

Oliver laughed and went for his laptop.

Watching Felicity Smoak troubleshoot a laptop was like watching Mozart compose a symphony. At least, that's what Oliver mused internally as he observed her fingers flying across the keyboard of his computer. Consequently, it didn't surprise him when she yelped and fist pumped the air after only about five minutes of work. His own IT department had spent hours on it and had been unsuccessful.

"Progress?" Oliver called from the kitchen as he finished drying the dishes.

"Wait. Wait," she mumbled as she studied the BIOS of his machine. "Oh frack!" Felicity sat back on the sofa and stared at the screen.

"What's the matter?" Oliver didn't like how quiet she had become and approached, sitting down carefully next to her. He looked to the code on screen, but it was a foreign language to him.

Felicity pushed a stray piece of hair back behind her ear and looked to him, concerned.

"It's a virus. I am so sorry, Oliver."

"It can't be fixed?"

"No, it can be fixed, it's just…you got a document from Damian Darhk a few weeks ago, didn't you? With maybe a spreadsheet or a sales report attached?"

"Yeah. A few documents. Did I pick up something nasty?"

"Oh yes. Now, let me preface this by saying that I don't think Mr. Darhk is an evil person, per se. But he is a very driven person when it comes to business matters and he is not above resorting to…excessive behavior. I have seen this signature before. He's installed proprietary spyware on your computer to track your strategy."

"Are you kidding?" Oliver shook his head. Suddenly, Damian Darhk being one step ahead of him in negotiations at every turn made more sense.

"No, I wish I was. Now maybe you understand why I am happy you want to buy my division. I don't like seeing business done this way, Oliver. This isn't the first time I've noticed him crossing the line. But it's not who I am and I don't want to be a part of it anymore."

"I appreciate you making me aware of this. I just can't believe what a creep Darhk is. I don't want you to have to work for him anymore either." Oliver found himself reaching over and squeezing her shoulder momentarily before pulling back. Felicity smiled back at him.

"So, can you get it off of there?"

"Sure. I could do it in my sleep. But I'm thinking that maybe you might want to keep it on there a little longer."

Oliver quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Well, if he's going to cheat and basically listen in on your conversations, it would be within your rights to…control the message."

Suddenly, Oliver's mind raced. Yes, perhaps this situation could be turned to his advantage. He slouched back into the leather sofa and folded his arms. There was much to think about. Felicity sat back beside Oliver and watched as ideas danced across his handsome face.

Eventually, the building manager knocked on the door to alert them that Felicity's apartment was pest-free and ready to be inhabited again. They ended up lingering at her door for an extended period of time before saying goodnight. When Felicity finally opened her door, there was no sign of the Christmas tree that had provided carriage for the mouse.

"Ah, I guess they needed to remove it in case there were any other critters in it," she laughed. "Oh well, that taught me a lesson, I think. I'm just sorry it cost so much with exterminators and cleaners and everything."

Oliver couldn't help grasping her hand one more time.

"Not at all. In the end, you've probably saved us a lot. Thank you, Felicity."

He reluctantly retreated back to his own digs, but he had much to think about.

Friday morning, Oliver came out swinging. He woke up with a clear head and a viable strategy for defeating Damian Darhk at his own game. He was excited and grateful to the woman who preoccupied whatever thoughts he had that were not strategic as he headed down to his office.

Judith was a smartly dressed woman in her early 60's. She approached Oliver with a curious look. She had known him for most of his life, but the expression he wore today was new. He was simmering.

"Is everything okay, Oliver?"

Queen steadied his square jaw and nodded to her. "Oh yeah, everything is fine. But I could use your help with something." Oliver headed toward his desk, his befouled laptop tucked under his arm. "Why didn't you tell me about Felicity Smoak yesterday?"

"Well, she wasn't scheduled to come in until today. I didn't want to distract you. I take it you two met upstairs?"

"Yes we did."

"And?"

"She's remarkable," Oliver beamed at his EA, practically startling her. She suspected that he might be smitten and squelched the urge to dig too deeply. Oliver was a private young man and not inclined to talk about his romantic life at the office.

"I need you to do me a favor. You know, our corporate apartments are really depressing."

"You don't say?" she smirked.

"It's true. Ms. Smoak is here with us through next week and I would like her stay to be pleasant. I want her to get a sense of the family vibe we try to cultivate her at QC. So, while she is down here today, I would like you to send a team up to her space and do it up with some Christmas cheer. A tree. Lights. Decorations. Can you make that happen?"

"Sure, Oliver. We've got the holiday party down in the lobby tonight. I'll have them divert some decorations up to Ms. Smoak's space."

"Oh, and a menorah."

"A menorah. Anything else? Kwanzaa Unity Cup?" Judith always had a dry wit.

Oliver rolled his eyes at the older woman and smirked at her. "I think you'll handle it all just fine. Just make it festive."

