A/N: Well, needless to say, this chapter is a bit longer than I anticipated it to be. But I am proud of it. So please, if you have not reviewed or commented in a while, it would be nice to hear your thoughts.
The chapters that follow this one will be everything I hope I laid good groundwork for…
On with it…
Chapter 10: A Turning Point
Friday, later that night…
Pepper was panicked.
She glanced at the clock on her nightstand, 7:15pm. Richard would be here in fifteen minutes, and she still had no idea where her earrings were, and couldn't decide on which pair of heels to wear. This was panic. A very uncommon emotion for Pepper Potts—it was usually brought on by something unexpected, an intense feeling of apprehension, a fast approaching deadline and a missing Tony Stark, or plain and simple—nervousness.
Dating was a rare event in Pepper's life. In fact, dates were few and far between. The last one she had gone on was nearly a year ago, she recalled, a few weeks before Stark had left for Afghanistan. Her neighbor decided that she needed to be more social and then set her up on a blind date with a co-worker and, needless to say, it did not go very well. Once it was discovered that she was in fact Tony Stark's personal assistant, the conversation of the evening turned into an information gathering session about Stark Industries stock options, much to Pepper's dismay.
Attraction or options were not the issue—and it's not like she's never been asked out on a date. More often than not, she was shooting down potential suitors left and right. Successful and handsome business men were a dime a dozen considering how many she comes in contact with. However, when it came down to it, Pepper had concluded that there was just no room in her life at the time for dating and/or relationships.
Fast forward to nearly nine years later, she never realized how much she missed going out with a man. The attention, the lingering glances, the sometimes witty banter…and then there was the attraction, the anticipation of the first kiss, and the butterflies in the stomach—all of which accompanied the dating process. She wasn't going to kid herself, she missed the whole experience. Working with an individual whose sole purpose was to always be the center of attention has made her forget what it feels like to be the one that makes people stop and notice.
Her parents often told her that she was married to her work, that's why she has no time to date. She hates it when they say that.
Pepper pushed all thoughts of work and Tony Stark as far from her mind as she could—a feat that was a lot harder than she expected. "AH!" With a shout of joy at finding her pearl earrings, she snatched them up then flew to her bedroom vanity to place them into position. Giving herself
a last cursory glance, she confirmed that she had the perfect amount of make-up applied, her hair was immaculately curled and pulled back smoothly with a butterfly clip, her earrings matched perfectly with her spaghetti strap dress, and her shoes—
"Shit!" She cursed, forgetting the fact that her feet were naked.
She tore open the door to her walk-in closet and came to a halt in front of her shoes. Her fingers cascaded over a few pairs then settled on a set of lavender heels that matched her dress. Quickly slipping her feet into the pumps, she made her way back into her bedroom and found that the time was now 7:28pm. Heaving a sigh of relief at being done and ready, she grabbed her Dolce and Gabbana purse, her wrap, and headed into the living room to await her date's arrival.
Buzz Buzz
Pepper's attention flew to the intercom. She approached it and quickly tapped the button. "Hello?"
A distinct male voice answered, "Hi there, it's Richard. Are you ready to go?"
Pepper smiled an almost giddy smile. "Yes I am. I'll be right down." She replied politely.
Just before leaving, she once again found herself standing in front of her full-length mirror, scrutinizing her appearance. Her gaze went from the tips of her shoes to the top of her head where it settled on her earrings. Her right hand came up to her ear, running the smooth pearl between two poised fingertips. Her bracelets jingled softly and she caught a small whiff of her perfume. A very expensive perfume she bought for herself when an afternoon excursion brought her to fancy little boutique in Los Angeles. Although the tiny little bottle only contained about six ounces of the sweet floral scent, she had made it last nearly a year and half. The trick was to dab. She always dabbed her perfume—never sprayed. One small dab behind each ear, one on each wrist, and for reasons she could not explain, one small dab behind her left knee. A little goes a long way—besides, she only used the perfume on certain special occasions.
Before she could stop herself, she realized that it was the same perfume she wore on the night of the benefit. The night she wore that ridiculous backless gown—that made her feel feminine and sexy to say the least—and on that night, even though she had forgotten her deodorant, she had remembered to dab her perfume behind her knee and arrive on time to the gala with high hopes of having a memorable evening.
