Pepper and Trevor got into the car and headed down the coast to San Diego. Pepper wanted a fresh start and a change of scenery.

"I'm sorry if I overreacted. I was just shocked. I've never had someone complain about my choice of pubic hair. If it's really that bothersome I can take some more off. I'm just not comfortable being bald down there" she said.

"No I was one hundred percent in the wrong. I thought all girls had Brazilians. I haven't been with a girl with a bush in over ten years. It's fine the way it is. You should be comfortable" he said as he watched the road.

He was going to say what he needed to say to double his money.

"And about the Tony thing. I'm sorry that really was an honest mistake. He and I made up that morning and it was heavy on my mind. It just slipped out. There is nothing between me and Tony" Pepper lied.

But she was determined to believe it. She had a boyfriend and Tony was her forbidden fantasy.

"No I understand you guys are close. I'm sorry about that too. I just want to take this weekend to eat good food, spend quality time with you and of course kiss every inch of your gorgeous body" he said.

"Looking forward to it" she said as she stared at him.

Maybe it was just an innocent comment. Maybe I should just get the Brazilian? she thought.

When they arrived Pepper booted up her computer.

"I hope you don't mind if I do a little work first," she said.

"Not at all" he said handing her a glass of wine.

…

"What do you mean you already sent the email?" Tony yelled frantically.

"I sent it last night so she'd see it this morning. I didn't tell her anything I just told her to call me as soon as she could because I had something important to talk to her about"

"She's on a weekend getaway with what's his name" Tony said frantically.

"Tony the sooner the better. Do you really want him to get to keep sleeping with Pepper under false pretenses?" Rhodes said.

"No I definitely don't want that" Tony said.

"I told you I would handle this and I will. Now let me go"

Trevor got up to go into the hot tub and he left his phone on the table.

Pepper opened her computer and started answering emails when she heard a ping. It was Trevor's phone. She got up to go bring it to him when a message on the screen caught her attention.

Remember our bet? Double or nothing

Pepper didn't even want to know about silly male betting. She's seen Tony and Rhodes do it lots of times. She put the phone back and went back to her laptop. There was an email from Rhodes.

Hey Pepper,

There is something important I need to talk to you about. It's not about work, it's personal so please call me when you're alone and free to talk.

Rhodes

What on Earth could Rhodey want to talk to me about? She thought.

Pepper decided she would call him later. She abandoned her emails for awhile and looked up nearby salons where she could go and get a wax. She found one twenty minutes away and set an appointment for two hours from now. She was hoping to get some lunch and tackle some more emails.

Trevor came inside from using the hot tub and his tight abs were glistening. She had to admit there were worse looking men she could be having sex with.

"You want some lunch babe?" he asked as he began to make a sandwich with the food they stocked the fridge with.

"Yeah that would be great. Thanks" she said as she continued to answer emails.

…

Rhodes was getting increasingly anxious because Tony wouldn't stop asking him every five seconds if Pepper had called. And he reassured him that he would be the first person to know when Pepper called. He was heading out to get some lunch when he heard the same jerks that knew about the bet talking again.

"They are going double or nothing if he can get Tony Stark's assistant to do anal" he said.

Rhodes balled up his fists. He was going to kick every single one of these guys asses for talking about Pepper like that, but Trevor he deserved a special kind of punishment and he wasn't sure what that was going to be yet. He didn't even bother texting Tony he knew his anxiety and anger was only going to get worse.

Pepper finished her emails and looked at the time. She was going to have to leave now if she was going to make it in time for her appointment.

"Hey I have an appointment at the salon. I shouldn't be too long. I'll see you in a little bit" she said as she kissed him goodbye.

Pepper got into her car and put the address to the salon in her gps and decided to call Rhodes.

"Hey Rhodes what's up?" she said when he picked up.

"Are you alone?" he asked.

"Right now I am. I'm on my way to an appointment" she said.

Rhodes was sitting on Tony's living room couch and Tony handed him a piece of paper.

Put her on speakerphone so I can hear

Rhodes reluctantly hit the speakerphone button. Tony could feel his heart racing wildly. He wasn't sure he could bear to hear Pepper's heartbreak.

"There really isn't any easy way to say this but the other day I was at the base and I heard some guys talking. One of the guys at the base is friends with one of Trevor's friends" he said.

