“I….” Cannot, in good faith, actually say no to that or in any way turn it down. Whatever objection Tony thinks he ought to make dies in his throat and he shrugs, grinning a lopsided grin. “…am not going to turn down a veritable all-I-can-stand buffet of blow jobs, but you don’t have to have a special Tony Is Coming meeting. Seriously.”

It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate the gesture. He does. It would be nice to go to something and be treated like a normal person for a change. Not a billionaire. Not a playboy celebrity. Not Iron Man. Just Tony, that guy who’s dating the boss. Or more likely, since that hasn’t been publicized, that guy who drops by and hangs out with the boss all the time at lunch.

But asking people not to bother him will probably only cause unnecessary tension, and no picnic is fun if everyone’s too worried about looking at one of the attendees wrong to relax and have fun.

He reaches down, clasps the hand on his leg, and gives it a squeeze. “It’s okay. If they ask me questions, they ask me questions. It’s been happening all my life. I know how to handle it. It’s your picnic. It’s your company’s picnic. I’m not there as your special guest to give the opening speech, I’m coming as your plus one. Don’t give me any more attention than that with your employees. It’ll make me into a bigger deal than I am and it’s your day, not mine.”