You smell great, his words echoed in the back of her mind.
She shook her head, trying to dispel such unnecessary thoughts and picked up her keys. Taking a deep breath, Pepper exited her apartment, ensured the locks were secure, and made her way to the front entrance.
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The blast of heavy metal music echoed its way around the confines of the underground workshop as Stark pounded away mercilessly on a contorted piece of metal. Sweat beaded at his forehead and the formally white t-shirt he wore was now covered in grease and dirt. Repairs on the armor had gone well over the last week, with Jarvis re-fabricating and re-painting the outer shell. and Stark fixing all connections and wires from within.
Close to being complete, Stark surprised even himself when he decided to rip apart the chest piece and concentrate his efforts on improving its durability and strength.
"Give me the new design specs again!" He shouted over the music. A set of images came up on the monitor in front of him.
"Alright, I want to weave in the carbon-fiber here, here…and here." He pointed to three places on the screen and received a green light from Jarvis.
A text box appeared on the screen next to the one with the schematics. "Sir, perhaps we should hold off on these improvements until after the undercover operation." Jarvis suggested.
"Nope. Do it." He replied shortly.
"Yes, sir." The text read.
Stark moved back to the sledge hammer and the piece of metal, ready to continue its previous beating; but as he took aim again, raising the hammer high, he hesitated at the last second. He placed the hammer back on the workbench.
"Music down, level 10." He instructed. His once tense and flexed shoulders sagged in exhaustion.
He walked back around to his workstation aimlessly and unceremoniously dropped onto the soft cushion of the chair. He raked his hands through his disheveled hair and sighed out loud, letting his mind wander. Frustration and anxiousness ran through his veins and he couldn't bring himself to accept the reason why. Truth be known, he refused to acknowledge the fact that he knew why…
Pepper Potts was out on a date in the company of a man other than him.
Tony's jaw clenched and unclenched. He stared blankly at the multitude of computer screens around him and the tools that were spread haphazardly across the desk. The motivation to continue working into the long hours of the night had dissipated, and he now found himself doing something he doesn't ever recall doing…
He was sulking.
For the last few hours he had been trying, unsuccessfully, to dispel the thoughts of his assistant being escorted around town by some stranger. Not that it was his business to know—he was after all, just her boss.
But the thoughts persisted.
He tried hard to not think about her flirting with someone across a dinner table; laughing at his jokes; casually brushing her bangs out of her eyes so he will take notice of her face, or when he pours her a glass of champagne and upon her first sip she makes that funny face he secretly adores when the bubbles tickle her nose.
He tried not to think of how, when she gets nervous, she wrings her hands together like she is trying to smooth in the last bit of lotion into her skin. Or, sometimes, when she doesn't really know what to say, she will start to ramble and twist the curls of her hair with her fingertips in order to avoid an awkward silence.
What he enjoyed about her the most however, was her confidence and poise. That woman could stare down a boardroom full of crotchety old businessmen, scare off annoying reporters, and save the world from an insane former employee of Stark Industries all in one day. Her demeanor adapted to every situation, including the variety of circumstances Tony had put her in over the years--and there had been many. And when the stakes were high, she never faltered—even when it meant reaching her hand into a man's chest to help prolong his life. The trust he had in her was unlike anything he had ever granted to another human being, and even she knew that he had more faith in her than he had in himself at times. It scared him to think that she would share all of that with someone rather than him.
The years of Pepper being his assistant had given him hundreds of opportunities to notice these things about her—but sadly, he was too busy making sure the world still revolved around him. He was always moving on to bigger and better things; making money, fast women, pushing the latest technological breakthrough in weaponry—all of those things were central in the life of Tony Stark, and that is what he thought a fulfilling life was. He had never taken the time to absorb the little details of his life and appreciate what was truly important.
That is, not until this last year.
After the incident in Afghanistan, his priorities changed. His newfound duty to protect, his new outlook on the way things should be—these things have allowed him to open his eyes and take stock of what was missing in his life…People to share it all with. Someone to share it all with.
