WOW! This one got some attention! LOL! I know! I know! I'm playing with fire here. But don't forget that I love our couple dearly! And it would be pretty boring not to give them any strife. SO that being said, here's the next chapter. Just stick with me, okay? That's easy, right?
Oh, and don't crucify me for the Korean if it's way off. I'm only doing what google told me to! :D
Pepper storms out, and I'm left sitting there, in shock. I force myself to thaw, and go after her but she's already slammed the door behind her. And, truthfully, as pissed off as she is, I'm not that in to going out there just to get my eyes clawed out, anyway. Best to let her calm down. So I watch through the window by the front door as she throws everything into her backseat, slams the door, and climbs into the driver's seat. But she doesn't drive away. Her windows are tinted, but I can still make out her silhouette. And it looks like she's gripping the steering wheel so hard, she just might bend it in half.
I have to confess, this isn't the first time I've watched her do something like this. I know I piss her off from time to time. And frankly, she has every right to be upset. Especially this time. I had no idea she was here. And I'm sure she's mortified at what she could hear coming from my bedroom. Poor kid. She puts up with so much from me. I didn't intend for her to hear anything, actually. I thought she'd show up here sometime this afternoon, and let's just say my nocturnal activities happened to carry over to this morning. Again. So, she's been a victim of bad circumstance, I suppose.
And, God. Vanessa, right? Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa. She's...a handful. Let me explain...
One week earlier...
Tony strolled into the convention hall that the Annual Global Energy Conference was being held in, with Pepper following close behind. They were making their way through the crowd in the foyer to get registered. Finally, they made it to the table, and, as they were being given their information packets (or rather Pepper was being handed them, and in turn, handing Tony's to him) a tall, curvaceous, blond woman with long legs in a tight blouse and a short skirt approached them.
"I knew you'd show up. My father had his doubts, but I held my ground. And, look, here you are," she said, in a smooth British accent, smiling approvingly.
Tony turned to look at her as Pepper pinned his name tag on his lapel, his mouth in a cocky smirk. "Uh, yeah," he said, glancing back and forth between Pepper's hands and the blond bombshell standing in front of him. Pepper finished pinning the name tag on him, and he frowned at it. He flipped open the little clear plastic cover, grabbed a black marker out of one of the registrars hands, and turned the paper name-tag over to write, "yep, I'm him" on the back. He reinserted that paper into the plastic cover, and looked back at the woman. "Do, uh, do we know each other? Can we know each other?" he said, continuing to smirk.
The woman smiled coyly. "I'm sorry. We haven't been properly introduced," she said, extending her hand to him daintily. Tony took it. "I'm Vanessa. Vanessa Matthews? Of Matthews Energy? Perhaps, you've heard of us?" she purred.
Pepper rolled her eyes behind Tony. "I have, Ms. Matthews," he purred back. "And might I say, the pleasure is all mine." Tony lifted the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it. Vanessa squealed and giggled, and Pepper tried to keep the bile from rising in the back of her throat. Here we go, she thought. Not two minutes into this thing, and he's already found tonight's main course.
"Tell me," Vanessa said, leaning toward Tony. "Would you be willing to get together later, and...compare notes?" she cooed, her tone dripping with arousal. "I have always wanted to pick your brain. You and I could have..." she said, grinning deviantly. "Quite a conversation," she finished.
Tony looked into her eyes and gave her a smolder. "You just name the time and place, honey," he murmured, Pepper noticing that he dropped his voice to that earth-shattering-ly sexy rumble he only used when he was trying to get something he wanted. It made her insides flutter and go to goo when he used it on her, and apparently, it had the same effect on Vanessa because she flipped her hair flirtatiously over her shoulder, and bit her lip coyly, cocking her head to the side. She brushed the exposed skin of her cleavage showing through the two opened buttons of her blouse with the tips of her fingers, and Tony's eyes dropped down to watch. She then produced a business card from inside the cup of her bra, and flicked it between her fingers in Tony's direction. He swallowed hard and brought his eyes back up to hers, as he accepted the card.
"Call me?" Vanessa asked, in a velvety smooth voice.
