It was the end of a long work week and Pepper was tired. The numbers on the clock of her Blackberry seemed to taking a break from their normal pace and decided to drag along on this Friday evening. Her headache signaled to her body that she needed to rest. Her thin heeled black stilettos lay hidden under her tidy desk, flopped on their leather sides, hidden from the view of anyone walking by. In replacement of the five inch soul crushers, she was wearing plush comfortable slippers she has worn for years. The comfy shoes stayed under her desk at all times, not once have they ever left the confines of the space beneath Pepper's expansive desk. She has worn them since high school and they were finally beginning to show their age. Her feet were sore from walking around in heels all day and tiny prods of pain shot up her leg every few minutes or so. You would think with all of the years of walking around in high heels, she would be used to the pain by now. The slippers were a luxury that she looked forward to as soon as she sat down in the chair that resides in her workspace. The casual design of the slippers matched poorly with the white tailored button up shirt and fitted high waisted black pencil skirt. She had a right to her own secrets, you know. With the way her life has been turning out recently, little secrets like this were hard to keep around a man that she's paid to assist almost 365 days a year.
Keeping up with a man like Mr. Stark everyday was exhausting. Although it was exciting running about town and being the P.A. of one of the most influential and powerful men in the world, it was grueling work that sometimes made her second-think her position at Stark Industries. She had to keep up her classic persona of the cool, calm, and collected Pepper Potts no matter what the situation. Even if your boss just announced to the free world that he is the one and only Iron Man, a good personal assistant needs to stay calm, give the appearance to the press that she was briefed earlier on this sudden announcement of her boss' secret identity, and resist all urge to run up to the stage, grab her charming yet childish boss by the ear, and pull him off of the podium.
'I wonder if he would take it all back if he realized before how much the work would increase for the both of us.' She mused rubbing her aching foot underneath the desk.
When she was promoted from accountant to his personal assistant all of those years ago, the amount of work and stress at S.I. had increased tenfold. But within the first week, she was scheduling appointments and harassing Tony like a professional. Since the Iron Man press conference, every day seemed like the first day she was hired. Demanding, insane, and just outright crazy, her work seemed to get more hectic by the hour. Every day was like running a race now, starting at the crack of dawn and ending whenever her boss felt that her presence was no longer required, which for Mr. Stark was about 8pm on nights he wasn't off playing superhero.
A familiar sound hummed out of her Blackberry. It was a call she had been expecting hours ago.
"I'm sorry, Pepper. It's not like me to keep a lady waiting."
"It seems like you're making this a habit, Mr. Stark." This is the second time this week he's kept Pepper waiting into the evening for his call.
"Well, the good news is I don't have to meet with the old wise men for another few months."
"So the meeting went well, I take it?"
"Swimmingly, I'm about to head back to California coastline. I need to be in a city that sleeps for once."
"Remember to initial those plans for R&D when you return. I left them in your workshop. They are overdue so please don't forget.
"Have you had dinner yet?" Tony said
As if is it heard it's cue, Pepper's stomach gave a hollow growl. She rolled her eyes. Once again she forgot to get something to eat for dinner.
"Not yet, I was planning on picking up something on the way home."
"That's three days in a row for you. " He paused. "Tell you what, go wherever you want, Pepper. It's on me."
"Tony…"
"I insist. Charge it to the card. It's the least I can do for making a lady wait." She smiled. Even though he was on another coast tired from a marathon of inane board meetings, he still managed to keep his charming persona.
"Will that be all Mr. Stark?"
"That will be all, Mrs. Potts."
She kicked off the slippers and started put her Christian Louboutin's back on her dainty feet. It was serene moments like this she longed for. As she stepped into her heels she felt the responsibility of the day float right off of her shoulders and into the cool California evening. An empty to do list with the evening to herself was a rarity and she was going to use it up to the very last second. Pepper commenced her daily routine of going around the office and turning out the lights, checking Tony's office for any paperwork that might have slipped her mind. Her eyes focused around the room, double checking that everything was in order.
Then she saw the item on his desk that made the weight that drifted away a few moments prior, return crashing with full force upon her shoulders. They were blueprints to a top secret project that Stark Industries and sister company AXIOM. Blueprints that were supposed to be rushed to the C.E.O. of AXIOM ASAP, but there they were, sitting on top of Mr. Stark's desk in a cardboard tube.
Her stomach begged for food again. 'I know, I know.' She chided to herself. 'It looks like you're going to wait for a little bit.' With the rush of adrenaline kicking in, her stomach reasoned the odds of eating in the upcoming minutes and decided to give up on the idea on a nice meal altogether. She consulted her Blackberry's address book: Martinez, Morris, Mueller, Murphy. There it is.
She glanced at the clock on Tony's desk. It was one of the first projects Tony had ever finished as a child. The strange design always reminded her of the brilliance of her boss. The innovative device had the parts and faceplates of four different mechanical alarm clocks. The machinery wasn't as sleek as Mr. Stark's current projects, but its uniqueness set it apart from the majority of clocks she passes by every day. The clock read 2 2 1 0, that meant it was 10:10 in the evening.