He had begun allowing himself to consider what a life with someone, a single someone, would be like. Namely, a certain redhead in his employ. But his natural affinity to analyze and process a situation and come to a logical conclusion had erased such hopes.
Nevertheless, tonight, the green-eyed monster still lurked in his heart and it disturbed him to no end. The turmoil inside him shifted into a battle of wills as he tried to understand why he felt this way now when just a year ago, it was the furthest thing from his mind.
…well, maybe not the furthest thing. Pepper was quite spectacular.
He slammed his eyes shut again as images of Pepper seeped back into his conscious mind. This has to stop, he thought to himself. Despised with himself for acting this way, he came to a decision that it's been far too long since he's had a night out. There's no reason in the world that Pepper Potts should be the only one out there painting the town red.
"Jarvis, kill the music and shut it all down…" Stark ordered.
"Of course sir. Saving all files. Turning in early? That's a surprise." Jarvis admitted.
Throwing a few of his tools back into their compartments, he grabbed his cell phone and headed for the exit. "Hell no…I'm going out. I need a drink!"
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A warm evening and a soft breeze made for perfect weather to enjoy an outdoor meal. Richard Hansen pulled his Mercedes up to the entrance of the large outdoor café in downtown Malibu. The valet quickly opened the door for Pepper, and she stepped out gracefully just as Richard came around to tip the young man and hand him his keys.
"I hear this place has great sashimi…" He said to Pepper, leading her up the steps and towards the host stand.
Pepper glanced around the large restaurant. Large lanterns were strung across the dining area, bathing the diners in a soft comforting light. A band played what seemed to be a bluesy-jazz mix of music, and a few couples were swaying on the dance floor. A long bar sat off to the side with only a few people sitting at the cushy barstools.
An older gentlemen dressed in a short sleeve polo shirt greeted them as they approached. "Good evening, and welcome to Geoffrey's! Do you have a reservation this evening?" His mustache twitched as he glanced at the couple in front of him.
"Yes. Under Hansen. Table for two." Richard informed the man.
His fingers flew over the keyboard in front of him and he lifted his chin to view the screen. "Ah, yes! Here we are. It seems you are a tad bit early…Would you mind if bought you some drinks at the bar while you wait to be seated?"
Speaking for them both, Richard replied, "Not at all. We will be right over here." He motioned to two empty stools on the left side of the bar.
"Excellent. It should be about 15 minutes." The mustached man told them.
Richard led Pepper over to the bar stools and then signaled to the bartender. "What shall it be?" He asked her, flashing her a smile.
"A glass of champagne would be perfect." Pepper answered, smiling back sweetly.
Richard reached into his pocket and retrieved his money clip. "Two glasses of champagne please." He told the bartender, unclipping a fifty dollar bill in the process.
"Yessir." The bartender replied and turned away to retrieve their order.
Richard leaned against the bar on his right forearm, making him eye level with Pepper who had taken a seat. "I must say, this heat has been almost unbearable the last few days." Richard said casually, making small talk.
"I don't know, I kind of like it. I prefer it to the cold. Besides, it makes evenings like this so much more enjoyable." She said, looking back at him.
The bartender returned with their champagne, and Richard handed him the fifty, telling him to keep the change. They both took their glasses and just like in at the café where they met, raised them for a toast. This time, it was Pepper who spoke, "To warm summer nights…" She said.
Richard agreed, they tipped their glasses together with a satisfying clink, and sipped the refreshing liquid. Just as her glass came close enough for her to take a sip, Pepper scrunched her nose up and laughed.
"What?" Richard asked, looking confused.
"Oh, nothing. It's silly…the bubbles always tickle my nose on the first sip." She explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"Mmm. I'll remember that." He replied in a low, sultry voice, causing her ears to turn a darker shade of pink.
Feeling a bit edgy, Pepper decided to strike up some more conversation. "So, Richard. What is it that you do when you're not getting wine spilled on you?"
Richards' eyes shifted up and over her shoulder. "I…am in a private trade business." He started. "Mostly stocks and bonds. We have all types of investors and buyers. Kinda boring stuff now that I think about it." He glanced back at Pepper, smiling again.
