Tony stared at Pete. He had never seen her in anything but well tailored business suits or jeans and a casual top. The knee length, sleeveless tank style, dove-gray silk sheath she was currently wearing showcased her figure beautifully. The three inch, sling back, black and silver heels accentuated the long lines of her legs, making Tony whistle soundlessly in appreciation.
"I take that means you approve?" She arched one slender dark eyebrow, green eyes sparkling like the delicate peridot teardrop stones dangling from her earlobes.
She might represent a prospective employer but she was also a beautiful woman who he'd come to think of as a friend. He knew she wouldn't object to having him flirt. If anything she expected it. And it was already far too late to hide his initial reaction, so he pursed his lips and adopted an overly thoughtful expression, rubbing his chin before motioning her to turn around. She gave him a coy look before complying.
She batted her eyelashes at him after completing a graceful pirouette that would have done a ballerina proud. "Well?:
Tony smiled warmly, letting his appreciation show. "Very, very nice."
"Thank you." She grinned back, dimples appearing. "I'd hate to think I wasted my money buying this dress."
Tony gave her another slow, deliberate once over. "Oh..I'd say it was money well spent."
"Excellent." She chuckled. It was a low and husky sound that made Tony shiver. It really was a shame he knew she wasn't interested in a romantic relationship with him.
She picked up a black and silver lacy shawl that was clearly more for effect than warmth. It was a lovely accent which nicely complimented her outfit. Tony stepped forward, taking the lightweight fabric from her to gallantly drape it over her shoulders.
"Thank you.:
"My pleasure" Tony tried to ignore the light, enticing fragrance of her perfume. It was a subtle blend of scents; sandalwood, lavender and lemongrass. He only knew the components because he'd been so bold as to ask why it was she smelled so good the first time they'd met.
He never failed to find it odd that her perfume reminded him of Gibbs. Tony assumed it was the blended aspect that triggered the association. Gibbs almost always smelled of sawdust, musk and coffee.
It could be the way Pete carried herself which also brought Gibbs to mind. They might not have anything in common in their overall appearance, but Pete moved with the same easy confidence and purpose the former Marine did. She had the same charisma that instinctively fostered respect and deference.
"You okay with eating here at the hotel?" Pete asked. "We could go some where else if you'd rather."
They hadn't made firm plans for where to go to dinner because Tony wasn't sure he wouldn't have to cancel again. It seemed better to play it by ear.
"As long as you are buying, here is fine." The average meal at the Ritz Carlton restaurant cost more than Tony could typically afford. Although, if this were a real date, he wouldn't have hesitated to pay for it to impress her.
She smiled at him. "I like liberated men."
Tony laughed. "Is that what they call it these days?"
"It's what I call it."
"Do you have reservations?" Tony asked as he held the door open for her. They might be forced to go somewhere else. Tables were notoriously hard to come by.
"No." She shrugged one shoulder. "But that won't be a problem."
Tony knew her confidence wasn't misplaced. He hadn't seen a maitre de turn her down yet. He wasn't sure if that was just more evidence of her being like Gibbs and making it clear she wouldn't take "no" for an answer, or if it was simply the fact that they knew Keira Petrastorsky worked for a multimillion dollar company and offending her could cost them more in the long run.
"I like women with clout."
"A statement like that is proof I'm not wasting my time to keep offering you a job.: She took the arm he offered, leaning in momentarily to brush his shoulder with hers.
Tony hesitated before asking, "That mean the job is still open?" It seemed like a golden opportunity to find out for sure if there was an offer still on the table.
She hit the button for the elevator before turning to face him directly. "I told you there was a position open for you whenever you wanted it. That hasn't changed."
Tony wasn't sure if he was pleased or not. It would have been nice if the decision of whether to stay or go had been taken out of his hands. He shook his head.
"Three years is a long time to wait."
"Yes, it is." She smiled. "I'm a patient person."
"Yeah, but Paladin has to feel a bit differently. I mean, three years---"
"It's my call."
Tony blinked. "They really give you that kind of latitude?"
"They don't give me anything." She laughed softly. "I own sixty percent of the company, Tony. I wasn't bragging when I said it's my call."
Tony felt his jaw drop. "I did not know that."
"Not many people do." She shrugged one shoulder. "And mostly, I prefer it that way."
"Why?"
"A company that specializes in providing security in hot spots around the world is supposed to be run by some grizzled veteran with lots of military experience." Pete sighed. "It is easier just to refer to the boss as "Pete" than try to explain to a client that I am the boss." She smiled, feral and fierce. "And if they are assholes or condescending to me based solely on my gender, I can make them pay for that. I call it a tolerance tax. The more I have to tolerate, the more they have to pay.
Tony laughed. "Wish I could charge a tolerance tax."