"Will do," she replied. "It will be perfect."

"Great. We're going to have a hell of a ride with this Darhk Tech acquisition, Judith, but I think it's going to work out really well. Fingers crossed."

"Toes crossed too, Oliver. You know if there is anything else I can do. Just let me know." She headed back to her desk in the ante office, but called in a loud voice, "Don't forget you are expected to make a toast at 7pm tonight at the party."

"I'm looking forward to it. Do we know what happened to my tux?"

"Elves may have spirited it from your penthouse closet to the dry cleaners down the street. I heard a rumor that Santa was delivering it upstairs this morning."

"I think that means I owe my sister an extra Christmas gift."

"You got her a vintage Hermes handbag she wanted."

"Vintage. That means I got my sister a used purse?"

"Yup. Cost Five Grand."

"Five thousand dollars for a handbag. I will never understand womenfolk."

"Continuing to call us that pretty much guarantees it, Oliver."

"Well, track down Thea and see if she can rustle up something festive for our guest to wear to the party tonight. Tell her there might be shoes under the tree as well."

"Rustle up? Womenfolk? You aren't by any chance wearing cowboy boots under there?" Judith teased.

"Git." Oliver shooed her with a wave of his hand and a steely look. "He was kind of feeling like an action hero right now - a business action hero, doing battle with his nemesis. Of course he didn't have a horse or a hat or even a mask.

Felicity Smoak turned up on the executive floor promptly at 9am looking exquisite in a black sweater dress and carrying a tray of lattes from the coffee shop down the street. Judith immediately took to the lady she had previously only spoken with on the phone. She liked this woman even before she brought her an unexpected beverage.

"I like this woman, Oliver!" Judith announced as she escorted Felicity through Oliver's door. It only took a moment to see the CEO lift his head and clap eyes on the IT gal to see that he really liked her too. She literally watched him light up. He noticed that Felicity's golden hair was down today and fell in soft waves around her face.

Judith bit back a grin and finished depositing Felicity into Oliver's office, then quietly closed the door behind her. She was more determined than ever now to deliver the Christmas wonderland Oliver had requested for Felicity's apartment.

"Ms. Smoak," Oliver grinned, standing up and moving quickly around his desk.

"Mr. Queen," she smiled back and extended a cup to him. "Are we back to formalities? I brought you a perfectly crafted, ridiculously expensive coffee because I thought we were on a first name basis now."

"Thank you, Felicity," Oliver accepted the offering with a nod. "Did you sleep alright in the apartment? I worried that the mouse thing might have made you anxious."

"Honestly, with jet lag and the excitement of the day and the red wine, I was out pretty fast. No time to worry about mice."

"Good, because we have a big day today," Oliver pronounced, heading back around his desk. He now had two laptops. One Felicity recognized as his corrupt machine and the other was a new ultralight.

"Today we are going to begin setting up Damian Darhk to think that we no longer need to buy your division…that we have developed our own in-house cyber technology that we are going to offer to the marketplace for free. By the New Year he will be happy to let me have you for a song."

It only took a moment for Oliver to realize what he had said. An uncomfortable look stormed over his face, but Felicity placed a hand on his arm.

"I know what you meant. Usually it's me saying things like that." She smiled warmly, setting off a pilot light inside Oliver that made him wince a little. He wasn't sure he was relieved when she moved away and sat in a chair on the other side of his desk.

The sound of a cell phone ringing interrupted the awkward silence. It was Felicity's mobile. She looked at the screen and grimaced before tapping the screen.

"Hello, Mr. Darhk. Yes. This is my first morning in the office. Yes, we are definitely covering compatibility issues." At this point Felicity winked at Oliver, who was observing the call with great interest.

The wink completely threw him. He blanched and took a deep draw on his coffee. He might have blushed. Which was crazy. Oliver Queen never blushed. Ever. What was this woman doing to him?

"Yes, sir. I will complete a detailed trip report next week when I return. Thank you sir. And Merry Christ-" Felicity snorted and looked back at Oliver. "He hung up."

"Figures," Oliver smirked. "Why don't we finish our coffees and then I'll take you down to our IT Department. You can meet some people and then we can talk more about…compatibility."

Felicity nodded in agreement, warming her small hands on her coffee cup and delivering a shy smile.

The day went well. Felicity impressed the hell out of the geeks downstairs and he was left with no doubt that the acquisition would be a huge boon for their technology area. Oliver also managed to set up some files and emails that would definitely begin moving Damian Darhk in the direction he wanted him to go. With Felicity's help, of course. She knew the buttons to press that would get his attention without tipping him off to their knowledge of his snooping.

As the day waned, Felicity went up to her apartment to freshen up before the company party she had been graciously invited to attend by her host, who insisted that she was practically part of the company anyway.