Pepper could tell his answer was somewhat evasive, but decided it was just because they were getting to know each other. She nodded her head and took another sip of her drink.
"And what about you, Miss Pepper. What do you do?" He queried, leaning a bit closer.
She took a deep breath and was about to explain when he continued talking.
"Wait! Wait! Let me guess, may I?" He broke in.
Curious as to what he might say, Pepper agreed. "OK, go ahead." She offered, then sat up straight while pushing her auburn locks back behind her shoulders.
Richard squinted at her, trying to think of a good answer, then, his eyes widening, he snapped his fingers. "You are an independently wealthy businesswoman who, at the startling young age of 19, made her first million, and has since accumulated a ridiculous amount of cash and is set to retire with the next year or so." He let out an exhausted breath. "Am I close?"
Pepper laughed out loud, throwing her hand over her mouth at her outburst. Grinning like an idiot, she playfully slapped him on the shoulder and shook her head.
"Not at all close, huh?" Richard said jokingly.
Pepper cleared her throat and shook her head.
"So what do you do?" He asked again.
"Ah, well…that's a loaded question." Pepper replied in cautious tone. She figured she might as well spill the beans on her career. She figured that it's better that it's out in the open now to see where this might lead, rather than bury it, and be disappointed later on down the road.
She downed the rest of her champagne and continued, "I am the personal assistant for Tony Stark." She said, bracing for a reaction.
Richard's eyebrows slowly crept up his forehead. "THE, Tony Stark?" He asked, sounding surprised.
Pepper nodded, looking down at where her hands lay on the bar. "Mmhmm."
"Personal assistant…" He repeated out loud. "Well, that's gotta be one heckuva job. I can imagine you keep pretty busy." He commented.
Pepper tilted her head to the side, considering her answer. "Well, there is never a dull moment." She replied unabashedly.
Richard noticed her glass was empty and turned his attention back to finding the bartender.
Content with the way the evening was progressing so far, Pepper began to relax into it a bit more. She allowed herself to forget about work, forget about what she needed to do tomorrow, forget about her emails, and just concentrate on the moment she was in right now. She had even almost succeeded in blocking out a certain boss of hers when a flash of silver caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over Richards' shoulder and saw what looked to be a silver Audi R8 pulling up to the valet.
No way. No…You've got to be kidding me.
The owner of the car revved the engine twice, and the familiar sound sent a shockwave straight through the core of Pepper Potts.
She hunched down on her barstool a bit and muttered under her breath. "I can't believe it! What is he doing here?!" She spoke out loud. Richard flinched, "Huh? What? Who's here?" He asked, looking confused again. "Is everything ok?" He asked, slightly concerned that his date seemed distressed all of a sudden. He looked around, trying to figure out what she was talking about. When he turned all the way around, he discovered that it wasn't a'what', but a'who' that had sent her into a frenzy.
Sauntering up the walkway to the bar was none other than Tony Stark himself. He was clad in a very dark short sleeve shirt—no doubt to cover up the glow of arc reactor—and a pair of what looked like designer board shorts; a pair of Gucci shades covering his eyes and a pair of leather flip flops on his feet completed his ensemble. His hair had been slicked back revealing that he had probably just taken a shower, and his goatee had been trimmed to perfection.
Stark came to a stop on the opposite side of the bar Pepper and Richard were seated at and was immediately assailed by two buxom blondes who had also witnessed his arrival.
Pepper watched as he greeted the two women and while shaking their hands glanced shamelessly at their chests. The giggles of the two young women crossed the bar and Pepper rolled her eyes.
Richard glanced back and forth between Pepper and the object of her sudden paranoia. "I take it that the guy who just walked in must be your…boss?"
Pepper's eyes flew back to Richard as if she had forgotten he was there. "Oh. Uh…yeah. That's him." She ground out, sitting up again.
At the sound of her voice, Tony Stark's playful interaction with the girls came to an end, and he slowly lowered his glasses to the bridge of his nose to peer across the bar.
Holy hell. He thought. Now this I did NOT expect.
Deciding that this might even be a little fun, he threw on his best playboy grin, excused himself from girl one and girl two, and made his way towards the couple at the end of the bar.