"If you worked for me, you could."
She stepped into the elevator when the doors opened. Tony followed. He hit the button for the restaurant floor.
"It's not an easy decision." Tony admitted quietly, watching the lights change for each floor.
"I know. And that is just another point in your favor. I like loyalty too." She squeezed his arm. "If it helps weigh things in my favor, you might be pleased to know your base salary with Paladin would be more than three times what you make right now.
"Triple?" Tony gaped at her. He knew the salary would be better--double maybe, if they were feeling generous, but he'd never really seriously considered asking how much. He hadn't wanted to know, afraid of how tempting it just might be.
"Triple." She confirmed with a nod. "I know what government employees make. The low man on my totem pole right now makes more than twice that much. But then, Josh isn't a field rep, so his pay scale reflects that."
Tony swallowed hard. "That is a hell of a lot of money you're offering."
She dipped her head in acknowledgement of his statement. "I expect my field employees to be ready to go whenever I call, day or night. And they get paid to risk life and limb for people they don't know well and probably wouldn't like if they did. The duty locations are often far from friends and family for long periods of time."
She held up her hands as though balancing a scale. "It;s a lot to ask of people. So I pay well."
Tony;s expression turned thoughtful. Pete didn't ask any more of her employees than NCIS did of theirs. In some ways, she asked a lot less.
"Shame the government doesn't see it the way you do." Tony knew even if the government did, Gibbs wouldn't. The man was stingy with his praise on a good day; it was hard to imagine him being any more generous with money if it were up to him to set Tony;s salary.
"It's good for me that the government doesn't. It would be hard to compete otherwise. And it's hard enough as it is since a good salary isn't the only thing the sort I hire are looking for. Greedy people are a dime a dozen, but those with integrity and a willingness to earn their salary are few and far between. You are one of the good ones."
Tony smiled shyly at the compliment, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt. Money had never been everything to him, even if he had a serious appreciation of the finer things in life. He'd learned the day his father cut him off at the age of twelve how easily it could come and go. And money was definitely not the reason he'd stayed at NCIS. It also wasn't the reason he was giving her offer serious consideration. But that kind of money would certainly be nice compensation for leaving NCIS and Gibbs.
The doors opening saved him from having to say anything. He naturally put his hand on the small of her back as they walked into the restaurant together. She didn't object, just like he figured she wouldn't. Pete, like Gibbs, was always in charge. But unlike Gibbs, she didn't object to letting him lead now and again. It made him wonder if she knew how to dance. Tony had a feeling she'd be fantastic at the Tango.
As Pete had predicted, it wasn't a problem for them to get a table. Tony had to admit he liked the understated way Pete got what she wanted. She didn't need to throw her weight around or get in someone's face. She didn't even raise her voice. Although, Tony readily admitted he liked it when Gibbs went all "alpha male", it was refreshing not to have to worry someone would be pissed off over something so minor as a place to eat dinner.
Once they were seated, Pete ordered a bottle of wine to go with their meal. Tony wasn't normally much of a wine drinker, but he had no problem with deferring to her choice. She was paying for it after all.
Even with Pete picking up the tab, Tony elected to skip the caviar. No matter what Abby thought about it, Tony hated that stuff. It was too salty for his taste. He opted for duck as his entree. Pete went for the Tilapia. Soup and salad were ordered as well.
They made small talk until they finished eating. Tony knew from past dinners that Pete preferred not to discuss anything business related or overly heavy during a meal. And he had to agree with her statement that food should be savored and enjoyed, something that could rarely be done while talking about work. Work took far too much focus in his life lately--even his down time had been lost while working undercover--- so Tony loved having a chance to simply enjoy a dinner with a lovely companion while being himself. And he definitely appreciated discussing sports and movies with someone as passionate about them as he was.
After the waiter removed their plates, Pete picked up her half full wine glass, holding it loosely between the fingers of both hands, elbows resting on the table as she made eye contact and held it. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"It?" Tony blinked. "Talk about what?"
"Whatever it is that has you seriously considering taking my offer." She arched an eyebrow. "Would be the first time I can remember you doing more than just humoring me. Something had to have happened."
Tony glanced away, sighing softly. "It's been a rough couple of months."
She frowned. "In the last two years, I'm not sure I can say I've known you to have a good couple of months."
"It's not that bad,"Tony protested.
She held up her hand, stopping him from saying any more. "You're classic car was destroyed. You contracted the Plague. You lost one partner. Nearly lost an agent to a serial killer. And then got a new partner, one you weren't sure you could trust."
Tony grimaced. When she put it that way it had definitely been a rough year. So she wasn't wrong; she also wasn't done. Pete gave him a hard look.
"You got beat up and shot at a few times along the way. Framed for murder."
