Scarlett was done crying. She'd shed enough tears that week after she'd caught her husband cheating. Her whole world had felt like it was ending that evening, walls caving in, the sky falling, and the floodgates had poured. Sure, discovering her feelings for Jon that night had been the result of the pain, but it still hurt.
Then, when she discovered that Jon had been asked on a date with Chris Evans, she began to feel the walls tremble again. To make matters worse, seeing Joss chose a scene for the final cut of the film that Jon himself was playing Black Widow, not just doing stunt-work for Scarlett, and if felt like the sky was about to take another tumble.
But she didn't cry.
Crying was what the old Scarlett did. The new Scarlett had adjusted her priorities. Previously, she'd looked at the world through rose-coloured glasses. She was loyal to a fault, generous, trusting... now Scarlett was beginning to see how things were in the real world.
Let Jon have a night with Chris. Scarlett even helped him get ready for it, did his make-up, got him dressed. She'd gone as far as texting Chris tips for how to make the date go great, things Jon liked, things that would help Jon enjoy himself. If Chris took her advice, his favourite food, a nice wine, a slow-dance or two, Jon would be in seventh-heaven.
Chris was only a tool, a means-to-an-end. Scarlett saw that now. If Jon wanted to get ahead in Hollywood, who was she to stand in his way? As one of the biggest starlets in the business, there was no need for jealousy, no need to stand in his way as he tried to get a bigger foothold in the industry. Jon could reel in a lot of publicity by landing a big fish like Chris Evans, and Scarlett wished him well in his little endeavour. It might just be what Jon needed to get over the top.
Besides, once Jon's little tryst was over, he'd still be hers. The bond they'd formed as friends was unbreakable. And what were the chances of finding another stunt double as talented as he, that looked so much like her?
All that didn't mean that Scarlett couldn't have a little fun in the meantime, though.
The number had been easy enough to obtain. Jon's manager, Karyn, handed it over without a second thought. Maybe Karyn had thought that Scarlett was lining up a surprise for Jon, or maybe Karyn thought it was for Scarlett herself, but Scarlett didn't care. Jon may like working with Karyn because they'd been friends for so many years, but Scarlett had seen managers like Karyn come and go so quickly. They were great at getting a career going, but didn't know how to make things happen on the big stage. Scarlett gave the girl another year, maybe two, tops. Then Jon would have to ditch her, if not sooner.
Putting Karyn far from her mind, Scarlett put the finishing touches on her outfit. The studio costume department had been glad to help her out, accepting without question that she'd been invited to a private fancy-dress party. Things like that happened all the time. The black-leather lace-up corset, the fishnet stockings, the knee-high boots, and of course her riding crop. Leaning in to touch up her lipstick on last time, she could hear a car pulling into the driveway.
Forcing herself not to hurry, she inspected her reflection one last time. She was beautiful, powerful, the perfect dominatrix. Scarlett had never done anything like this before, never acted this way before, but was excited to try it. Something about it felt simultaneously dirty and clean. It was a feeling the blonde beauty was beginning to relish.
The doorbell rang, and Scarlett slowly made her way, placing one high-heeled foot in front of the other, to the front door. She pulled the portal open with authority and stepped back, inspecting her visitor.
"Um, Scarlett?" a confused voice asked her.
"Candy," Scarlett answered sternly, "You're three minutes late. I am disappointed in you. Head upstairs and wait for me in the bedroom while I think of your punishment."
Candy, an alarmed look on her face, scurried up the stairs as quickly as her long legs and extremely high-heels would take her. Scarlett closed and locked the door and smiled. Following after the call-girl as a tigress hunting her prey, she wondered why she'd never thought of this before. Sure beats crying.
