Chapter Ten

When Tony arrived home and was finally able to extract himself from the suit, he was exhausted. The suit needed a few minor repairs but he wasn't in the mood to make them. Quite frankly, the only things he really wanted to do was shower and then sleep. Sleep a whole hell of a lot. He hadn't really slept since he left Pepper and it was finally catching up to him. As he ascended the stairs from the workshop, he winced as his muscles protested against any more physical activity. He could really benefit from a massage from Pepper. The way she used her perfect little hands on his body, knowing just the right way to touch him..Pepper, he sighed longingly. He really wished she was here right now. She would take care of him. Yeah, he was a grown ass man but he loved it when he would come home and she would be there to help fix him up. Now the house was empty, and he was suddenly so terribly lonely. The thought of Pepper not coming back until tomorrow almost made him whine. H needed her. He needed to feel her arms around him and since that was currently not an option, he settled for the next best thing.

Suddenly giddy with excitement, he took the stairs up to his room two at a time as he called her phone, grinning from ear to ear as he waited for her to pick up. To his utter dismay, it went directly to her voicemail. He frowned. That was odd. She almost always picked up when she knew he was on a mission. And why would her phone be off anyway? The charity ball wouldn't have began just yet. It was too early for that. Maybe she was busy getting ready. He knew from personal experience how long she took to get around for a special event. Yeah, that had to be it. Maybe she was in the shower. Mmmm...Pepper in the shower. And with that thought, he was instantly hard and wanting nothing more than to fuck her. Whelp. He knew what he was going to fantasize about while he jerked himself off. Pepper Potts wet and naked and writhing under the hot spray of water, running her hands all over her body and holy shit. He needed to get off. Now.

Aches and pains forgotten for the moment, he practically darted across the room toward the master bath in serious need of some release. After all, it had been days since he had seen any below-the-belt action. As he scurried by the bed, his attention was drawn to Pepper's laptop. It was sitting open on top of the covers. A bright neon pink post-it was attached to the middle of the screen. It was a note from Pepper. Even with the insistent throbbing between his legs, he paused to read it.

Tony, I'm so glad you made it back. Hopefully you aren't too badly banged up. :) Please remember to tend to your wounds. I will ask Jarvis if you actually cleaned them so don't even think about trying to lie to me. Make sure you re-hydrate and eat something...and by eating something I do not mean snack cakes. Eat some real food. I left some for you in the fridge. It better be gone when I see you again. I miss you so much. I really needed to talk to you before I left but settled for the next best thing. Why don't you find out what Victoria is up to? Love you, Pepper

Tony cocked his head in question. Well, he had wanted to fresh up first along with tending to his baser needs but now his curiosity was getting the best of him. The shower could wait. Pepper wasn't around to see or smell him anyway. It was probably good she wasn't there because he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't tackle her and go to town. He sat down on the bed, pulled the computer onto his lap, forcing his focus away from the pulsing problem underneath the laptop and began to read.

Victoria honestly could not believe she allowed herself to be put in this kind of position. Normally, she was the one in charge of her own life (along with Edward's) but now, it seemed like everything was spiraling out of her control. She hated herself for not telling Edward about her date to the upcoming charity ball and to be fair, she had really wanted to. After they had finally admitted their true feelings for each other, he had been called away on a mission. The last thing she wanted to do was put something else on his plate, something that could potentially distract him. The date hadn't even been her idea. It had been pushed on her by the members of the board but they had assumed she was single because she had asked Edward to keep their relationship out of the public eye, at least for awhile while they figured things out. Now, as she was boarding Edward's company jet to leave, she really began to regret her decision.

Tony's brows furrowed in confusion when he realized there wasn't anything more to read. "Why isn't there anymore?"

"I do believe it is because the rest has not happened yet, sir," Jarvis replied assuming Tony required a response.

Lost in thought, Tony drummed his fingers on his chest piece. "Wait, if Victoria is Pepper..."

"Come on, sir. I know you can do it."

Tony shot an annoyed glance toward the ceiling as if his snarky AI had an actual physical presence. "Shut up, J." Then the realization of what she had written slammed into him full force causing his eyes to widen in shock. "So, Pepper is actually going to the charity ball with someone else? Is that what she is trying to get across with this? Why didn't she tell me?"

"From the behavior she exhibited while you were away, I'm almost positive she did want to tell you. She was quite distressed when she realized you would not be back before she left. I seriously doubt she wanted to tell you about her date while you were on a mission."

Tony squeezed the bridge of his nose. "So I gather the SI board basically set Pepper up on a blind date with what's-his-face of Hammer Industries?"

"His name is Maximilian Montgomery III, sir."