"What is it? Is he married? Kids? He did something illegal? Typical" she said with annoyance in her voice.

"No it isn't any of those things," he said.

"What then?"

"His friend bet him that if Tony couldn't sleep with you then he couldn't. He got paid ten grand and now it's double or nothing if he gets you to do anal" Rhodes said ripping off the bandaid in one swift motion.

Pepper pulled her car over and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"This has to be a joke. Did Tony put you up to this?" she asked.

Tony was hurt but he understood why she would think so.

"No. Tony doesn't even know about it. Look Pep I don't have any real proof just my word unless you want to come down to the base and ask these guys yourself. You've known me for a long time I would never do anything to hurt you. I just thought you should know" Rhodes said.

"Well thank you for telling me. I've gotta go" she said as she clicked off the phone.

"She didn't sound that upset Rhodes"

"She isn't going to cry on the phone" Rhodes told Tony.

Pepper continued to have tears spilling out of her eyes. She tried to regain her composure. She took a few deep breaths and called the salon first to cancel her appointment. She didn't want to just not show up. Then she took a few more deep breaths and got back out on the road. She drove until she found someplace to turn around.

Rhodes is my friend. He would never lie to me or hurt me. This is so humiliating. How could I have been so stupid?

Pepper pulled back in front of the air bnb and slammed her door. She grabbed everything that was hers out of his car. She was disgusted. She walked through the door with a fury.

"That was quick. What happened?" he asked.

"I want you out of here" she said trying to remain calm.

"What's wrong? I thought we talked about this and everything was ok. I don't understand" he said.

"Oh no we didn't talk about this. We didn't talk about how you made a bet to see if you could sleep with me. You got paid ten grand. Is that all I'm worth to you?" she said.

"That was before I knew you. Pepper I like you that's why I'm still here" he said as he attempted to rub her arm.

"Don't fucking touch me. How much is it to caress my arm?"

"Pepper please. I think you're a great girl"

"Double or nothing for anal" she said angrily.

"I'm sorry" he said trying to calm her down.

"The only thing you're sorry for is getting caught" she yelled.

Trevor opened his mouth to speak and Pepper cut him off.

"You made a fool out of me. How dare you do that to me? This whole time everything was just pretend. The dinners, the Dodgers game. FUCK YOU" she screamed.

"You're overreacting. Guys do this kind of stuff all the time. Besides I'm still with you and we had a good time. No one got hurt" he said.

"GET OUT" she yelled.

"You should let me drive you back. It's a long ride. How are you going to get home?"

"I'm a big girl I will figure it out," she said.

"I can't just leave not knowing how you're getting home" he said.

"Oh now you have a conscious," she said.

"I really think we could talk through this" he said.

"If you don't leave I'm going to call the police," she said.

"Ok I'm leaving" he said as he began to gather up his things.

Once he was gone Pepper filled up another glass of wine.

How could you be so stupid? How could you fall for the trap? I wasn't really in love with him or I wouldn't still be fantasizing about Tony all the time. But I wanted to be. I wanted this to be real so badly so I let myself believe I was.

Pepper downed the rest of her wine and text the one person she knew would drop everything for her at a moments notice.

Tony I'm sorry to bother you. This weekend getaway is a disaster. Trevor and I are through. Can you have the jet come and get me? I know it's a lot to ask and I know you're busy. Or Happy? I'll pay whatever it costs.

She poured more wine and let her head fall back on the couch. She didn't expect an answer back so quickly.

One jet coming right up. And you're not paying for anything. See you in an hour Potts.

Pepper smiled. She packed up her things and drove to the airfield. Tony never let her down.

She remembered the night he brought her home when she hurt her ankle and he helped her undress and he was a complete gentlemen. He hadn't even tried to look at her.

Maybe Tony has changed.

Tony turned to Rhodes.

"I'm going to rescue Pepper" he said smiling big.

"Now is your chance to tell her how you feel" Rhodes said.

"I can't. She just found out some guy she thought loved her back used her for a bet. How would it look if I tell her how I feel while she's all sad? I'm not that guy. I'm not going to use her vulnerability to get in her pants. And I don't want to be a rebound guy" he said quietly.

