AN: Goodness gracious, you all are so nice! Thank you so much for all the reviews, really! I didn't know one little one shot would do so much good. So let's see how a second one will shake things up. This is also based on something that happened to me today. I had a lot of money from all my allowance… so I went to the mall…
Disclaimer: I own neither Tony Stark nor Iron Man… don't remind me.
Virginia's Secret
Tony Stark took the floating stairs of his beach house mansion two at a time, coming up from his work shop, wiping his greasy, nimble hands off with a towel, glancing around. Something was out of place. The TV was on, but the volume was down. No, that wasn't it…
"Pepper?" Tony called, lazily dropping the towel down on the floor, waltzing around his living room, one eyebrow cocked, his head tilted to the side. Where was his loyal, trustworthy assistant? Her laptop was put up, folded neatly on the white sofa. Her purse and cell phone, however, were indeed gone…
"It's only noon!" Tony huffed, miffed. It wasn't like Pepper to randomly disappear, and it especially wasn't like Pepper to just take the day off. Without telling him. Without a reason.
…unless…
Tony plopped on the couch. Of course when his rear end hit the cushion, he thought he could use a refreshment. He frowned, and just like a man, didn't want to get up enough to nurture his thirst.
"Jarvis, are there any cartoons on?" Tony asked, a set pout on his face, stroking his goatee, still trying to think of where Pepper might be.
"Yes, sir, Spongebob Squarepants is currently on the Nicktoons, as well as Transformers Animated on the Cartoon Network. Which would you like for your viewing pleasure?" asked the saucy, sarcastic AI.
Tony made a great show of trying to decide between two amazing animations, huffing. "Weeeeeeeell…"
"Please refrain from hurting yourself, sir."
"Shut up, Jarvis. Transformers, please."
"As you wish, sir."
For the next two hours, Tony watched the Cartoon Network, not moving from the sofa, going through fifty different types of sleeping patterns. From laying upside down, half off the couch, right side up, and his feet in the air, it was simply a quest to get comfortable. Finally just before Tony was about to get up to relieve his thirst, the front door opened.
Tony sat back down hurriedly, calling, "Pepper?"
"No, Boogieman," came a flat deadpan from his assistant. Tony frowned.
Pepper walked in, her heels click-click-clicking on the floor as she walked into the living room, a few different bags on her arms. Her eyebrows raised at the sight of Transformers blasting on the television.
"Afternoon cartoons? I thought this was for the mornings. I'm surprised you don't have any cereal," Pepper stated.
Tony frowned. "Well, the least you could do, after abandoning me, your BOSS, you know, the one who controls your paycheck and keeps you from the unemployment rate that America owns, is get me something to drink."
Pepper stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head and bringing him a coke from the fridge. Tony blinked at it, wishing it would change into a tumbler of amber liquid, but popped it open nonetheless.
"What have you been doing since I left?" Pepper asked, walking over to the arm chair, sitting her bags down. "Or have you been watching cartoons? …Mr. Stark?"
Pepper looked up, only to find Tony's eyes locked on her shopping bags. Certain brightly pink striped shopping bags, with hot pink tissue paper sticking out of the top, with shiny letters on the side. Pepper frowned. She knew it was coming, and shoved them aside out of his line of vision.
"What'd you get?" Tony asked, his eyes a bit… intense.
Pepper shifted, crossing her arms. "Nothing," she answered.
"That's a whole lot of nothing," Tony assessed, standing. Pepper sat, in response.
"It's nothing," she repeated, frowning.
Tony took a step forward. "Mm-hm…"
"Mr. Stark, may I suggest you order yourself some dinner? Or perhaps I could call one of your dates for a night out…" Pepper tried desperately to get Tony's mind off her many pink bags, but her boss was focused, a man on a mission.
"I'm definitely hungry," Tony said, his eyes watching the bags, flickering to her back and forth.
"Tony I mean it."
"Come on, Pepper, you can't have thought you could bring those safely into my home and not expect me to… expect something in return," Tony said with a devilish smile.
Pepper frowned. "I'd slap you if my job didn't depend on it."
"Why'd you go out for two hours anyway?" Tony asked, tilting his head to the side, trying to peer into her bags.
"It was a rare occurrence… I finished the enormous amount of emails in your inbox and decided to treat myself to a little extended lunch break," Pepper said, standing, taking her arm full of bags.
Tony and Pepper stood still for a moment, one mapping out her route of escape, the other his plan of attack. And suddenly both were in action, flying almost at each other. Pepper ran to the stairs, but Tony caught her by her elbow, grinning daringly as he was able to spin her around. Her bags flew around with her, the weight making her tumble back into his strong chest. "AUGH- TONY STARK!" She growled, wrestling against him. Pepper pulled the bags back, but when she did, Tony reached forward, now face to face with her.
Pepper stopped, freezing as they were in the most awkward position, their pupils only an inch or so apart. Their breathing synchronized and Pepper knew how to get out of this…
She flashed him a disarming, dimpled smile and Tony was melting at her whim. "Maybe if you're good, you might catch a glimpse of me changing," she said with a smile, leaning away, extracting herself from his radius with a few clicks of her heels, heading to the stairs.
"Really?" Tony asked, his dark eyes glittering, straightening like a little boy who was promised a new toy.
Pepper snorted. "Jarvis, make sure the bathroom stays locked for the next hour," she said, before shutting it behind her.
"Of course," The British accent answered.
Tony knew that if his AI could feed his creator a snarky grin, he'd do it.
Pepper shut the door, and left her boss with a deep pout, and a half empty coke.
"…FINE! BUT DON'T THINK I WON'T CALL THE CASHIER AND ASK HER MYSELF!"
Tony turned and skipped down to his work shop again after grabbing his half consumed coke. He didn't like the fact there was a woman undressing in his home. A very attractive woman undressing and then redressing in something that would make angels sing. And the fact he was not viewing this occurrence, and forbidden to, was what really bothered him.
Though, it was Pepper.
No, he was no peeping Tom, and he wasn't going to try to bribe Jarvis to unlock the door. That was useless. The stupid AI liked Miss Potts more than he liked Tony himself.
Tony sat down at his desk chair, slurping his coke obnoxiously, spinning in his desk chair, thinking about what Pepper might have bought, why she might have bought it, who she bought it for, then proceeded to imagine the possibilities… maybe it was the fact it was something off limits, something he couldn't have that made him want to rip the door open and demand she bend to his will…
Or maybe it was the fact she didn't have to tempt him at all, and still have him reeling with desire. It wasn't fair. It was NOT fair. She seemed as at ease with riling up a man, as Tony was when a woman got into bed with him. It almost took no effort at all on Pepper's part…she was definitely keeping Victoria's secret.
Tony grumbled and chunked the coke can.
AN: Reviews?? Pretty Pepperony please?