Tony barked a cynical laugh. "God. He even sounds like a tool!"

"He is far from being a tool, sir. In fact, according to several online sources, ever since he's moved here, he is one of America's most eligible bachelor's even more so than you."

Tony wasn't about to dignify Jarvis with a response. He minimized Pepper's story and began searching the internet for this Maximilian Montgomery III. The brief article he skimmed over actually had the gall to compare him to this man and said that Montgomery was hot and Stark was not. Montgomery was born into riches but unlike Tony, his parents were still alive. The man was in his early thirties. Single. Never been married and of course he was from England so he probably had an accent that women swooned over. He was tall, dark and handsome. Tony had two of the three in the bag but tall? Not so much.

But what if...what if Pepper ended up liking this guy? Pepper did have reservations about going public with their relationship and what if...what if she decided Maximilian was a better option? From what he read about the man, Maximilian did have fewer skeletons in his closet than he did. He didn't have sex tapes and naked photos of himself leaked all over the internet. Pepper didn't have to personally escort the women in his bed out the door in the following morning. Tony didn't just have a little bit of baggage. He had an entire cargo bay full of it.

"Sir," Jarvis' voice interrupted his thoughts. "There is a television broadcast of the event currently streaming. Would you like for me to play it?"

"Put it on the screen, J."

Tony became fixated on the images before him. It was early but people were already starting to show up in their fancy cars. The event was taking place at one of Montgomery's new buildings. Of course it was. From what Tony read, the man was almost as big of a show-off as he was. The building was structurally gorgeous, towering over all others surrounding it. It had to be what...fifty or sixty stories. There was a crowd of reporters out front, greeting the arriving guests and snapping photos, trying to shove their way to the front in order to ask questions.

And that's when he saw Maximilian Montgomery exit a black Rolls Royce, stopping next to the open door to hold out his hand. Tony watched as he helped his date out of the backseat, his eyes growing wide as the woman revealed herself. It was Pepper. And she looked absolutely stunning, just as beautiful as she did the night they almost kissed for the first time on the roof of the Disney ballroom. She wore a full length soft pink sequined dress which clung to her curves in all the right places. He noticed the slit that exposed one of her long legs. Her hair was styled in loose waves. He watched as Montgomery offered her his arm and with a smile that made a fire ignite deep in Tony's belly, she gladly accepted it. They almost seemed like a happy couple. Almost. Tony's eyes were glued on the screen, watching Montgomery's every move like a hawk. If he even looked at her the wrong way, he would blast him into next week. Just before they disappeared inside, Montgomery's hand moved to her lower back and Tony didn't bother to suppress the growl that left his lips.

Montgomery and Pepper were about to have an elaborate four course meal together and then spend the night dancing with each other. That man would have his hands all over Pepper's bare back and possibly in other places as well. Montgomery was single and to all outward appearances so was Pepper. At least that's what everyone believed. Was the great Tony Stark jealous? Hell yeah he was. And as the seconds ticked on with the two now out of his sight, Tony's mind went wild with what could possibly be transpiring between the two of them. This was not going to fly. Not with him. He couldn't lose her. "Jarvis, just how badly is the suit damaged? Is it still safe for sustained flight?"

"It is completely safe for flight. What are you thinking, sir?"

Tony ran a hand through his hair causing it to stick up in every direction possible. "I'm thinking I'm going to New York. Jarvis, ready the suit. I'm going to make myself look pretty."

"But sir, you are already pretty."

That made Tony smile. "Stop sucking up, J. Get the suit ready. I'm leaving in twenty."

"Yes, sir."

He took the fastest shower he had ever taken in his entire life, making sure to clean all of the blood and sweat from his body. After all, he had to look his best to compete with Mr. Montgomery. He examined himself closely in the mirror. You know, for having the shit kicked out of him for the past few days, he didn't look half bad. There was a small cut above his left eyebrow and the area around his right eye was a little puffy but that was it. His chest on the other hand was a mess of lacerations and bruises. He may have bruised his ribs but that was nothing he couldn't handle. He didn't want to risk bleeding through his dress shirt so he wrapped thick bandages around his torso, making sure to cut a hole for the reactor. It would work as a binding for his aching ribs as well. He then set to grooming himself. Once his mustache and goatee were perfectly sculpted, he styled his hair. The helmet would likely mess with it a bit but it wouldn't be anything a quick run through with his hands couldn't fix. After making sure he looked and smelled damn good if he did say so himself, he grabbed his black Armani tux, white dress shirt and his leather dress shoes and tossed them all onto the bed in a pile. His dark eyes flicked to the screen once more. "Get ready, Victoria because Edward is coming for you."