Happy Friday! And what better way to celebrate that with another Friday update!
Happy Reading! :D
It's Saturday morning, and I've been awake for hours. After the nightmare I had, I just tossed and turned until sunrise. And by then, I figured it was useless to stay in bed. So I got up and went downstairs, and tried to fiddle around in the shop for a while, but even that proved futile. I couldn't get my mind off the image of Pepper and Malcolm...together, in the way that they were. And the sound of her calling his name! It had been mercilessly rattling around in my brain since I woke up. So I went back upstairs, deciding to shower up and get myself looking presentable again. I meant what I said. I have to go talk to Pepper. At least to put an end to all of this, if we can't work it out. Once and for all.
So that's where you find me now- driving to Pepper's. It's the weekend. She's gotta be home, right? This might seem balsy, sure, but I've gotta try. I'm a mess. Clearly.
About a half an hour later, I pull onto Pepper's street and into the private parking for her building. I hurriedly march in the front entrance, and usually the doorman just nods me through. But this time, he stops me. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I've been told to start alerting Ms. Potts of your arrival from now on," he informs me.
I look at him like he's just grown a third eye. "But...Hank, I'm..." I stammer.
He looks at me with annoyance. "It's Hal, Mr. Stark," he corrects. "And I'm afraid I..."
I grimace at my mistaking his name. "Right. Hal. Sorry. I just need to..." But then I stop, hearing the same tinkling laughter that I chased after in my dream. I freeze, and Hal and I both turn our attention to the elevator that's just arrived on the ground floor. The doors open, and I get a face-full of Pepper, who's dressed in a black bikini with a flimsy little blue cover up over the top (not covering anything, mind you. Don't know who she thinks she's kidding), a big straw sunhat, flip flops, and a blue striped beach tote with a thick beach towel sticking out of it is slung over her. But more importantly? She's with someone. A man. He's tall, with salt and pepper hair, tan, and bare-chested, wearing only board shorts and flip flops, a baseball cap, and aviator sunglasses. Malcolm?!, I instantly think.
He spies me first, and goes silent. Pepper notices and turns her gaze to see the reason, and then her mouth falls agape. But I don't stick around. I'm outta there like a shot. I hear her call my name from the lobby, but I keep going. "Tony!" I hear her call a second time. It's clearer now. She's followed me outside. And I can't help it. I stop on a dime, and swivel around to face her, my chest heaving, and my eyes blazing.
"What, Pepper?!"I bark, marching back in her direction. "What could you possibly have to say that would explain any of this?!" I demand bitterly.
She crosses her arms and gives me a snide smile. "I'm sorry! I wasn't aware I needed to explain any of this to you! You're the one who has some explaining to do! Like what in God's name are you doing skulking around my building on a Saturday morning, for instance!" she barks back.
"I'm here to try to talk some sense into my girlfriend! But I can see that's out the window! Out with the old, in with the new, huh, Pep!" I seethe.
She gives me a confused look. "What are you talking about?! I'm going to the beach!" she exclaims.
"Yes, I can see that, Princess! And you're going with him!" I retort.
"With him?! With who? That's Tim! He's..." she tries to explain, but I interrupt her.
"No, no, Pep! You know what?! I'll leave you alone! You're right. You don't have to explain any of this to me. You're free, alright? I didn't want to believe that you'd moved on, but after not hearing from you for a week, and then showing up here to find this, I just..." I rant, but I trail off. I watch her eyes fill with tears, and I'm having a hard time keeping my own emotion at bay. I shake my head and frown. "I just never thought it would end like this, you know?" I murmur bitterly.
"Tony, please!" she begs, in a choked whisper, her eyes pleading. "You have to listen to me! You have to understand that I..." she begins. She reaches for me, but I cut her off, and bat her hand away.
"I. Don't have to do. Anything," I say sternly. I work my jaw, and then nod. "You've made your choice, Pep."
"What choice, Tony? I don't understand!" she says.
I shrug. "Neither do I," I murmur. I smile regretfully. "I thought we were great together, you know? I thought we..."
"Tony," Pepper says, interrupting me. She looks deeply into my eyes. "We were."
Were. Not, "we are." We were.
I huff, the blow of her meaning hitting me squarely in the chest. Well, if that isn't a clear indicator of how she sees us, I don't know what IS, I think.
I start backing away to leave. We're staring at each other, in silence, her eyes filled with tears. There's nothing left to say, I guess. This is the end of the line. Officially. At least now I know.