"Well, I know that I must be hallucinating, because this can't be my assistant right here in front of me. She's out on a date with some hot guy." Tony remarked, looking at Pepper and ignoring the man at her side.
For the second time tonight, Pepper began to panic.
Richard had since straightened himself up to his full height and stood possessively next to Pepper as Tony approached them. Once he had gotten closer, Pepper observed that Richard had a good inch of height more than Tony did, and prayed that Tony noticed it too.
Pepper spoke quickly. "Mr. Stark, a pleasure to see you this evening." Pepper announced, her formality surprising both herself and Tony.
Tony cocked his head to the side and grinned back at her, hiding the disappointment at hearing his last name tumble from her lips. "Miss Potts." He greeted back. He finally moved his attention to the man at her side. "And who's your…friend?" He asked glibly, tilting his chin at Richard, and keeping his hands in his pockets.
Richard felt tense. He didn't wait for Pepper to introduce him, but instead blurted out his own introduction. "Richard Hansen." He stated firmly. Neither man making a move to offer a hand to shake.
The silence stretched between them.
Thank God for the bartender. The clearing of a throat made them all jump. "Uh, can I get anyone anything?"
"Scotch. Rocks. The good stuff, not the well." Stark ordered, never taking his eyes off Richard.
Pepper was really starting to feel uncomfortable. She needed something stronger than champagne. "I'll have a Grey Goose martini please, extra olives." She spoke up, ignoring the sly smile that appeared on Tony's lips.
The bartender nodded, then turned to Richard. "And you, sir?"
Richard unclenched his jaw. "Bourbon. Neat."
The bartender sprung into action.
"So…Mr. Stark, do you often follow your employees out on their dates?" Richard asked sarcastically while continuing to stare down the man in front of him.
Tony opened his mouth to reply—no doubt with something rude and insulting, but Pepper spoke first. "I think this must be one of those silly one in a million coincidences, you know? Us here for dinner, Mr. Stark here for…whatever…" She commented, wondering if she sounded as dumb as she felt by saying that. She laughed a nervous laugh, hoping it would ease the tension that had suddenly sprung up.
"I suppose." Richard replied. Then, realizing he was acting a bit boorish, relaxed a bit and grinned at Stark. "Whatever the case may be, I'm sure it makes your boss here thrilled to see you thoroughly enjoying yourself. Wouldn't you say, Pepper?" He said smugly, inching a bit closer to her.
She looked at Richard and her mouth dropped open, at a loss for words. Stark tightened his grip on the edge of the bar.
"Here we go." The bartender said, thankfully interrupting again. He handed over each of their drinks. Pepper was the first to get hers, and immediately raised it to her lips, downing half of the martini in one gulp.
The sound of a cell phone was the next thing to cause a stir. The two men reached into their pockets to retrieve their phone. Richard revealed his phone as the culprit. He turned to Pepper. "If you'll excuse me one moment, I have to take this." He said.
Pepper nodded her agreement. "Sure. Of Course." Richard sent one last glare in Tony's direction, flipped open his phone and walked off towards the beach, leaving Tony and Pepper at the bar.
This time, it was Tony who spoke first. "I don't like him." He declared bluntly. "He looks like a guy I once knew in college. I think he was on steroids. You know what happens to a guy on 'roids? The size of his--"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Pepper seethed, interrupting his enlightening information session. She switched barstools to get closer to him so she could keep her voice down while yelling at him.
He held up his hand. "Whoa now. Like you said, this is just one of those one in a million things. I was just out and about." He waved his hand in the air, then took a sip of his drink. "…Ended up here." He finished.
Pepper shook her head in disbelief of his story. "Here." She repeated, tapping the edge of the bar with her index finger.
"Yes, here. It just so happens that this place sells my favorite brand of Scotch." He answered pretentiously.
"Tony, you own fifteen cases of your favorite Scotch." She retorted. He looked shocked. "What? I'm the one who placed the order, remember?"
Tony blinked, then fired back, "Don't change the subject," he said pointing his finger at her then at the silhouette of her date, "there's something wrong with this guy. Trust me, I'm an excellent judge of character."
