Vengeance [Avengers Fanfiction]

[Chapter 21]

[Quinn]

    I smiled stiffly at Edward Poole as he led me to the dance floor, wanting nothing more in that moment than to turn down his offer and walk away, leaving him standing there like an idiot. He had possible information, though, that I needed. My nose slightly wrinkled at the strong, overpowering scent of his thick cologne, it being more noticeable to me since my senses were all heightened. The distinct smell of alcohol was on his breath as he put his hands on my waist and I placed mine on his shoulders. He leaned over, his hot and sticky breath hitting the side of my neck as we swayed.

    "So, tell me about yourself, Miss O'Donnell."

     Well, I'm a vigilante and I can have you on the floor dead in three seconds.

    "Well, I graduated from a private college in Colorado, and I was going to move to Europe to become a doctor. But that was before George, of course, so now I think I'm going to stay in the states and write medical papers." The lie rolled smoothly off of my tongue.

    "Wow, beautiful and smart! You're the whole package, Miss Kathleen." Poole praised me, lathering the complements thickly.

    "Thank you, sir." I replied as I sent a glance over his shoulder to see that Krale was still engaged in his previous conversation. Steve was standing twenty or so feet away with a glass of champagne in his hand. Even though he had drunken more than two so far, he didn't seem the least bit buzzed or affected by the drinks. Must take a lot to get that guy drunk.

    On the other hand, Poole was more than a bit tipsy judging by the blurred, distant look in his eyes and the slight inability for him to stay balanced.

    "You know." He purred into my ear as his hands started to wander further down my body, one of his thumbs tracing the zipper on the side of my dress. "If your fiancé is staying for the auction that is surely going to last all night, we might as well have some fun. I'm staying on the third floor."

    My skin crawled as he pulled me closer, fingers digging into my waist. Fighting the urge to stab the man in front of me in the heart, I forced a sultry smirk onto my face, brushing my lips slightly against his ear as I murmured, "Then what are we waiting for?"

     Grinning lecherously like he had just won a grand prize, Poole didn't even wait until the song was over to lead me across the ballroom, his grip on my waist never relenting.

    "Quinn, what are you doing?" Steve's voice ordered through my earpiece. "This wasn't a part of the plan."

    "Go after Krale, lead him out in the same direction I'm going." I muttered. "But wait a few minutes." As we passed a small bar, an idea popped into my mind. "And bring a bottle of the strongest stuff you can get ahold of."

    "What was that, darling?" Poole asked as we were now almost passing through the heavy, mahogany doors that led into the rest of the hotel.

    My fingers rubbed the silky edge of the collar of his tux as I whispered with a sexy smirk, "Just saying I can't wait to see you with this tie a bit loosened."

    Grinning at me, we left the chatter of the ballroom behind and made out way down a plushy carpeted, ornate hallway decorated with large, looming oil paintings depicting solemn figures gazing into the distance. As we approached the elevator, I became a bit nervous. Elevators and I didn't mix, and once I got on there was little chance that I could get rid of Poole in time to meet Krale on the first floor.

     Glancing behind me and making sure that no one was in the vicinity, I pushed Poole against a wall, watching his eyes light up in surprise.