"I'm going to kick this guys ass Tony. I don't know where and when but I'm going to whoop his ass" Rhodes said.

"Don't. I don't want you to get in any trouble. Give me a few days to think of something better" Tony said.

Pepper entered the plane and did not expect Tony to be on there waiting for her. But it honestly made her so happy.

"Tony,What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You're hurt and I didn't know if you'd want to talk about it or not. I figured if you don't I can go hide in the back and stay out of your way" he said.

"I'm so glad you're here" she said as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked quite distraught. Tony wanted to try and make her laugh.

"You know Potts everytime you hug me I can't help but think about the night you fell topless into me" he teased.

She laughed and hit him playfully.

"Of course you do. I wouldn't expect anything less"

Pepper sat down and buckled herself in and Tony sat across from her while they prepared for take off.

"I know how much you love it so I'm just going to say it. You were right. Why did he come out of nowhere? There was a motive" she said as she wiped her eyes.

"Come on Pep. I would never hope to be right about something that hurt you"

"There was a bet. One of his friends bet him that if you couldn't sleep with me then there was no way he would be able to. He got ten grand Tony. Can you imagine?" she said as she let the silent tears spill out from her eyes. She didn't fight them anymore.

"He's a real scumbag. I know I'm calling the kettle black with the whole maxim calendar girl thing. I did make a bet about sleeping with all twelve of them" Tony said suddenly realizing how similar he was to Trevor.

"Tony those girls knew what they were getting with you. You didn't date them for weeks pretending to like them. Do not compare yourself to him" she said coming to his defense.

"It's just that seeing you in so much pain makes me feel bad about the things I've done"

"I'm so stupid Tony. I'm humiliated. I thought he loved me"

"No Pep he's the stupid one for not seeing how perfect you are"

"And this weekend he was going to go double or nothing if he could get me to do anal. It makes me sick honestly"

"I'm sorry" he said.

"And you want to know what else? You want to know why I was asking you all those weird questions last night?" she asked.

"He told me I should get a Brazilian wax because it's kind of a mess down there. And that he doesn't really like giving oral when there's that much hair. And stupid me I was on my way to get the wax when Rhodes called me" she said.

"I'm glad you didn't because you're perfect. Pepper if I could have my way with you you have no idea" Tony said looking at her lustfully.

Pepper smirked at him.

You have no idea how bad I want to let you.

"I'm just so angry Tony mostly at myself for falling into the trap. The Dodgers game made me feel like he actually cared for me. He used my grandfathers death to manipulate my feelings" she said.

"When we get back we can do whatever you want this weekend," he said.

"Junk food and bad tv marathon. I might even wear yoga pants" she teased.

"Don't tease me Potts" he said.

She smiled at him.

"I'm assuming you'll want to sleep in your own bed tonight" he said.

"I'm not sure yet" she said and it was the truth. She kind of wanted to stay with Tony.

"Won't your Sybian be lonely? You'll need it now that you're back on the market" he teased.

"My Sybian will survive"

"Have you tried it yet? My offer to upgrade it still stands" he asked.

"I only got to use it once. Right before you picked me up the afternoon of Rhodey's party and I don't think I could take any upgrades to it" she said.

"You were naked using that right before I got there? Damn" he said.

"I was" she laughed.

It was so easy for her to talk about this stuff with Tony now that the cat was out of the bag and she admitted to being attracted to him.

….

They got back to the Stark Mansion and Tony offered to drive Pepper home but she wanted to stay and hang out with him. She got into a comfy pair of sleep shorts and sleep shirt.

"You look cute. Although I prefer that blue silk nighty you have" he said staring at her with desire.

"Come here. I want to talk to you" she said.

Tony sat down on the couch.

"I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she said.

"Well Trevor was dead weight anyway. He was bringing you down"

"It's not just about Trevor. You made me CEO so now I don't work for you anymore. I can finally have what I want" she said.

"I don't know what you're saying Pep"

"I don't know when exactly I realized how attractive you are or how attracted I was to you but when I did I couldn't get it out of my mind. I've been so horny since and I didn't want to sleep with random guys because I don't trust them so I started my arrangement with Jill and after that arrangement ended I bought the Sybian. I even tried dating and we know how that ended. I can't handle the stress of a relationship. I don't want it and I'm not sure I ever will but I still want to have sex and there's only one man I can trust that would have sex with me without doing anything stupid or hurting me and now that I don't work for him anymore I feel ok with it" she said.