Pepper let out an exasperated puff of air. "Yeah, ok." She snickered.
"What do we even know about him anyway? I mean, take his name…Dick." He blurted.
"Richard." Pepper replied, a hint of anger in her voice.
"Whatever. He's no good for you." He looked off into the distance as his last statement floated in the air between them and took another long sip of his Scotch. He welcomed the warm burn as the liquid descended his throat.
Pepper guffawed again. "The illustrious playboy, Tony Stark…dispensing dating advice! Well that's rich." She spat. Tony looked back at her, a swirl of hurt hitting him.
"You, of all people should agree that you are not the one to take advice from when it comes to relationships." Pepper remarked, forcing a small laugh and waving her hand dismissively. When she turned back to him, she caught his eyes and was surprised to see that they held a bit of sadness in them. Her confident tirade wavered, and she looked away from his face back down at her drink, her smile fading.
Struck by a newfound urgency to prove himself, Tony inched a bit closer to Pepper. "Yeah. You're right. I have no reason to be giving out advice when it comes to relationships." He agreed. "I mean, let's face it…my dad and I pretty much had a business relationship, not a father-son one. My former mentor, whom I had trusted with my entire business empire tried to kill both of us; and the longest relationship I've ever had with a member of the opposite sex lasted only…say, twenty-four hours." He started off sounding nonchalant, but as he continued talking, his voice got softer, more serious.
"The point is…" He hesitated, wondering which path to take this conversation down. "I'm just looking out for you." He chose the safer path.
Pepper shifted in her seat as she listened intently to every word. "And I appreciate that." She said softly, sincerely.
But something in her wouldn't let this go. Looking back at this conversation later, she concluded that the following statement that fell from her lips, might have been the catalyst that set into motion more important events that would soon take place in her life.
Tony watched as Pepper began twirling a red curl of hair between her fingertips. She perked up a bit as she said, "As for that twenty-four hour relationship thing—that works for you. Tony Stark doesn't do 'serious' relationships anyways, right?" She said and smiled kindly up at him. She reached a hand out to playfully shove at his shoulder, but he was quicker.
Grabbing her wrist unexpectedly, Pepper's breath hitched in her throat as his hand came into contact with her skin. He grasped the limb gently but firmly, and brought himself even closer to her. He hunched over so that she was the only one able to hear him. Pepper swallowed--her mouth suddenly dry.
When he finally spoke, his voice was raspy and soft, and dare she say it? Sexy.
"I can do 'serious', Pepper." He whispered to her, looking straight into her eyes. She held his gaze, taking in his words and running them through her mind over and over. She tried to decipher what he meant—and by the look in his eyes and the heat coming off of his hand, she knew he meant it.
Tony felt everything around him slow. It was as if they were the only two people at this very moment. Just him and Pepper.
"AHEM."
…and Dick.
Pepper nearly fell off of her stool at the sound of Richard clearing his throat.
"Sorry I took so long." He apologized. His eyes going to Pepper's wrist, and the fingers still wrapped around it.
Tony followed his eyes, and gently released his hold of the Pepper's slim wrist. The cool night air replacing the feeling of his hot hand against her skin.
"I think our table is ready…" He spoke again. He picked up Pepper's wrap and purse and pointed the way to where the waiter stood.
"Right…ok." Pepper replied, finally finding her voice. She stood slowly, giving her head time to come back down from wherever it had floated off to.
Tony stood up too. "Yeah, I should get going anyways. I think Jarvis misses me." He smirked.
Pepper found his eyes again. "Goodnight Mr. Stark." She said, feeling almost regretful at saying goodbye for the night—but thankful at the same time. She wasn't sure if she could handle that look he was giving her much longer.
"Goodnight Miss Potts."
And then she was escorted away from him.
Tony lifted his hand to scratch at his beard and inhaled a deep breath. He paused, then sniffed his hand again. The same hand that had just held a more feminine one had the distinct smell of perfume lingering on it. Tony closed his eyes as his head rolled back.
I'm in hell, he thought.
He pounded the rest of his Scotch, then ordered a double—no rocks.
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Comments…review…
Chapter 12…this week.