I swivel around and walk back to my car, leaving Pepper behind. I pile into the driver's seat, and gun the engine to life. Then I peel out of the parking lot, noticing she's still standing in the same place on the side walk, looking as if she'd been turned to stone, as I speed away.
XxXxXxXx
As soon as I get home, I head straight for the liquor cabinet. All of the Scotch is gone, so I yank the cap off the Vodka bottle, and grab a glass. But then I decide against pouring it into the glass, and just swing the bottle off the counter in my hand as I march toward the balcony to plunk down into a lounge chair and drink away the sting of what just happened. Again.
I flop into one of the chairs outside, and I take a long pull from the neck of the bottle, groaning as the burn travels down my esophagus. I scrub a hand over my face and chuckle darkly. "That's what you get. You shoulda' seen it comin'," I scold myself. I shake my head at how stupid I had been to allow Pepper to come into my life like I had, and I take another swig.
I decide then and there- this will be the last time I let myself fall in love. If Pepper and I couldn't make it work, there would be slim to no chance of it working with anyone else. She was the one, as they say. Nobody could ever compare to her.
I numbly watch a flock of birds in the distance glide lazily on the air current over the water. It's a bright, sunny day. Perfect day to go to the beach, I joke sarcastically to myself. I set the bottle in my hand down to the side of the legs of my chair, and slump down, my legs stretched out in front of me. I fold my arms tightly to my chest and close my eyes, wishing to just drift off into unconsciousness. And eventually, thankfully, I do.
XxXxXxXxXx
I don't know how long I was out. But I'm awakened by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I think it's rang a couple of times, actually. "Sir," I hear JARVIS say. "Ms. Potts is standing at the front door. Shall I allow her in?" he asks.
"Nope!," I yelp defiantly.
"Tony, stop this nonsense, and open up!" I hear her insist over the intercom speaker.
"Tell her she can stand out there all day, if she wants! I have nothing left to say!" I order JARVIS.
But JARVIS seemingly defies me, and a moment later, I hear Pepper come through the front door, and tromp out to the balcony.
"What the hell, J?!" I exclaim as she rounds me, her lips pursed and her eyes blazing. I see she hasn't changed out of the black bikini with the blue cover up as I'm looking up at her. I haven't had time to stand up, and it's making me feel vulnerable to whatever she's about to unload, as she towers over me.
"Don't you yell at him! I used the emergency bypass code. He was powerless to stop me," she explains. "And you're right! You've got nothing left to say because the only one who's been allowed to do any talking lately is you! So you're going to shut up, for once, and listen to me for change!" she demands.
I'm a little taken aback (and admittedly, turned on?) by her forcefulness. Never the less, I do as I'm told, and stare up at her silently. She huffs, trying to catch her breath before she begins to speak again.
"First of all, the man in the elevator this morning was my neighbor, Tim Montgomery. He lives on my floor, and he just happened to get on the elevator at the same time that I did! He was on his way to the beach, too, to meet up with his wife and kids, Tony!" she explains.
I shrug and frown defiantly. "Not important. That doesn't mean anything," I say, trying weakly to defend myself.
"And second!" Pepper spouts, making it clear that she hasn't yet granted me permission to talk. Her expression changes from one of stern frustration to that of a kind of confused pity. "How could you ever doubt my love for you? And how could you think I'd go to bed with another man behind your back?!" She kneels down to get eye level with me. I watch her, frowning. But stay silent. Like a good boy.
Pepper's chin starts to quiver, and she purses her lips to steady herself before she speaks. She shakes her head, and then closes her eyes for a brief moment. I can't help a small wince that ghosts over my face at how hurt she looks. YOU'VE done this to her, you big stupid jerk, I tell myself. But still, I remain silent.
She reopens her eyes and looks at me. She swipes at a couple of tears on her cheeks. "The night you showed up in New York? You don't know how much I was wishing you were there! And then you just appeared, like magic," she says, smiling weakly, her voice much more softened now.
I raise a hand and cup her cheek. I give her a sympathetic smile. "What can I say? I was really missing you," I explain. She nods, and I move to pull her into my lap. She lets me, and straddles my hips as I wrap my arms around her body. I moan in reaction to how good this feels. It's like I've been brought back to life, and I close my eyes to relish the rush of warmth from her presence and affection. I run my fingers through her hair, and I realize she's softly crying on my shoulder. I shush her. "Shhhh, Pep. It's okay. Don't cry. Please?" I whisper.