"It might not be too late." She muttered to herself hoping that Mr. Murphy wouldn't be too upset at such a late call.
"Hello?", She heard a curious voice on the other line highlighted by soft piano music playing in the background.
"Mr. Murphy? This is Virginia Potts, Mr. Stark's assistant". This was an awkward situation for Pepper to be in. Rarely did she make errors on the job and making up excuses for her behavior wasn't necessarily her strongest attribute. Might as well go the honest route, honesty is the best policy.
"I'm going to be straight with you, sir. I forgot to deliver the blueprints to the project you and Mr. Stark have been working on. I apologize for the delay."
The sentence all came out in a rushed 'I want this problem to be over with' tone. She didn't know what to expect as Murphy's response. She half expected an angry C.E.O. screaming at her through the other line or a witty innuendo, regarding the line "I'm going to be straight with you". Tony's "professionalism around the workplace", was rubbing off on her.
He laughed. That was something she wasn't expecting. It was a light hearted laugh that made the building tension in her muscles release. "Ah, yes. I was wondering when those would show up", he said.
"I can deliver them to you personally at your earliest convenience."
"How about right now?", he questioned.
"Sure. Where can I meet you?", she smiled with relief. If she could get this out of the way tonight, so Tony won't know that the plans didn't arrive on time as scheduled. He would tease her for weeks about how his perfect assistant made a mistake. Pepper's ego couldn't handle it, not with the amount of stress she was forced to undergo these past few weeks.
"Do you know where Gino's is?"
"I can be there in fifteen minutes."
"I just sat down. You can have a bite to eat with me if you would like." He said in a leisurely tone.
"That sounds lovely", she said relieved. Score. Not only did Gino's have the best steak in the city, it was a ten minute drive from where her apartment is located. This night might be turning out better than she had hoped.
"Take your time."
Pepper was already back to business. "Mr. Murphy, I hope my error doesn't affect your opinion of Stark Industries…"
He laughed again. "See you in fifteen, Mrs. Potts."
She got lucky this time. Not everyone has the same forgiving response as Mr. Murphy when it comes to mistakes, but it was rare that someone would try to embarrass her for her errors. The last time a client treated Pepper with blatant disrespect, Mr. Stark abruptly cancelled all contracts with said company and they were promptly blacklisted at Stark Industries and all affiliate companies. Pepper thought he was overreacting to the whole situation, but Tony insisted to use this incident to send out a message that would reverberate throughout the business world, 'You mess with her, you mess with me'.
On the other hand, Tony was not one to hold back on the comments to her. His reaction to "Pepper forgot to send the blueprints" is something she did not want to deal the upcoming Monday morning. She grabbed her purse sitting on top of her desk and ran out the door. 'The sooner this is over with, the better', she thought to herself as she approached her car in the Stark Industries parking lot.
Fourteen minutes after starting the engine, Pepper's car rolled into the parking lot of Gino's restaurant. Mr. Stark had taken her to the small north-side bistro many times to witness important contracts being signed and other business acquisitions. She was always pleased with the sleek style of the little restaurant. The building was colored in different shades of grey that made it fade into the background of the bustling city. One should not be fooled with its ordinary exterior. The inside of the restaurant is what made this place really sparkle. The entire restaurant was themed in curves; not a single thing in that place had a straight line anywhere. With the amount time and energy spent in its creation, she could understand why it was one of Tony's favorites. Pepper scanned the restaurant for a familiar face, but couldn't locate Mr. Murphy anywhere. A question broke her concentration.
"Welcome Miss Potts, are you looking for someone in particular?" a short man standing behind a very tall podium inquired.
Pepper smiled, she knew that voice very well. Montgomery always looked so silly behind that rounded stand. It was a very clear fact that the tiny man had a hard time reaching the top of the podium, so he had a stepping stool to help him make up for the difference. He always had liked Pepper and even let her use a rare nickname on him. "Monty! I didn't know you were here on Fridays. Do you ever get a day off?" He beamed. "There was no time for rest when there's work to be done. Oh, Virginia. You look radiant this evening."
She blushed. He always gave her little compliments like that no matter how she looked. He has been the owner of Gino's for over 30 years and despite his old age, his compliments never came off peevish; his demeanor helped set that tone. Picture a shorter, fatter, Dean Martin and there's Montgomery.
"Thank you, Monty. Is Mr. Murphy here?"
"Let me lead you to him." She followed Monty into the busy dining room.
There were servers running around left and right, hurrying out high-quality food to high paying customers. The area was buzzing with excitement as she walked behind the short man. She knew that the patrons were beginning to speculate her intentions being at a restaurant without the presence of Mr. Stark. It was common for people to talk excitedly around her presence. Pepper never thought of herself as anything special, but the media had other plans with her image. She was easily the world's most popular personal assistant and inspiration to anyone that believes that hard work and determination will make you succeed in any scenario. There was always constant gossip of if she was dating Tony, but recently the rumors seemed to die down. There was a new shiny object that caught the world's eye. Goodbye, Tony Stark and Hello, Iron Man.
