I'm starting to run out of chapters that were already written now so there may be longer breaks between chapters from here on. I will do my best to keep them kinda regular. Thanks to all for following and reviewing!
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"Ok, what did you say to Munroe? He's just spent ten minutes at the bar practically begging to buy me champagne."
Tony guffawed at that, shaking his head in disbelief at how much the man was now grovelling.
"Just reminded him how much money he makes out of our contracts and suggested that you might take a look at the cost analysis around them..."
She laughed at that, slapping his shoulder. She had to admit, apart from the run-in with Munroe, she was really enjoying the night. Tony was being the perfect gentlemen, the people they'd met were friendly and seemed less judgemental than she'd expected considering that she had built herself up for some 'sleeping her way to the top' comments.
Something bugged her though. The way Munroe had grovelled was different – it wasn't like someone trying to get back on side with a business associate but he'd consistently mentioned Tony and her, as though referencing them as a singular entity. She frowned.
"Is that all you said to him?" she asked and he tilted his head.
"What do you mean?"
"Did you say anything about me?" she asked cautiously. He turned slightly in the chair to face her, his hand reaching over to lean on the back of her chair making the whole interaction seem even more intimate to any onlookers.
"Yeah, I told him you were the most important person in Stark Industries. And I told him you were..."
The sound of a microphone being cleared cut him off and he cursed to himself as the host began to tell the history of the hospital before beginning the charity auction.
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Because Tony was a guest of honour, he was left until last. He winced at his introduction.
"And last but certainly not least ladies, we have the one and only Tony Stark. He's known as Ironman and maybe that's in AND OUT of the armour, who knows? Well, some of you probably!" That drew a laugh from the crowd and Tony brought a hand to his forehead and shook his head. Thankfully, Pepper seemed to be laughing along with the rest of the crowd. He shot her a warning look before standing up and slipping into entertainer mode, bounding up to the stage.
Bidding started at 50k and quite soon had shot up to 450k. Tony noted three bidders still in the game – a blond, a brunette and a dark-haired woman. At least he appealed to the masses he thought smugly before realising that there was one person missing – a specific red-head. He looked over to see her looking rather uninterested by the whole process. His eyes widened and she smirked at him.
"Do I have 500?" the auctioneer was saying and Tony looked with panic at the room as the bidding brought his value up another 250k before two of the bidders fell away. The only person left was the blond who looked worryingly familiar.
"Is 750 the final offer? Any other takers? Going once, twice..."
Tony looked around and finally saw Pepper's hand rise and he sighed in relief, making a mental note to have strict words with her later about the fact that he had a less than stellar heart structure that didn't appreciate such shocks.
But his discomfort wasn't finished yet. The bidding continued until Pepper finally placed a bid of one point one million.
"Any more bids ladies? Or gentlemen for that matter..."
Tony shot the auctioneer a look which drew a laugh from the crowd. The blond woman shook her head as the auctioneer came back to her.
"Going once, twice, sold to the lovely lady with the red hair,"
Tony exhaled in relief and slowly made his way back to his table, his hand finding her shoulder as he took his seat beside her again. He leaned in to her ear, placed a lingering kiss on her cheek before whispering "You are evil."
She shot him a beaming grin.
"Just keeping you on your toes Tony."
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