She sits back to look at me, and she gives me a sheepish smile. We chuckle and I smile back at her. I stroke her cheek with my finger tips, and tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I know you love me," I confess. "And I know you didn't sleep with Malcolm, okay?"
"Do you?" she asks. "You said some pretty harsh words."
I nod. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I do. I promise," I reply. "I trust you, Pep. I guess I just...I can't stand the thought of you being with another man. Even if it is just for dinner," I confess.
She gives me a smirk. "Yeah, I noticed," she replies.
"And I meant what I said before- that it's not that I don't trust you with other guys. It's that I don't trust them. Any man would be luck to have you, Pep. And they all know it," I tell her.
She gives me a coy grin. "Any man? Or you?" she asks, poking me playfully in the chest.
I chuckle, and smirk back at her. Then I take her hands in mine and bring them to my chest. "Me, too," I answer. "If you'll take me back, that is." I search her eyes, hoping against hope she'll say yes.
But she does me one better. She searches my face for a moment, and then nods emphatically as she says a breathy, "yes," just before she crashes our lips together and kisses me harder than I can ever remember her kissing me before. It's full of passion, and fire, and need, and I moan, grateful for all of those things as I try to keep pace with her. I cup her face in both of my hands, and our tongues dip and dive in and out of each others mouths as we both are clearly trying to fill the void we put in each others lives by our collective absences in them.
She moans back, and begins to grind against me, her growing desire becoming very evident. And mine is as well, judging by the bulge quickly forming in my pants. I sit up, and slide a hand to the back of her head, lacing it through her hair as I move my lips down from hers to her jawline and then to her neck. A shiver courses through her, and she moans, tilting her head back and closing her eyes.
"Oooohh,Tony!" she moans in a hoarse whisper, and I smile. Finally! She's moaning MY name again!, I think to myself.
"God, I want you, baby," I moan, in between gentle kisses and tongue flicks to her neck.
She moans again, and smiles. "I want you, too," she replies, her eyes smokey with lust as she does an exaggerated grind against my crotch again.
I purr and give her a smolder. "Then, let's take this inside, huh?" I ask her.
She smiles and nods. "Okay," she says, pecking my lips before she climbs off my lap. I move to stand up, and she grabs my hand, leading me inside.
Once we step through the patio doorway, she moves to lead me across the living room to the stairs, but I yank her back to me and into my arms. She squeaks with surprise and giggles. I smile mischievously, and attack her lips with mine again, kissing her as hard as she kissed me before, while smoothing a hand down her back and gripping her ass. She instantly wraps that leg around me and melts into my embrace. Momentarily, the kiss breaks, and we gaze wantonly at each other.
"I love what you're wearing, by the way," I purr. "The bikini? The see-through cover up? You're looking..." I say, inhaling deeply, and gazing lustily at her. "Very fuckable, Ms. Potts,"I finish, exhaling.
She smiles coyly. "Fuckable, you say," she purrs back, coiling her arms around my neck and pulling me closer.
I run my hands up and down her body, and nod. "Yeah, and you know what else?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow. "I think Mr. Tim Montgomery was drooling over you behind those aviators of his in the elevator this morning, too," I tease.
"Mmmmmm, you do?" she asks innocently, playing along. "What did that make you want to do? Do I deserve a little punishment for wearing something so revealing?" she asks, smirking.
"Oooh, you naughty girl," I growl excitedly. "Are you telling me you'd like it a little rough this time?"
Pepper giggles. "Well," she purrs coyly. "As long as I'm being called naughty. And, I guess if I'm guilty, then I must be brought to justice. Wouldn't you agree?" Her voice is all hot and raspy. She bites her bottom lip playfully, and my gaze flicks between her pouty mouth and her fuck me eyes.
I whimper and Pepper laughs softly at me before kissing me hungrily again. She's got me primed and ready, and I feel like I could just devour her right there. But instead, I break the kiss, and murmur hotly in her ear, "Shop. Now."
She grins and nods in understanding, and I pull her anxiously by the hand to the stairs. We run hurriedly down them to the shop door, and my hand is practically shaking as I impatiently enter the access code. Finally, the infrared keypad flashes and beeps, and I hear the hiss of the locks. I yank the door open, and pull Pepper inside. We race to the platform, and I pull her up onto it, yanking her to me, and hungrily attacking her mouth with mine, my hands sliding up and down her body. She's keeping pace, and we're both working feverishly away on each other. I hook a finger in the waist of her low cut bikini bottoms and yank it down, exposed one ass cheek. I smack it fervently, and then grip it. She squeaks, and lets out a muffled, "Yes!" as we continue our very tonguey, sloppy, horny kiss.