Tony winced. He'd nearly forgotten telling her about all those things. He never told her anything classified or even got into specifics about cases unless they were already settled in court. But outside of the team, Pete was one of the few people he knew who wouldn't accuse him of lying or exaggerating about the sometimes bizarre situations the job put him in and who didn't mind lending a sympathetic ear.
Pete sighed softly, reaching across the table to take his hand. "You nearly lost Gibbs to an explosion. I know that was anything but easy."
Tony swallowed hard. She didn't know why nearly losing Gibbs had hurt so much. At least he didn't think she did. But with Pete, it was always hard to know just what she was or wasn't aware of. Another trait she had in common with Gibbs.
She squeezed his hand before letting go. "Then Gibbs leaves, and for four months you are stuck with your own team."
"I wasn't stuck...exactly.:
She gave him a pointed look. "It wasn't your choice either."
She was right about that too. It wasn't like he could have just refused to take Gibbs' badge and gun, or refused to lead the team. Not when, at the time, he really thought it was an expression of Gibbs' faith in his abilities. Funny how the way Gibbs returned made that moment seem so much different. Hindsight really was a bitch, Tony decided.
"Being in charge was something you clearly weren't sure you were ready for."
He and Pete had gotten together shortly after Gibbs left. He'd told he was turning the job down because he'd got a promotion and was leading his own team. Tony had tried to act happy about the prospect; he hadn't wanted her to know he was anxious and uncertain.
Tony winced. "Showed, hunh?"
"I've known you long enough to know when you are spouting bullshit." She rolled her eyes. "And acting like you knew you could handle the responsibility when you weren't completely confident...that was Grade "A" bullshit."
She smiled warmly at him. "To your credit, I think you did a damn fine job."
"And what are you basing that on?" Tony raised both eyebrows.
"You solved the cases you were assigned, yes?"
"Yes."
"No one got killed on your watch, right?"
"Right."
"People still kept calling you for awhile even after Gibbs was back assuming you were either still in charge or could handle the problem?"
"Yeah."
"Then you did a damn fine job." She shook her head. "Although accepting an undercover gig at the same time might have been biting off bit more than you could chew."
Tony winced again, but didn't argue with her. If he'd known how it would all turn out, he probably wouldn't have taken the assignment. In spite of that, he didn't regret the time he'd had with Jeanne. He did regret having to lie to Gibbs. And he really regretted knowing lying cost him points with the older man. But then it wasn't like Gibbs could say he'd always been honest with Tony either. The man had his share of secrets too. Some how that never made Tony feel any better about it all.
"Let's see--" Pete sipped her wine. "After Gibbs returned there was a minor concussion courtesy of his old boss if I remember correctly."
Tony nodded, lips curling in a bitter smile over that memory. That was just another example of a situation where Gibbs hadn't been completely honest. Tony couldn't prove it but he knew something hinky had gone down in that bar.
"And then there was another serial killer. One with a foot fetish. Although, not exactly a life threatening case, still not what I'd call a good time."
"God, no." Tony shuddered. That case still gave him the creeps.
She gave him a sympathetic look. "And the agent you nearly lost once before, you lost for good."
"Paula," Tony whispered her name. God, it still hurt to think of her as dead. The same way it still hurt to have lost Kate. Hell it hurt to think about losing John Carson, and he'd only known him for a few days.
He stared at Pete as he realized he'd never told her about Paul's death. "How did you know about--?"
"It was on the news, Tony. Two federal agents killed in an explosion one day. Another dying the same way just a few days later." She shrugged one shoulder. "It is the kind of thing I pay attention to since it might have an impact on teams I've got working in the US. I recognized her name."
She reached out to take his hand again. "I am sorry for your loss."
"Thank you."
No one else had bothered to say even that much. Gibbs had refused to let him process the scene, sending him home instead and giving him a day off, but hadn't actually expressed any remorse or sympathy. He'd found solace later with Jeanne, but had never been able to really tell her about Paula.
"Any time, Tony." She squeezed his hand before once more letting go.
Pete finished her wine, setting the empty glass down and sitting back from the table. "So after all that, what has you finally thinking that working for me would be better?"
Tony sighed. She already knew he'd accepted an undercover assignment. He figured there was no harm in letting her know how that clusterfuck had resolved itself. He brought her up to speed on the "La Grenouille" case, careful not to spill too many details with regard to specific events, dates or names.
He couldn't help the bitterness that leached into his voice as he told her how the case had really been little more than a personal vendetta for the director, something he didn't find out until much too late in the game. Nor could he hide how frustrated he found answering to two bosses at the same time. He wasn't good at keeping secrets, and was even worse when it came to divided loyalties.