Tony swallowed for a moment. He was elated and deflated all in one. Pepper wanted him and he would give anything for a chance to make love to her but she didn't want a relationship. She didn't want him the way he wanted her. He was going to have to bottle this. He was going to give Pepper whatever she wanted or needed to heal and to fix herself even if it meant that he would get used and hurt in the process. Pepper deserves to be happy and he knew she didn't really trust guys. This way the only way.

"Pepper you might regret it. What about our friendship?"

"Tony you need to relax. You're really not going to be my friend anymore if we start having sex"

"What no? I'm just worried about you and how you're going to feel"

"I want this Tony. I thought you'd be more excited. You don't seem into it at all. Friends with benefits is perfect for us"

"Pepper trust me if I get you naked you will see how into it I am. But you broke up with some guy a few hours ago, I just want to be sure this is what you want" he said.

"Tony this has taken over my mind for quite some time," she said and she pressed her lips to his.

Tony kissed back but he didn't fully relax into the kiss because he was trying to protect his heart. He didn't want to get comfortable with Pepper like this because he was afraid of losing himself. Pepper pulled away.

"Let's go upstairs," she said.

"Ok" Tony said.

He couldn't calm his heart down. He was going to make love to Pepper without alcohol or anything to mask his true feelings. He felt nervous and vulnerable.

Pepper pulled him to her again and kissed him forcefully. She pushed him down on the bed and her aggressiveness was turning him on big time. She was tugging at his t-shirt and she pulled it off. Tony was just going through the motions. He hasn't made a single move. He was letting Pepper do everything and he didn't know why because he was extremely turned on by her.

Pepper ran her hand over him and she could feel it twitch.

Protect your heart Stark, he thought to himself.

"Someone wants to come out and play," she said with a smile.

Tony gave a quick smirk and laid back to let her have her fun. She pulled his MIT sweatpants down along with his boxer briefs. Tony watched the desire in her eyes and she put her mouth around him.

FUCK, he thought.

Tony closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure as Pepper began to take him further into her throat. He couldn't open his eyes because that meant that it was Pepper and that it was real. He pretended it was anyone but her. His mind went through possibilities of different women he slept with. He tried this for a few minutes and then he opened his eyes and caught Pepper's sparkling blue eyes taking his length in her throat nearly gagging on him. He realized what he was doing was so wrong. He was trying to have sex with her distantly and she didn't deserve that. She was so into it. She was working harder than anyone else to please him and he was closing his eyes pretending she was someone else like a jerk just because he was afraid. He was missing his first time with Pepper. He tucked Tony away somewhere and someone else showed up to receive Pepper because he was trying to protect himself. He felt like he was no better than Trevor. He was no longer going to sit on the sidelines of this lovemaking.

Tony reached out grabbed on Pepper's ponytail and helped guide her mouth up and down on him.

"MMMMM" she moaned onto him.

The vibrations gave Tony extra sensations.

"God Pepper that feels so good" he said encouraging her.

It really did feel amazing. He refused to take his eyes off of Pepper. And she locked eyes with him again as she attempted to deep throat him and that sent him over the edge.

"Pep hurry pull off it's coming" he warned her as he grabbed ahold of himself.

"No I want it" she said attempting to put her mouth back on it.

"Come here open your mouth" he said as he stroked himself the rest of the way and it came shooting out rapidly. He tried to aim but some of it shot on her face.

"Shit Pep I'm so sorry" he said wiping away the cum that had shot on the sides of her face.

"It's ok. That just tells me you enjoyed it. Next time I want to keep sucking you off so you explode down my throat" she said.

The words next time were like music to his ears. That meant Pepper wanted to have sex with him again.

"Get over here" he said as he pulled her up on top of him until they were face to face and he rolled her over so he was on top of her.

"Now you're at my mercy," he said as he tugged her shirt over her head in one swoop.

"God I missed these gorgeous nipples of yours" he said as he took one into his mouth and grabbed the other one with his hand. He began his attack plan and kept switching back and forth and then he went up and started nibbling up her neck and ear and up to her lips and then he went back to her nipples again purposely dragging it out because he knew she was getting super wet and she was squirming beneath him.