"Yeah," I growl. "Yeah, you like that? You like it when I smack your ass?"
She nods emphatically. "Yes. Harder," she begs.
I moan, and yank down the other side of her bottoms, just enough so they expose her behind. I pop the other ass cheek smartly with my hand, and she squeaks again. And I groan, gripping both cheeks in both hands now.
I move to nip and kiss the top of her shoulder, but also so I can see any lasting marks on her rear. There are two red hand prints on each side, and I wince. "You sure about this, Pep? I don't want to be too rough," I say.
She shakes her head. "You're not. I trust you," she breathes.
I nod in understanding. "Mmmmkay," I say as I go back to kissing her mouth. But I don't stay there for long. I break the kiss, and put a finger to her lips. She looks at me curiously, and I smile. "Wait here for me, baby. I'll be right back," I say.
She furrows her brow, her chest heaving, but she nods, and stays put. Her bikini bottoms are still down over the top of her thighs, her cheeks are flushed, and her lips are swollen, as I walk off the platform to go retrieve something. Soon, I come back with a pair of scissors, and a long piece of rope. She eyes what I'm carrying, and looks at me questioningly. I smirk and pump my eyebrows, once I come back onto the platform. I spin her around so her back is to me, and murmur in her ear, "Still trust me, naughty girl?"
She swallows hard, and nods. "Y-yes," she croaks out hoarsely, and I smile.
"Good," I say. I raise my eyes to the ceiling. "J? Raise the hand railings, if you please?"
JARVIS obeys, and suddenly, the smooth burnished steel hand rails on two sides of the platform emerge out of the floor. They soon click into place, to where they stand at waist-height, and Pepper looks over her shoulder at me. I'm standing directly behind her, and I smile reassuringly at her. I gently take both her wrists and place them, one over the other, on top of the railing in front of her, lashing them together with the piece of rope I brought over. Once she gets what I'm doing, she smiles, her cheeks blushing. She presses her lips together, and I look at her for approval. We both smile at each other, and then she shakes her head in disbelief, and looks away. I lay a soft kiss of the top of her shoulder, and then go to pick up the scissors.
I place them, opened, at the bottom of the cover up, and begin to cut the fabric in half, up her back. She jolts in alarm and turns to look at me. I raise my eyebrows in question.
"Really? You couldn't just tell me to take it off?" she asks.
I look at her in confusion, and shrug. "Where's the fun in that?" I ask innocently. And then I smirk. She relents, and surrenders by turning back around, but not before she says,"Yeah well, destruction of personal property aside, just be careful, alright?"
I smile to myself. "Yes, mistress," I say. "And what was that about trusting me?"
She scoffs and chuckles. "I'm hardly the one dominating this little scenario. Who's the one with her hands lashed to the railing right now?" she asks.
"Oh, soon, Potts," I assure her. "Soon you'll get why I called you mistress."
She goes quiet, and I quickly finish cutting her cover up in half. I then forcefully yank the two sides over her shoulders, and down her forearms, to gather the fabric in a bunch at her wrists. She lets out a squeaky, "Huh!" when I do it, and then I see goosebumps erupt on her skin as a result. I think it might just be a reaction to her skin being more exposed suddenly, but then she releases a soft little moan directly after.
A smirk spreads across my lips, and I brush her hair to the side and over her shoulder, clearing a path for more sensual kisses along her neck and shoulder. She tilts her head to the side, and smiles, her eyes closed. As I work, I run a hand down the front of her body, coming to rest between her legs, my middle finger enveloped in her folds. She's clearly enjoying this, as is indicated by what I find there.
I begin to swirl my finger and she moans, rocking her hips back and up in reaction to my movements. She steps her feet out a little farther, spreading her legs for me, and I rest my hand on her behind, noticing the slap marks I left before are starting to fade.
I lean back in, close to her ear. "So tell me, mistress," I purr. "What do you want me to do to you?"
I see a sly, approving smile spread over her lips. "Stay right where you are," she breathes.
"Do you wish me to make you cum, mistress? Your wish is my command," I murmur.
"Oh!" she chirps. She bites her lips, and her brow furrows as I'm sure her pleasure is starting to heighten. She gulps, and nods. "Yes!" she answers.