Thirty minutes later, Oliver managed to disengage from a marketing meeting and head up to his own rooms to change. Moments after he closed his door, there was a knock. He didn't need to guess that it would be Felicity Smoak, excited to thank him for the holiday decorations in her apartment. Therefore, he was surprised to open the door and find the young woman with tears streaming down her face. This was the opposite of what he had expected.

So was what happened next. She moved toward him like a magnet and wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her wet cheek against his shirt. OIiver immediately covered her shoulders with his arms and pressed his nose into her soft hair.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"You gave me Christmas," she whispered. Oliver let out the breath he had been holding and sunk into her.

"I had them send up some extra things from downstairs. I hope they didn't forget the menorah. I was very specific about that."

"It's there. Thank you, Oliver." Felicity pulled away slowly and took a step back, all the while watching as he let go of her with some reluctance.

I've been moving around for a long time, a different Darhk office every six months for the past few years, and this is the first holiday…it was so kind to make me feel at home like this."

"It wasn't…I'm just glad you like it. I want you to be happy here with me…and everyone at Queen Consolidated."

"You have no idea." At that, Felicity noticed a funny little Christmas tree sitting on Oliver's counter. "Oh, I guess you got a decoration too."

"Ah, the Charlie Brown tree. From my sister, Thea, no doubt."

"Your sister!" Felicity cried out with excitement. "She left me two party dresses with a note. I have a feeling you were responsible for that."

"Possibly. Please go put one of them on. I'll come and get you in twenty minutes. CEO can't be late for the party."

"Frack!" Felicity shouted before clapping her hand over her mouth. Then she pointed over her shoulder, then rushed over to her apartment and slammed the door.

Oliver rapped on Felicity's door precisely twenty minutes later, after walking laps in the corridor for two minutes. He knew better than to arrive early and rush his guest.

The door flung open and he saw her standing there in a silver sequined dress with a flouncy skirt that made his hands want to reach out to touch the airy fabric.

"Damn it," he muttered, causing Felicity to adopt a confused look. Before she had a chance to interpret his disapproval, Oliver added, "Now I have to get my sister a very expensive pair of earrings. She's breaking me this year." He admired her for a few moments before tearing his gaze away to look at the room.

"I hope that means you like it because…you look extremely…frack." Oliver kept his focus on the decorations, but felt her eyes studying him from his perfectly executed bow tie down to his shiny black shoes.

It looked like a set in a Christmas movie. One of the really sappy ones. There was a large decorated tree, garland hanging on the fireplace, poinsettia plants along the back wall. Judith had also outdone herself, apparently. Oliver whistled.

"Isn't it a-mazing?" Felicity laughed. "I was afraid I'd find Tiny Tim in the bathtub."

"No mice in the tree this time, I hope."

"It's artificial," she whispered as if the tree would be sad to learn this fact about itself.

Oliver chuckled and took in her laughter. "Are you ready to go? We should head down."

"Almost," Felicity squeaked out, suddenly a little nervous. "I need to put on my lipstick."

Oliver cocked his head and studied her as she moved to the doorway heading into the next room and stood there.

"So, um…this company party. Will there be canapes?"

Oliver started to walk toward her. "Yes, there will be food."

"And champagne?"

"Yes, Felicity. We are civilized human beings here in Starling City." Oliver grinned at her as he advanced.

"Dancing? Will there be dancing?"

Oliver pursed his lips together. "Yes, some people do dance. I am not one of them."

"Ah, so Oliver Queen is not fleet of foot, eh?" She grinned at him as he continued to move closer.

"I can move pretty fast when I want to, Felicity."

Oliver had closed the distance now, requiring the small woman to tilt her head back to look up at him.

"What about mistletoe? Will there be mistletoe at the party?"

The blonde watched Oliver's expression change from confident to awkward in a microsecond.

"Noooo. That would be unprofessional."

Felicity quirked an eyebrow at him and pointed up. Oliver followed her finger to see a sprig of mistletoe with a red bow clearly hanging above them.

He looked down at her, alarmed. Then he saw the smile in her eyes.

"Then I guess this is just for my personal use."

Oliver was captivated as her hands moved slowly, one sliding up his lapel, the other over his shoulder and around his neck. She pulled him closer and he felt her warmth just before she angled her lips to meet his.

It was a sweet kiss. At first. But the longer her lips moved against his, the more serious it became. Felicity Smoak's mouth opened to his so perfectly he groaned when they finally had to end it. Out of breath, she laughed and patted his chest. He admired her as he stepped back to lean against the doorway for support.

"I don't want to stop," he growled.

"Neither do I." Felicity beamed at him. "But, I better go and put on my lipstick now. The CEO needs to host a party."

Left alone, the CEO smiled to himself. How had his life changed so quickly? He was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of possibility.

Oliver Queen glanced back up at the mistletoe. Ah, Thea. A grin erupted.

"You realize I'm going to have to buy my sister a car now."

THE END.