He knew his tone gave away how hurt and disappointed he'd been to have his relationship with Jeanne dissolve on such a sour note. It didn't have to end that way. Tony didn't even bother trying to disguise how pissed he still was over how easily his cover had been ruined by a hostile CIA operative. Not to mention having his car blow up.
"Damn, Tony, that's the second classic you've lost."
"I know." He sighed. Losing the car hurt more than losing Jeanne had, and he wasn't surprised Pete picked up on that. Not that he'd wanted to keep Jeanne...not really. Tony didn't want to live a lie forever, and going with Jeanne rather than staying at NCIS would have required him to do just that.
Working on the Munoz case with the missing baby and the scamming dead surrogate mother had certainly hammered home the point that lying was nothing but trouble, no matter how hard he tried to put a positive spin on it. Tony had made a new resolution to be completely honest with everyone he cared about. Something he hadn't been able to muster the courage to do with Gibbs. It was another reason why leaving seemed like an attractive alternative.
Gibbs being foolish enough to step out on ledge with a guy planning to jump was another. All he had to do was step back a little and let Tony cover him. It all worked out...more or less, but if Gibbs didn't trust Tony with his life, how could Tony expect him to trust him with anything as important as his heart.
"It's all just too damn much for too damn long." Tony rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "I keep thinking one of these days my number is going to be up."
"Working for me wouldn't be a cake walk, Tony." Pete said quietly. "What Paladin does is not exactly safe."
"I know." Tony smiled. "Would be different though."
"That it would." She smiled back at him.
"Thinking I could do with different for a little while."
Her expression turned thoughtful. "You want some advice?"
Tony shrugged. "Sure." It wasn't like Ziva and McGee hadn't been handing out their share lately. No harm in letting Pete have a shot.
"Take some time to think about this."
Tony sat back in surprise. "You change your mind?"
"Don't be stupid." Pete glared at him. "I already told you it is a standing offer. I meant it and you know that."
She pointed a finger at him. "This is the first time in three years, three years, Tony, that you've seriously considered my offer. And it's not because you want to work for me. It's because you have a boss who clearly doesn't appreciate you and a director who pimped you out for revenge. It's because you lost a girlfriend you loved but weren't in love with, and you got kicked in the teeth more than a few times by the day to day grind of the job."
She leaned forward, bright green eyes holding his easily. "Don't misunderstand me; those are all valid reasons to quit. And honestly, if it had been me I'd have jumped ship long before now. But I don't want you to come to me six months after you take the job and tell me you made the wrong choice."
"So take some time and think this through. Hell, take some of the weeks of vacation I know you never use and go to a beach somewhere. Have some fun, get drunk and rowdy, and get laid. Whatever it takes to recover your balance. And then call me and tell me you want the job."
Tony smiled wryly. At least Pete didn't tell him he needed to get over Jeanne, or start acting like a man. And he was tired.
"Think that's the best advice I've gotten in some time."
"Well, I'm not just another pretty face." She laughed coyly.
"You are so much more than that."
Tony was pleased to see a light blush rise in her cheeks. He had a feeling it wasn't something Pete did often. But then, for all her willingness to flirt with him, her position and personality were such that honest compliments were probably a rarity.
"I'll send you the specs on the job. So far all you know for sure is the salary is better than what you make now. To make an informed choice, you need to know what I want you do to do to earn it.
"I'd appreciate that," Tony said as he stood up. He recognized the faint dismissal when he heard it. Dinner was over and it was getting late.
He offered her his hand, giving her assistances she didn't need to get gracefully to her feet. "Thank you for dinner."
"It was my pleasure." Pete leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"You want me to walk you back to your room?" Tony growled playfully, waggling his eyebrows at her.
"I think I can handle it." She grinned, punching his arm lightly. "I'll have someone drop off the specs for you tomorrow, lover boy."
"You could just e-mail it."
"I could." She shrugged. "But I prefer the personal touch."
"You just like doing things your own way."
"Yes, I do." She walked past him with a sway in her hips that was meant to draw the eye before looking over her shoulder. "If you're going to work for me, you'll have to get used to that."
Tony shook his head, smiling as he watched her leave. Working for Pete would be a challenge that was for sure. And she was right about taking time to really think it through. Unlike his other jobs, leaving NCIS would be a big decision. It wasn't one he should take lightly or rush into.
Tony nodded to himself. He hadn't voluntarily taken any time off since Gibbs went to Mexico. Maybe he should. Give himself some space to really consider his options without having to see the team or Gibbs every day. After he got Pete;s proposal tomorrow, he'd see the director and put in a request. The decision wouldn't be any easier to make on a beach somewhere, but at least he could relax and get some sun while he was at it. Not quite win/win, but it was definitely closer than he'd come to it in a long time.
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