"Here you are," Monty said loudly announcing their arrival at the table. "If you need anything my dear, please let me know."
Monty went to go check on a couple seated next to the table that Mr. Murphy was located. Mr. Murphy suddenly realized that he was no longer the only one at the table, looked up and saw his dinner guest patiently waiting for him to make eye contact with her.
"I'm sorry," he exclaimed. "I was checking in on the ballgame" he said as he slipped the iPhone into his pocket.
"Exactly 15 minutes and here you are. I really shouldn't have expected anything less from the amazing Mrs. Potts. " He stood up like a gentleman and waited for her to take a seat alongside him before returning to his previous position behind the table.
"Amazing isn't the right word at this exact moment. The Forgetful Mrs. Potts has a better ring to it, don't you think?" She let out a smile as she handed the blueprints over to Murphy.
"No, I think I had it right the first time," he said with a hint of flirtation in his voice.
"That's very nice of you, Mr. Murphy, but I think we will have to agree to disagree on that subject."
"Please, call me Andrew."
Pepper was always fond of Andrew Murphy. He was your average, clean-cut C.E.O , with every hair on his head meticulously put into its proper place. Good-looking and well mannered, he was a modern day gentleman. She knew of his personality a bit, an avid Yankees fan, always punctual and courteous and really nothing more. This formality between clientele was a rarity for Pepper and she appreciated that.
Andrew was attempting to be causal during this impromptu meeting. It was common knowledge that Pepper was a powerful woman at Stark Industries. Her loyalty and determination for her job was unparalleled. Without her presence, the company would suffer a loss beyond immediate repair. Anyone with half of a brain could understand that Pepper was the core to Tony's success as a business man. Andrew recognized this the moment he first laid eyes on her and that thought hasn't left his mind since.
The beginning of the dinner conversation was a seemingly uneventful one. To Pepper it seemed more like an interview than an easy going conversation. It started off with, "How long have you worked with Stark?"
As time went on, the questions became more personal. The conversation was on the edge from becoming uncomfortable until he asked the question,
"Are you happy working with him?"
Pepper snapped back into P.A. mode as soon as the words left his lips. The question seemed out of place and a little too personal for a C.E.O. of another company to ask. She averted her eyes from his gaze.
"Yes, I am. I wasn't expecting this to be an interrogation about my feelings. Look, it's getting late I really should be…"
"No, please don't leave. I'm sorry." Andrew shot back. "I didn't mean to upset you. My curiosity got the best of me and…" He paused. "Let's just say, I didn't become a mechanical engineer because of my charming demeanor. No more personal questions, I promise."
That line seemed all too familiar, like someone has been hanging out with Tony for too long. Pepper hesitated and looked back at Andrew with an inquiring stare. Her attention was broken by an image that made her heart leap.
Her favorite dish of Kobe beef was placed in front of her. With the presence of the food, Pepper's mood changed drastically. Andrew kept his promise of more professional conversation for the rest of the evening and Pepper obliged with providing him company until the check arrived. Pepper started to pull out her wallet from her purse before a hand on top of her hand prevented her from doing so.
"Don't even think about it." Andrew said. "I invited you to have dinner with me. Besides, what kind of man would I be letting a lady pay for her meal?". Before she could protest, the server plucked the black card from Andrew's hand and returned it there like it never left.
She gave a polite smile back to Andrew and accidently let out a yawn. She tried to hide it from him as much as she could, but he took notice. "Is this conversation boring you?", He teased. She took out her phone and looked at time. 12:01. "I'm sorry, Andrew, but it's getting really late and…"
"Mrs. Potts, is it alright if I walk you back to your car?"
"Sure. Let me say goodbye to Monty really quick."
"I'll be at the front."
She walked over to the hidden door near the bathrooms that said Private written it. Pepper rapped her knuckles softly against the circular door.
"Monty?"
She pushed open the door a bit just enough to get a glimpse of the old man asleep in his chair. 'Next time.' She thought as she headed for the front of the restaurant where Andrew was waiting.
"Shall we?" Andrew said as he held the door open for Pepper. It was short walk to where her car was parked, so it didn't leave much room for post-dinner small talk. Pepper had something on her mind when she arrived at her car. "Have a good night, Mrs. Potts." Andrew said and started to walk away.
"I'm really sorry for almost walking out on your earlier", Pepper admitted to Andrew's back. "I get easily irritated when I haven't eaten in all day and..." "Mrs. Potts," he interrupted
"He's paying you to be his assistant, not to make his life your own."
With that sentence he crossed the street and left Pepper standing alone amongst parked cars and her mixed feelings about the man she just spent an evening with.