Chapter Text
When Vanessa and Wilson Fisk were ready to return three years later, James prepared to go with them.
Neither of them had ever questioned him about the woman he"d stayed with, but there had been a glint in Vanessa"s eyes that told him she knew. And if she knew, then without a doubt Fisk did as well.
But the night before they were to return to Hell"s Kitchen, after all the time that had passed, Vanessa invited him to dinner at their house.
He"d arrived, immaculately dressed, to find both Vanessa and Wilson equally dressed to the nines, but dinner was by no means a formal affair. Conversation was as light and soothing as Vanessa"s home cooking.
"There"s something we wanted to tell you before we went back, James," Vanessa said suddenly after dessert had been served. Unlike her husband, Vanessa had refused to ever call him anything but James. She considered him her husband"s best friend, and neither Wilson nor James had seen fit to remind Vanessa that James was her husband"s right-hand man, perhaps, but still his employee.
Wilson indulged Vanessa, and James simply didn"t see a logical reason to correct her and risk upsetting her, and by extension, Wilson Fisk.
James simply nodded and waited.
Vanessa smiled at Fisk, who took her hand in his, and only then did she turn back to look at James. "I"m pregnant, James." She beamed. "We"re having a baby."
"Vanessa thinks it"s a girl," Wilson rasped, kissing his wife"s hand. "A girl who would be as beautiful as my wife."
Vanessa grinned as she gave her husband a side hug from her seat.
James immediately smiled. "Congratulations, to the both of you."
He didn"t mention the danger had now increased with a child involved. Daredevil was still loose about the city, and he"d amassed a surprising amount of allies in their absence. But then again, he thought, adjusting his glasses, Vanessa steadied and supported Fisk, but she also wasn"t afraid to help him in his cause. Perhaps a child would humanize him to the people of Hell"s Kitchen, despite the events years ago, while grounding him further.
But he would take the child into consideration and revise any plans already in motion to ensure no harm came to Vanessa or her child. They would be placed above Fisk himself, because Fisk would not survive their loss with his sanity intact, but Vanessa would, and James no longer held any doubts about whether or not Vanessa would step into Fisk"s shoes.
She would, and in some ways, she was more ruthless than her husband could ever be.
"Wilson, get the champagne, would you?" Vanessa gave Wilson a besotted look, and Wilson immediately stood. "And two glasses. We should celebrate."
As soon as Fisk left the grand dining room, she raised her brows as she looked James over. "Just because you"re helping us achieve Wilson"s vision doesn"t mean you can"t reach for your own happiness," Vanessa said meaningfully. "Wilson did, and look at all the happiness it"s brought him. Look up the woman you left behind when we get back."
James didn"t correct her. He hadn"t left Marina behind; Marina had wanted him to leave.
But he"d intended to go back to explore the connection Marina had held with him, to see if it had survived his absence.
Intended, but then had questioned himself. When was the last time he"d even pursued a woman? If he had the urge, one could be found, but he"d spent little time with Marina, and perhaps his infatuation had been due to a nightingale syndrome. And now he simply had too much to do to set aside time. Women preferred to be a priority, something he could ill afford, especially now that Vanessa was pregnant.
Vanessa watched him with a shrewd expression, and James nearly capitulated. Clearly, she thought he deserved to be as happy as she and Fisk were, and she was as devious as James himself.
"Don"t forget," Vanessa added sternly. "I want to have dinner with her, James, after we"re settled."
James understood her meaning immediately. If he didn"t go to Marina, Vanessa would get involved on his behalf, something he"d prefer to avoid if possible. Marina might well disappear if Vanessa did anything, and a manhunt was not something he had time for.
He"d simply have to amend his plans yet again to include a woman before Vanessa forced him to anyway. Of all the women he could have kept, Marina was the only one to hold his interest for any length of time. Perhaps he"d even thank Vanessa for her machinations.
He nodded silently, and when Wilson Fisk returned with the champagne, they toasted.
.
James Wesley stood outside of Celetial Books, unsurprised to see that it had weathered the changes the years had brought without visible evidence.
Just as, he imagined, the woman herself had.
Once he"d agreed to seek Marina out, he"d plotted and waited until after they"d settled back in the city, and hammered out his plan until there was only the one, perfect one that ensured Marina would welcome him for as long as they had the connection.
If they still did.
He stepped inside as the door jingled to announce his arrival, and was greeted by Blanca, Marina"s white cat, who eyed him as he made his way through the small bookstore. He noticed her other two cats, Guapo and a black one he hadn"t learned the name of, and then a third, a kitten, that was obviously recently adopted into her home.
