I guess I'm on a roll with this fic right now! LOL! Better strike while the creative iron is hot!
Thank you all so much for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! I love it!
I sped to the office, slid the file under the accounting department's door, and sped home, my mind still in a whirlwind about what I'd encountered at Tony's. I couldn't get the sound of his voice out of my mind, or more importantly the way he almost said my name in the throws of passion. It rang in my ears over and over again, and it was getting harder for me to fight the voice in my head telling me that it wasn't just an inadvertent mistake, and nothing more. In fact, it was calling into question all of those moments I'd swatted away in the past, forcing me to reexamine them for meaning, which was the last thing I wanted to do. I just wanted to forget this night had ever happened, but my mind...no, not my mind. My heart wouldn't let me.
I had hoped that another glass of wine, and a darkened bedroom would allow me to go back to sleep, but it was no use. I tossed and turned for hours hopelessly running through not only the evening, now, but the last few days since Vanessa had waltzed into our lives collectively. And the more I'd thought about it, the angrier I got. Who was she to make Tony think it was okay for her to be in that shop? That was his space. And damn it, he needed his space to think and work, and to get away from the world. Hell, didn't we all? What gave her the right to walk into that mansion and act like she was entitled to every square inch of it?
Just then, my thoughts were interrupted by my alarm sounding. I startled, turning my head to look at my phone's screen on my nightstand, which was blinking as the alarm went off. "6:00 am, already?" I muttered, as I sat up slowly, and frowned. I picked up the phone and shut off the alarm, sighing heavily. "Another sleepless night, brought to you by Tony Stark," I muttered bitterly, and climbed out of bed to trudge to the bathroom. I felt like hell, but duty called, and life went on. So I grabbed a gray blazer and matching pencil skirt, a blouse, and hung them on the back of my bathroom door. I then turned on my shower, and looked at myself in the mirror as the water heated up. It didn't help that I had three glasses of Merlot in my system either. Three big glasses, that is. A broken heart, a small hangover, and no sleep. Great way to start the day, Potts. Well done, that menacing voice in my head said, scolding. "Pull yourself together," I told myself out loud, trying to convince myself the bags under my eyes weren't that noticeable, and I actually could pull it together and face the world today.
XxXxXxXxXx
An hour later, I walked into the mansion, poised, polished, and ready to deliver the morning-after "sorry you have to go, but you can't stay here," speech I'd given hundreds of times to Tony's many flings. I realized I could quite possibly be over-reacting to how Vanessa had seemed to snake her way into Tony's life. After all, wasn't she due back in London any day now? I knew she was only in town because of the conference, and that would be ending in a day or so. Then, buh-bye sweetie. It's been a real slice, I thought to myself, smirking. It would be pretty hard for her to worm her way into Tony's shop from across the pond, as they say. So, the sooner I could boot her out the door, per Tony's directive, of course, and the conference ended, the sooner we all could breathe a sigh of relief.
I walked in the front door, and through the foyer to the living room. JARVIS greeted me politely again, and I smiled, greeting him back. I took a look around for any signs of the unwelcome guest, and heard the shower running upstairs. "Tell me it's just him in there," I murmured, flicking my eyes up the stairs. I carefully sat my travel mug full of coffee down on the coffee table, and laid my other things on the sofa. I listened again for any sort of sign she was still with us. And, hedging my bet that, because there was nothing but the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, she hadn't joined him, I slowly made my way up the stairs. I know it was risky, but I had to see for myself. Had they migrated up from the shop to the bedroom after I'd left? I needed to know. For whatever reason, my curiosity was killing me.
I made it to the top of the stairs, stepping gingerly to keep my footsteps from being detected, and peered through the crack in the door at the bed. To my surprise, it was still perfectly made from the day before. I fully expected to find a naked and sleeping Vanessa in it, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief at the fact that I didn't have to see that. But, now the question was, if she wasn't there, then where was she? I put my ear to the door, and listened again for any tell-tale signs she'd joined him in the shower. But again, there was nothing.
I heard the water turn off, and the shower door open, and I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat. I quickly but quietly ran back down the stairs, hoping I wouldn't be detected. Once I'd reached the bottom, I looked back behind me, to see if Tony had noticed me. I could hear him walking around in the bedroom, but, as far as I could tell the coast was clear.
"JARVIS?" I murmured in a whisper. "Is Vanessa still in the house?" I asked, hoping upon hope that she wasn't somehow still in the worst place imaginable- the shop.
"No, Ms. Potts. Ms. Matthews left early this morning," he replied.
"And now the cat's out of the bag," I heard Tony say, startling me and causing me to throw a hand to my chest and swivel around to see him standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in a black long-sleeved t-shirt and sweats, with a towel around his neck, drying his hair.
I looked at him, struggling to find the right words to say. "I...I'm...sorry?" I offered, wincing at how lame I must have sounded.
He gave me a polite smile, and swiped the towel over his face once before making his way down to meet me in the living room. "Yeah, she, uh...just..." he said shrugging, the look in his eye a little bit bemused. "Just kind of left," he said, with a subtle trace of dejection in his voice.
I frowned at him, unsure of whether or not I should say anything, or ask any questions. Was he telling me that she left him in his bed cold? I couldn't imagine that he'd even be willing to admit that. Or that he was even willing to discuss her at all with me, if that's what had truly happened.
But he threw on a smirk, and patted my shoulder. "No cleanup crew needed this morning, Potts," he quipped, walking past me and into the kitchen, where I could smell the waft of his morning espresso waiting for him. "Somehow you keep lucking out on this," he joked.
I shrugged and nodded in agreement at his words. He wasn't wrong. This was twice now that I'd expected to find a stray Vanessa in the house to shoo out the door, and twice she'd let me off the hook. Does that mean I owe her, now, or something?, I joked to myself.
Just then, my phone rang, and I answered it with a bright and cheery, "Pepper Potts!", instantly rolling my eyes at the obvious display of giddiness.
"Pepper?" the voice on the other end of the line said. It was Obie, and he sounded very perturbed. "I need you in my office as soon as you can get here, yeah? There is something of a concern I need to speak to you about," he said curtly.
I squeezed my eyes shut, and mouthed a "shit!" under my breath. I tried to put on a brave face, and smile so he couldn't make out any dread in my voice. "Uh, sure, Obadiah. N-no problem. I'll be there in a jiffy. I'm at the mansion so..."
"ASAP, Pepper," he said sternly.
"Yes, sir. See you soon," I said. I brought a hand to my forehead as we disconnected, and winced, knowing full well what I was about to walk into at the office. I called out to Tony in the kitchen. "Obie needs to see me urgently. Before I go, is there anything you need, Mr. Stark?" I asked.
I didn't get an answer. So I walked over there to find him gazing at what appeared to be Vanessa's card, with a frown on his face, clearly having not heard a word I said. He quickly came out of his daze when I appeared in front of him, though, and shoved the card in his pocket, trying to hide the fact he'd even been looking at it at all. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Potts. What was that?" he asked, trying to play innocent.
"Obie. He called," I began again, trying to act natural by tearing my eyes away from his pocket to look him in the eye. "Apparently there is something he needs to visit urgently with me about. So before I go, do you..."
He waved me away, and smiled. "No. I'm good. We're fine. That'll be all Ms. Potts," he said, smiling again politely.
I nodded in acknowledgement and turned to go, trying to put the image of him reading that card again out of my mind as I gathered my things, and braced for the impending chew-out from Obie. And from the way he sounded on the phone, it would be a doosy.
