I'm afraid I've digressed from the strict 'first' concept. This chapter is a bit of a stretch – first time Pepper tells Tony not to treat her like an object, or maybe the first time Pepper goes on a date with someone else, or most likely just the first time Tony comes to his senses. And it's a little short, unfortunately.
I'm so amazed by the overwhelming reviews this story has gotten – thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a note!
I own nothing.
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Tony was attracted to Pepper the first time he saw her. And not just in a physical sense – though it was mostly a physical sense – because Pepper was kind and gentle, which contrasted deliciously with the heels she wore on an everyday basis. She had a soft smile, but her pencil skirts and dress pants made Tony wonder if she had soft skin to match. She was a puzzle, a dichotomy. A classic, graceful car with a V8 engine.
And Tony learned quickly that unlike the women whom he usually went after, Pepper wasn't about to fall to his charms. Two weeks into her employment she had entered his office with coffee and a powdery donut, as well as a large binder of drafts and plans from engineering.
"Good morning," Pepper said, putting down his breakfast in front of him, then moving behind him to lay the binder on the other side of his computer. "Engineering wants your opinion on these by tomorrow, sir."
"Aren't I the boss here?"
"Apparently not," Pepper said easily, picking up a stack of press releases that Tony had looked over yesterday.
Tony bit into the donut and watched his new assistant flip through the papers with nimble fingers, her tongue darting out to lick her top lip. He grinned.
"Ms. Potts, I don't think I've ever had a prettier assistant."
Pepper arched an eyebrow at him, then returned to her papers. "You have powdered sugar all over your mouth. Sir."
"Is that a come on?"
"You didn't sign this one," she said, handing over a paper absently. Tony stood up – he enjoyed the challenge of Pepper Potts, and he was determined to enact the "personal" part of her title. He moved into her space and put one hand on both of her elbows, effectively closing all distance between them.
"What-"
"Have I told you how infuriatingly coy you are?"
"Have I told you there's donut all over your face?"
"Wanna taste?" Tony, daringly, moved one hand to her waist.
Pepper narrowed her eyes dangerously, forcefully grabbing the hand that was on her waist and shoved it back to his side.
"Mr. Stark, I'm not here for the dating scene. If you'd like your life to continue running in some semblance of order, I'd advise you not to make me file for harassment."
With that, she flashed him a tight smile and she exited, leaving Tony feeling like an enormous failure. The same tricks had worked on his previous assistants; it had been easy to convince them that part of being an assistant was assisting in bed. But as Tony stood frowning at the door, he realized Ms. Potts was not the same. Not the same at all.
He learned, after that, how to keep his distance. Tony tested the boundaries, stepped over them too often, but usually he managed to make Pepper blush and scowl, or, later, as the years went on, she would retort in a teasing way, or laugh at his mischievous attempts at seducing her. He learned that Pepper disliked anything vulgar – no mentions of anatomy would ever make her laugh. She wasn't particularly fond of direct attention, either; Tony realized that direct and overly flattering compliments made Pepper blush furiously and change the subject.
When Tony finally figured out what Pepper liked best, it was nearly too late.
They were standing in the front entrance having just finished a rather silent working dinner together. Tony, feeling exhausted after a week of travel and a non-stop schedule, rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Pepper put her rain jacket on.
"Isn't it early?" he asked absently.
"I'm not a slave, Mr. Stark," Pepper said, laughing. "I deserve to have early nights once in a while."
"Asleep by eight, Granny Potts?"
"I'm offended," she replied. "As a matter of fact I have a date."
Tony felt his jaw clench. "You're going on a date? Without me?"
Pepper smothered a grin. "Yes, I thought bringing my boss with me would put a damper on things."
Tony immediately wished that he could put a damper on things – to think of his Pepper, with someone else, her smile directed at someone's lame jokes....
"Since when am I a damper? I'm very lively."
"I'm sure."
"How come I don't get date nights with Pepper?"
Pepper rolled her eyes. "I didn't know you had any interest wining and dining your PA."
"I'm pretty sure I ask you to dinner every other day."
"Ah, right," Pepper said, smiling at him. "How could I have mistaken those heartfelt attempts for half-hearted ones?"
Suddenly, Tony wasn't sure when they had stopped being half-hearted. Had they? He frowned. Apparently.
"Well," Tony said, stepping closer and erasing the space between them. His voice dropped in volume. "How's this for heartfelt? I hate that you're going on a date with someone else."
Pepper's mouth opened slightly as she gazed back at him, and then looked down demurely with the most gentle of smiles on her face.
"Tony," she said softly, touching his arm. Abruptly, Tony realized that this was what Pepper liked– his sincere confessions, completely devoid of jest and joke, said with a soft, serious tone and a blaze in his eyes made Pepper smile secretly for him.
Tony swallowed and stepped back, flashing her a quick, lop-sided smile. "Have a good night, Ms. Potts."
Pepper let out a breath, looked as if she were about to say something, then smiled instead. "Good night." She stepped out into the rain, the front door swinging shut behind her.
Tony stared at the door, a crease between his brows, and wondered why he felt as if he had been betrayed.
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"So?"
Pepper continued clicking on her keyboard. "So?"
"How was it?" Tony asked, feigning a casualness he did not feel, leaning against the doorjamb to her makeshift office.
"His lobster was good."
Tony swallowed too much of his coffee and had to take a moment to compose himself. "Sorry?"
"The lobster he made was delicious."
"He made lobster?"
"Yes."
"And it was edible."
"Definitely."
Tony frowned – her date made her a lobster, and all Tony ever made for her was a mess and a waste of time. He wondered briefly if his lobster had been enough to get Pepper to the guy's bed. Tony wanted to ask a multitude of inappropriate questions, but he instead said the first thing that came to his mind: "I didn't know you liked crustacean."
She gave him a look before returning to her laptop. "I do."
"So your date made good...crustacean."
"To die for."
"That's good."
"I haven't gotten any in a while."
Tony, still lost in his angry day dreaming, started. "Gotten any what?"
"Lobster."
"Right."
"The sex was good, too."
"The what."
"Sauce. With the lobster."
Tony stuck a finger in his ear and turned vigorously. It was impossible to conceive that Pepper was playing mind games with him – especially not-so-innocent ones – and Tony was convinced that he had spent too much time near the hot rod's exhaust.
"It's important to have good sauce," Tony finally replied to Pepper's questioning gaze.
"Vital," she agreed, and returned once more to her work. "Do you need anything?"
Tony stared at the long curve of her back, the lean line of her neck, and the feet tucked primly into very tall heels.
"Sauce," he said, sighing.
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Pretty sure midterms have cracked my mind...
