Cal lets it sit for a moment, lets Tony think, does some thinking of his own about how to tell the next part.
"There was this party in New York a little while after that - Jess mentioned it at my birthday party, said I'd kind of ditched her after? We usually hook up after parties we're both at, and -"
He cuts himself off. Not important.
"Anyway. Obadiah was there. Senator Scott must have wanted some funding from Stark Industries. He, uh, caught up with me at the bar and . . ." Cal falters.
"It wasn't - if, if you just read a transcript or something it wouldn't seem like a big deal. He was really good at that. He didn't say anything I could use as an excuse to leave, and I couldn't piss him off or it might hurt my dad's alliance with Senator Scott -" He cuts himself off again. He can hear the tension in his voice from remembering how trapped he'd been and how badly he'd blown it by letting Stane see how much he was getting to him. He takes a breath.
"It was more about - double meanings and body language, and uh. Jarvis has some footage, I think, from the security cameras, if you wanted to - but I know he was threatening Sherlock, and I know what, what would have happened if I hadn't been there with my parents." It would have been easy, just something quiet while they were shaking hands. Let's meet up to talk more after this thing. I'd like to get to know Sherlock's friend a little better. And he wouldn't have had a choice.
But Cal's parents were there, and for all Stane knew they expected him right back at their hotel suite after the party. So a handshake was all it had been.
no subject
"There was this party in New York a little while after that - Jess mentioned it at my birthday party, said I'd kind of ditched her after? We usually hook up after parties we're both at, and -"
He cuts himself off. Not important.
"Anyway. Obadiah was there. Senator Scott must have wanted some funding from Stark Industries. He, uh, caught up with me at the bar and . . ." Cal falters.
"It wasn't - if, if you just read a transcript or something it wouldn't seem like a big deal. He was really good at that. He didn't say anything I could use as an excuse to leave, and I couldn't piss him off or it might hurt my dad's alliance with Senator Scott -" He cuts himself off again. He can hear the tension in his voice from remembering how trapped he'd been and how badly he'd blown it by letting Stane see how much he was getting to him. He takes a breath.
"It was more about - double meanings and body language, and uh. Jarvis has some footage, I think, from the security cameras, if you wanted to - but I know he was threatening Sherlock, and I know what, what would have happened if I hadn't been there with my parents." It would have been easy, just something quiet while they were shaking hands. Let's meet up to talk more after this thing. I'd like to get to know Sherlock's friend a little better. And he wouldn't have had a choice.
But Cal's parents were there, and for all Stane knew they expected him right back at their hotel suite after the party. So a handshake was all it had been.