Note: Thank you to my beta 3 any mistakes are my own. Possible continuation as well! Written for Hermione's Haven Off the Beaten Path 2020!
Capri, Italy was the last place Hermione thought she would set up a vacation, but her brother-in-law Blaise insisted that she get a taste of his heritage. There might have been a little persuasion from her sister Daphne, given that Hermione had discussed how much she wanted a vacation.
She would always love her work, being the chief executive of humanities at the McKinnon firm had its perks. Beyond that, Hermione didn't do anything. She didn't date, she didn't go out, and she barely sat at home. Of course, she dreamed of having a job of this caliber, but she also believed she could have a life beyond it. Consumed in doing her job the best way possible, Hermione lost her belief.
So in order to get that belief back, Hermione did the thing she hadn't done since accepting her job at the McKinnon firm; she requested a week off for vacation. She was granted two weeks with no room for argument; Ms Marlene was such an amazing boss.
A hug, along with a suitcase of recently bought clothes, from her sister and a long plane ride later, Hermione arrived at Hotel Luna in Capri.
She took her shades off and looked at the place in awe. There was a striking view of the island shores, it's azure waters appearing so serene against the rocks.
Not wanting to waste time before retrieving her room, Hermione headed into Hotel Luna and arrived at the front lobby desk. Upon checking into her booked suite, Hermione finds out that Blaise ensured that she had an entire floor to herself for 'privacy'. Her brother-in-law knew her well.
With her room key and pamphlets for the local attractions, Hermione was set to settle in and prepare for the days ahead. A good night for reading up on things would suit her well.
As she was nearly out of the lobby, Hermione detected commotion behind her. She turned around and saw a tall man leaning against the lobby desk, but it didn't appear pleasant or casual. Without realizing it—because her curious nature overtook her quite often—Hermione took a step closer to the scene, her ears catching the majority of the conversation taking place at the desk.
"S-T-A-R-K, that should be simple enough to have booked for a room," the man said, irritation laced in his voice. He had his finger pressing on the surface with every word he said.
"My deepest apologies, Mr Stark, but your name is not listed for any room," the clerk responded, fear etched on her face. "And we're all booked."
"This has got to be the most irresponsible, ignorant—"
Hermione couldn't take any more of it. The poor woman didn't have a clue where the booking went wrong and the man clearly had an intimidating demeanor.
"Erm, excuse me, miss. He could be added onto mine, yes?" Hermione asked. "I'm sure another section from my booked suite could be opened for my friend."
The clerk nodded and began typing quickly. As she typed, he turned to look at Hermione with an incredulous expression.
"I am more than capable of—" he started, but Hermione interrupted him once again.
"Surely if that were the case then you wouldn't have to argue over a missing booked room," Hermione stated. "Do you want to stay here or not?"
Mr Stark sucked his tongue between his teeth and cocked his head to the side. "I suppose I should thank you Miss…?"
Hermione shook her head quickly and cleared her throat. She held her hand out for him to take. "Hermione Granger," she said. "And you are…?"
"Tony Stark," he replied, taking her hand to shake.
The brunette held her breath as their hands shook, immediately recognizing the name. She should have known with the surname alone but Tony Stark was well known in the industry due to his technology influences for many firms.
"A pleasure," she said once she regained her senses.
Tony smirked slightly. "The pleasure should be mine, but since you've gotten me a room here, I should redeem myself."
Hermione was tempted to say no, but the possibility of gaining insight from Tony was tempting. There was also the fact that she knew that he was the type of man who didn't take no for an answer. So much for reading tonight.
With a quirked brow, Hermione folded her arms and eyed the dark-haired man.
"How would you attempt to redeem yourself Mr Stark?"
"Please," he said with a smile that would charm the pants off most women, "call me Tony."
They were seated in the lounge on the top floor of the hotel, giving them a more perfect view of the waters Hermione caught earlier in the day.
She was afraid of heights, but the scenery was so calming that she didn't take note of how high she was from the ground.
Tony sat across from Hermione, two of his fingers gripping a chute of bubbly. He wore a navy button-up shirt with black dress pants and leather shoes. It was loose enough to be comfortable in the weather, and it made Hermione feel underdressed in her cardigan and denim jeans. She refused to wear the slinky dresses Daphne—and no doubt Astoria—bought for her.
"What brings you here, Hermione?" Tony asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
His gaze was inquiring, and Hermione glanced down towards the table bashfully. She hadn't been looked in that way in quite some time; she felt like a teenager all over again with butterflies swarming her insides.
"I needed time away from home," she answered honestly.
He sipped from his glass, a soft, coy smile on his face. "Is that so?" he said. "I, too, needed time away. Normally my assistant would have things handled, but there must have been a mistake somewhere."
His face turned a little sour, so Hermione quickly deterred the conversation back to the topic at hand. "I would believe that a wealthy philanthropist such as yourself would take time away from New York often."
Tony snorted lightly. "I'm not sure whether to be amused by the statement or flattered that you would pay attention that closely to make assumptions." He shook his head with a chuckle. "As much as I would love to travel and have all the fun and women I want, my work is never done. In another life, I could be the playboy that people would love to hate and admire, but that's not reality when you have the world to protect."
Hermione couldn't hide her interest. "Impressive," she said, "and quite noble of you."
Tony held his glass up. "What can I say? I love the people."
"Do the people love you in return?" Hermione replied without thinking. Her cheeks flushed as soon as she realized what came from her mouth.
"While that's important to me on most days, I would rather find out if you are enjoying my company as I am yours."
Her blush deepened in red. "Perhaps."
"The blush gave you away anyway," Tony said smugly.
Hermione narrowed her eyes and huffed. Not that it did any good to conceal the red on her face.
"Presumptuous is another word I heard associated with you, Mr Stark."
"I've told you to call me Tony."
Hermione nodded softly as to not slap her forehead in embarrassment. She was better than this damnit.
Tony held his glass towards her with an amused grin. "I believe that my road to redemption and payment for allowing me one of your rooms is coming along nicely," he said. "To the hopes of it being more."
Hermione brought her chute to her lips first. Something told her she would need it for the night ahead of her. She then reached out to clink it against Tony's.
"To the hopes that I won't have to resort to violence on a brilliant mind such as yours by the end of this night," she said.
Tony's laughter echoed through the lounge and out towards the beautifully dark and starry sky.