Tony smiled. "I look forward to it," he purred. He and Vanessa shared a brief smile before she spun around on her heel, walking away like she was showcasing Prada on a catwalk. Tony watched her hips sway until she disappeared, all the while Pepper staring daggers into the side of his head.
"You had no trouble being handed that card, I see," she quipped, pursing her lips.
"Here," Tony said, flicking the card in her direction, but keeping his eyes trained on where Vanessa just was. "Keep track of that, will you? I have a feeling she and I will have a lot to discuss later on," he said.
"Uh-huh," Pepper said skeptically.
Tony ignored her, and instead cleared his throat and straightened his tie. He turned to her. "Ready? How's my hair? We good?" he asked.
Pepper rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Honestly, Tony? Do you really need to ask? You spent an hour on it this morning, and we just got here," she said, with annoyance.
"No, you're right. You're right," he said, agreeing. "Why try to improve on perfection? Let's go," he directed.
Pepper considered arguing that that wasn't what she meant, but she decided against it, realizing it would be futile, and followed him as they made their way to the auditorium, where the first speaker would soon be presenting.
XxXxXxXxXx
Not shortly after the first presentation had finished a couple of hours later, Tony and Pepper walked back out to the foyer to mix and mingle with other colleagues. Pepper stretched and yawned, and Tony loosened his tie. "Boring, I know," he said in response.
Pepper shook her head. "Not boring. Interesting," she said. "I'm not exactly a nuclear physicist, but I think I..."
"Yeah, and you know who is? One Vanessa Matthews," Tony said, interrupting.
Pepper looked at him, frowning in confusion. "What? What does she have to do with..."
"And, speak of the devil, there she is," Tony said, nodding in her direction and smirking with delight. He and Vanessa made eye contact and she excused herself from who she was visiting with. She began walking over to them, flagrantly swaying her hips from side to side again, and Pepper huffed. Round Two for Team Sluts for Science?, she thought to herself, and looked away.
"Well, Mr. Stark, we meet again," she said in her velvety-smooth voice.
"So we do," Tony purred back. "Tell me, Ms. Matthews, what did you glean from this morning's presentation?" he said. But she didn't answer him, as her phone rang just a that moment.
"Excuse me, will you?" she said. Tony smiled awkwardly, and waiting for her to answer. Nice, Pepper thought. Nothing Tony hates worse than to be kept waiting. Get ready to be rejected.
Vanessa answered her phone. "Annyeonghaseyo? (Hello?)" she said. "Ne , modeun jangso-e. Geuneun balo yeogie seoissda (Yes, everything is in place. He's standing right here). Ne. Ne," she said. Tony looked at Pepper and raised his eyebrows, impressed. Pepper ignored him. Of course she speaks Korean. Why wouldn't she?, she thought.
Vanessa covered her phone, and gave Tony an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, love. I had to take this. Korean business associates. You understand," she said. She put up a pointer finger, signalling for him to wait as she went back to her call.
Tony smiled and nodded, and much to Pepper's surprise, continued to wait. "Seriously?!" Pepper whispered to him, rather loudly.
"What? She's obviously on an important call, Pep. I can wait," he replied. Pepper looked at him in shock. Never, had Tony ever allowed someone, let alone some woman he just met, to keep him waiting while they were on the phone. Pepper shook her head in disbelief. "What on earth has gotten in to you, Tony Stark," she murmured.
"Ne, modeun geos-i gyehoeg-e ttala jinhaeng doenda, (yes, everything is going according to plan)" Vanessa said. "Joh-a god yaegi. (okay, talk to you soon)" And then she hung up. She smiled sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, Tony," she said.
Now, he's Tony?, Pepper thought.
"He's just incessant, you know. So demanding. I tell you, these are the times I really appreciate my minor in foreign language," she bragged.
"Oh?" Tony hummed. "How many languages do you speak?" he asked.
"Seven," Vanessa said, proudly.
Tony grinned at Pepper. "You hear that, Pep? Seven," he said with a dopey chirp.
Pepper gave him a snide smile. "Wow, that's...a lot," she said, looking away. This girl was getting her claws into Tony quickly, and it was all Pepper could do to keep from wretching.