I feel her folds become wetter, and they are starting to swell from my touch. I inhale slowly, and then moan as I slowly exhale, both to communicate to her my own enjoyment and to temper my arousal. We continue like that for a few moments, the sound of my fingers working her body, and her deep, measured breathing being the only sounds to be heard in this space.
Suddenly, her breath hitches in her chest, and she inhales sharply. I feel her twitch around my hand, so I speed up. "Ohhh!" she cries. She stands straight up. I'm right there, and she rocks her head back against my shoulder for support, and then leans the rest of her body against mine. Her eyes are closed, but her chest is heaving. Her hips begin to buck, and her body starts to pulse.
"Ohhhh! God!" she cries, her voice high and breathy. She turns her head to the side, and moves to kiss me. I oblige, cupping her cheek with my other hand, and kissing her hard. Her tongue dives into my mouth, and we kiss deeply, passionately as she cums, her body trembling and bucking violently as she moans in ecstasy.
The smell of sex is thick in the air, and it's all I can do not to take her from behind right now, and fuck her brains out. But, remember. She's the mistress. So I have to follow orders.
"Tony?" she breathes, as she starts to come down.
"Yeah, Pep? I mean, mistress?" I tease.
She slowly opens her eyes. I smile, and brush her cheek with my thumb. "Untie me?" she requests.
I back off, and nod. "Got it. Game over," I say, hoping this wasn't too much for her, but also a little disappointed its coming to an end, at the same time.
"No. I'm mean, I wanna face the other way," she explains, smiling bashfully.
I gasp. "Oh!" I say, smiling sheepishly back. "I...thought I pushed you too far, or something," I say, as I begin to untie the rope. I shrug, and smile again. "I thought I'd freaked you out with all of this."
"Please," she says, smirking. "A little bondage? Hardly."
I stop and look at her, my eyes wide with surprise. "What?" I say. "Potts, hold on. Are you saying you've...you've had experience with this before?"
She gives me a jaunty, mischievous smirk, and purses her lips together. I just keep staring at her, motionless.
She rolls her eyes. "Tony, honestly. It's like you think you were my first, or something. You did realize I wasn't a virgin when we became a couple, right?" she teases.
I swallow hard. And then decide to dismiss any jealousy-invoking conclusions I'm currently drawing in my mind, in favor of not ruining the moment. "Okay, you know what? I don't wanna know," I say, with a wave of my hand. "I'll just pretend that you've only read about this stuff in a book somewhere, or on the internet or something," I say flippantly.
Pepper laughs at me. "Read about it in a book somewhere? What am I? A school girl, giggling with my friends at some dirty pictures in a back corner of the library? Give me a break!" she jokes.
"Alright, that's enough," I say, taking my lumps. "I get it. You've got way more sexual experience than I give you credit for, okay? But that doesn't mean I have to like it," I remark.
Pepper chuckles to herself. I free her hands and she turns around. She clears her throat, and puts her hands behind her back, ready for me to retie them. I don't make eye contact, but I know she's smirking as she watches me intently. "Gives new meaning to the term, naughty girl, doesn't it?" she chides softly.
I stop and waggle a finger at her, shaking my head, and trying not to smile. "Don't. Don't do that, Pep. I'm warning you," I tease.
"Oh, he's warning me," she says, mocking me. "What are you going to do to me, Tony? I need to be taught a lesson," she purrs wantonly.
She's egging me on, I know. And it makes me cinch the rope tightly around her wrists, in response. She squeaks and jolts when I do this, and I see pain in her eyes for a fleeting moment. I'm instantly sorry. I grimace. "Sorry, Pep. Really. I didn't mean to..."
She bites her lip, and smirks devilishly. "Tighter," she murmurs under her breath.
I gulp. "Yes, Mistress," I reply. Game ON, I think to myself, and I try not to smile as I tighten the rope further around her hands and around the railing. I can see the rope is digging into her skin. I look at her cautiously. "Too tight?" I ask.
She shrugs. "Tight enough," she replies innocently. "Now, when exactly are you going to fuck me? My patience is running thin," she purrs.
I whimper, and Pepper grins at her ability to make my knees go weak.
I clear my throat, square my shoulders, and look her dead in the eye, with new resolve. "Right away, mistress," I say, in a low rumbly growl, my eyes ablaze with arousal.
Pepper giggles and bites her lip. "It's about time," she purrs back.