"Tony please" Pepper whimpered.

"Please what?" he asked.

"I want you to lick me" she said breathlessly.

"MMMM" he said and then pressed a kiss to her lips.

He kissed all the way down her stomach and pulled her shorts and panties down swiftly. He continued kissing down her stomach and then went down to her inner thighs to tease Pepper some more. And then he spread her open and started to lick her gently at first and Pepper let out a whimper. He started to do it a little more forcefully and her whimper turned into a moan. Tony enveloped her clit into his lips and sucked on it gently at first and he could feel Pepper pull at the sheets and then he sucked on it harder and she arched her back. He was testing out his various techniques to see how she responded to them and sucking the clit with more force seemed to be the winner. He continued that motion for awhile and he was doing it excruciatingly slow and he knew Pepper was dying. Then he slid his fingers inside of her and she gasped. He was finally ready to give it to her. He totally let himself go as he hammered her with his fingers and sucked her clit hard and fast. He didn't slow or stop once and next thing he knew Pepper was screaming. He could feel her contracting and he realized what was next. He pulled off of her to give her a minute to calm down.

He climbed up to be eye level with her and kissed her softly. He knew what being inside of her would do to him.

"That was even better than I imagined" she said wrapping her arms around his neck.

"We've only just started" he said nuzzling himself into her neck.

She was smiling and her eyes were so bright and it made Tony feel so happy to see her like that.

"Do you want me to ummm wear protection?" he asked awkwardly.

"Tony I know how long it's been since you've been with anyone and I'm on the pill and I used a condom with Trevor so I think we're fine," she said as she laced her fingers in his.

Tony sat up and pulled Pepper closer to him. She was naked and gorgeous and he couldn't believe that he was about to make love to her. He grabbed himself and slowly pressed himself against her entrance and Pepper was so wet he started to slide in easily.

Pepper felt herself being stretched out by Tony's girth and she had a look of ecstasy on her face.

"Jesus Tony you're huge," she said in a breathy voice.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked suddenly alarmed.

"God no Tony you feel so good," she said as she felt him begin to thrust in and out of her.

Pepper felt like her whole body was on fire while Tony was making love to her. She grabbed at his back and was scratching him while he thrust. It was hot and passionate like she imagined but there was something about his touch that was so soft & caring and she never wanted it to stop.

Tony was concentrating so hard not to finish early. Pepper's moans were increasing and his will was depleting. He forced himself to push through until she had a second orgasm at least. Tony's insides were flip flopping. He was so in love with this woman and she still couldn't see it. Pepper was having another orgasm and when he felt her insides contracting and her clenching he lost it and he let go and filled her up with his cum.

All of a sudden Tony felt a rush of emotions and he couldn't handle them. He buried his face in Pepper's hair and he felt his eyes getting teary. He loved Pepper so much. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in her scent.

"Tony that was amazing. I have never felt so satisfied in my life" she said when she finally recovered and tried to cuddle Tony whose face was still buried in her hair.

Tony was so enraptured with Pepper and he hoped that his eyes were dry when he looked up to face her.

"God Pepper that was...you're so...perfect. How has no one nabbed you yet? You're gorgeous and smart and funny. You're honest and literally the most trustworthy person I've ever met. And what we just did that's just a bonus. One day when you aren't anti-relationships you're going to make some guy really happy" he said as he sat up.

Pepper felt like jelly inside by Tony's words. They were so heartfelt. Tony got up and Pepper reached for him.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"The bathroom. I'll be right back" he said.

Tony locked the door behind him and splashed water on his face. As amazing as it was to be with Pepper it was not good for him. She still wasn't his and it killed him inside. He had a bad feeling about this whole thing. He knew she was going to run off again when she got over this phase but it wasn't a phase for that she wasn't his assistant he didn't know when he was going to see her again.

He opened the door and climbed back into bed with her. He wanted to savor every moment with her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek and neck softly.

"Goodnight Tony" she said.

"Night Pep" he said even though he knew he wouldn't sleep. His brain had already begun to memorize every curve of her body, every detail of her face and every placement of her freckles. He wondered if what just happened between them was a big mistake.