The kitten jumped from its bed on the counter to land on James" shoulder, and he tried not to think of the claw marks he"d find in his suit jacket later, or the irony of a tuxedo kitten being the one to do the damage.
"How can I help you?"
It wasn"t Marina"s voice. He turned to see the boy, Lucky, who hadn"t changed much except now the giant sported short dreads.
"Hello, Lucky. I"m looking for Marina." James hoped the woman was in, because if she wasn"t, Lucky would no doubt warn her of his arrival before he had the chance to come back.
"Why?" Lucky looked down at him without recognition, which James decided helped his cause.
"I"m an old friend," he lied without hesitation, and when Lucky raised a brow, he added, "We dated before I was required to move for work."
To be fair, he had bought her dinner once, and they had eaten it in her home, which under any other circumstance likely would have constituted a date.
Lucky wasn"t too trusting—a necessary trait for anyone living in the poverty-striken areas of Hell"s Kitchen—but evidently he decided to leave this one to Marina. "Marina, there"s someone here to see you. I"ll be in the back if you need me."
Lucky walked to the back of the store as Marina came down her stairs. "Who is, Lucky?"
"Yes," James answered, watching her freeze on the stairs the moment she realized who was downstairs.
She had changed, but not by much. Her hair wasn"t red, it was now black, but it seemed to shimmer blue as she moved. But she still wore shirts that gave him an appreciative view of her cleavage, and her jeans, rolled at her ankles due to her height, still showed off her form.
She still aroused him, and he could see the desire still lurking in her dark eyes.
She glared. "Yes what?" she snapped. "And I specifically remember telling you not to come back."
"I am lucky," he said, gently removing the kitten and placing him back on the bed on the counter. "Or, at least, I hope to be."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, no you don"t. You don"t get to come back here and—hey!" She stopped as he began climbing the stairs to meet her. "Stop right there!"
He didn"t stop, and she didn"t retreat.
"I have a gun," she warned when he was two steps away.
"Really?" He glanced down her body. "So do I."
She flushed at his innuendo, and he laughed softly. There was something about teasing her that he couldn"t help but be enticed by.
"Now you listen here—"
He reached her and kissed her as he"d wanted to do three years ago. He hadn"t regretted leaving her wanting at the time, but now that he"d kissed her, he realized what a fool he"d been. Her lips were soft and clung to his, and she kissed him back with a fervor that delighted him.
Before he thought better of it, before he remembered their possible audience, he pressed her against the wall and kissed her deeper, with more roughness than he"d planned.
But Marina gave as good as she got. She pressed back against him, and when his hand found her breast and teased it, her hands found his ass and she ground herself into him.
She broke the kiss first. "I don"t want trouble—"
He kissed her again before she could continue her protest, and again she melted into his arms. This time, she managed to align themselves perfectly and when she ground against him, he nearly lost his train of thought and with it, his carefully planned strategy to win Marina over.
He broke the kiss. "Let me take you to dinner."
"Oh!" She turned bright red, and sensing her protest, he kissed her and touched her, careful and light touches that did nothing more than tease, until she was trembling in his arms.
"Say yes," he whispered into her ear before nipping the lobe.
She squirmed against him but managed to hold her tongue.
"It"s just dinner," he breathed as he moved to plant small kisses and deliver little nips down her neck. "Unless you beg for more."
She shivered. "You"re trouble," she moaned.
He smirked against the base of her throat. "Perhaps," he agreed lightly. "But you like it."
He bit down on her neck and heard her gasp as his hand slid down to tease the skin above her waistband.
"Dinner and you"ll never come—ah!" Marina gasped again when his hand pressed her jeans against her core.
"Not until you do," he promised darkly, and he felt her shudder.
"This is bad," she protested, and he prepared to take her further, but he heard her add, "but okay. One dinner."
Satisfied, he abruptly pulled away, leaving her struggling to catch her breath against her own wall. "I"ll see you at eight."
"What the hell?" she demanded, but he simply walked down the stairs, whistling. "Hey! Who just does all that and leaves?! I know you can hear me, James!"
He laughed all the way to the car waiting for him. Her ire was almost as arousing as her passion, and suddenly he knew that, no matter what happened, he wasn"t going to let Marina go unless he tired of her, something he was beginning to doubt. Their chemistry was explosive, and he"d only deluded himself, and himself only, by trying to deny it.
He licked his lips, enjoying the taste of her that lingered. He would have to amend his plans again, because he wasn"t sure he could walk away from her need a second time that day.
And oh, what fun he"d have seducing her. What fun indeed.