Pepper arrived at her twentieth high school reunion and she looked around. She definitely felt awkward in her work attire. She didn't have time to go home and change or fix up her hair more or put on dressier makeup. Tony kept her at the house until the last minute. He was trying to keep her further and she said she had plans and then it turned into their usual banter about whether or not she had a date. She looked around and walked up to the bar and ordered a vodka martini with three olives. She really wasn't in the mood to mingle just yet. She wanted to get a drink first. The bartender handed her a drink when she heard someone behind her call her name.
"Ginny is that you?" said a male voice.
Pepper turned around and she felt like the air left her lungs. It was Brad Stevens and he was giving her that megawatt smile of his. Brad Stevens was Pepper's high school crush and he was still as gorgeous as ever.
"Brad. Hi, how have you been?" she asked suddenly. She tried to stand but she had butterflies and felt wobbly and she lost her footing and slammed into him and spilled her drink all over him.
"I'm so sorry. Oh my god I'm such a klutz" she said, feeling her cheeks burn like a bad chemical peel.
"It's ok Ginny," he said wiping his jacket with a napkin.
She willed herself to stop blushing and straightened herself out.
"What? No hug" he asked.
Pepper went in to hug him and his scent invaded her nostrils. It was quite a different smell than she was used to. She had only grown accustomed to the smell of two different men in her life. Her father was one and he wore Aramis aftershave and cologne. She still keeps a bottle of it to this day to smell sometimes when she wants to remember her father. The other smell she couldn't escape even if she wanted to. The smell of Tony Stark. Tony smelled earthy and rugged mixed with sweat, Hugo Boss and car oil. It was everywhere in her aura. He permeated throughout the mansion, at the office and in the car. He could never sneak up on her because of it. Brad smelled lighter and cleaner and fresh with a hint of citrus. It was a nice change from the intensity of Tony's scent.
Pepper get it together. This is BRAD STEVENS, not your hot boss Tony. TONY HOT? WTF? This is a new development. Ugh No. I didn't mean that. It was the liquor. Pepper what are you thinking? Focus on Brad, he looks good enough to eat.
"I barely recognized you. You're so buttoned up. So tight. You look like a high school principal ready to give detention. Not how I remember you" he said with a laugh as he sipped his drink.
Pepper didn't know how to feel. She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.
"I had to come directly from work" she said quietly as her phone went off. She looked at it for a moment and of course it was Tony.
No. no. no. Not now, she thought as she pushed ignore.
"It doesn't matter what you wear. You're still beautiful," he said.
Pepper nearly dropped her glass.
Still? Brad never mentioned to me he thought I was beautiful before but this is obviously his way of telling me.
Pepper felt her cheeks flushing and her phone was ringing again and she hit ignore without looking at it this time. And it was Tony again.
"So are- are you here alone?" she asked.
And then he held up his left hand to reveal his wedding ring.
"I'm actually here with my wife. Come on let me introduce you" he said pulling her along with him.
Pepper felt her heart sink.
Of course he's married.
"Marisol, this is Ginny, an old friend from high school. Ginny, this is my wife Marisol" he said.
"Lovely to meet you" Pepper said extending her hand as she sized this woman up.
She was a brunette with perfectly wavy hair she obviously air dried, brown eyes and gorgeous olive skin. She had on a bodycon dress and her body looked like a personal trainers body. She had a flat stomach and sculpted arms and she was blessed with Latina curves. Pepper wanted to hate her but she couldn't because she was so nice. If she wasn't so classy Tony also would have been all over her.
Tony again. Why am I thinking about him? Ugh
They chatted for a few minutes and she asked questions about what Pepper did for work and Pepper found out that she was a blogger, which is perfectly fitting for her. Then she excused herself from the two of them and headed over to her high school friends.
"GINNY" her old friend Vanessa said as she hugged her.
And then her phone went off again and Tony was calling again. He was going to have to wait a few more minutes.
"Ginny, that's your boss. Don't you need to answer it?" Vanessa asked as she glanced at Pepper's lock screen that displayed Tony's face.
"He's a big boy. He can wait" Pepper said, sounding quite frustrated.
"Guys Ginny is here," she said to their other friends.
Pepper said her hellos to her other friends and she was smacked with the reality that they were all married or engaged and some even had children she heard them bragging about.She was the only one here alone.
"We saw you talking to Brad Stevens. He's still so dreamy. It's a shame you guys never got together. I swear he had a thing for you in high school. Too bad he's married huh?" her friend Stacey said not realizing the sting it made Pepper feel.
"Yeah his wife is great," Pepper said trying to show enthusiasm.
"So what's it like working for Tony Stark? Now that man is a whole meal" her friend Heather said as she bit at her straw.
"He's… Tony is..
And her phone went off again and it was him again and she hit ignore.
"A pain in my ass" she finished with a smile.
"How did you work for him all these years and not jump his bones?" Vanessa asked.
"Well for one I don't see him all day long. I usually go to the office and the meetings he refuses to go to and he's my boss and I need him to take me seriously and I need to keep him on task" Pepper answered.
"Oh come on you have to admit he's pretty sexy?" Vanessa pressed.
"I would never say he's ugly but he's not really my type. Now Brad's another story," Pepper said trying to lighten the mood. She was having a terrible time.
"Since when did you become so prim and proper? You're literally perfectly pressed head to toe. The Ginny we knew swore she would never dress like this. And you're wearing all neutrals. I don't even know who you are" Stacey said.
Pepper felt the sting again. Stacey was right, high school Pepper wouldn't be caught dead in anything like this.
"I'm the PA to Tony Stark and you know his reputation and I would prefer not to tempt him in any way or lead him to believe I have any interest in anything more than a working relationship. I had to come here directly from his house. I didn't have time to change. But you guys all look beautiful" she said.
She looked at them for a moment and they really were. They had perfect bodies and thick luscious hair. It was clear they kept up with the L.A. lifestyle. They got regular facials and pedicures. They used hair masks once a week and self-tanned. They were Instagram ready. They went on vacation to beautiful countries and actually got to see the countries. They had husbands and some had beautiful babies. They went out with friends.
"So any special man in your life?" Heather asked.
"I'm dating" Pepper lied.
But the truth was that she really only went on a few dates a year and the majority of the time Tony somehow sabotaged all of them in one way or another.Her only saving Grace was her ex boyfriend from college Michael. They had an arrangement that as long as they were both single they could call upon each other if one of them was having needs they weren't able to fulfill but there was no way Pepper was telling anyone about her friends with benefits arrangement and risking someone taking interest in him. He was the only guy Pepper knew that knew how to go down on a girl properly and she's been without for a long time since he was dating someone.And it's been increasingly frustrating to her.
Maybe it's time to give him a call she thought.
"What about vacations? Go anywhere amazing with Mr. Stark?"
"I've been all over the world but it's always work work work. I never get to see any of the places" she says.
"I just can't believe you spent all of these years working for Tony freaking Stark. We all thought you'd be touring and selling albums but you went to school for finance. What was the name of your band again?" Vanessa asked.
"The kitchen crew" Pepper said quickly and for a moment she closed her eyes at the memories of her band.
They were really good. They consisted of Virginia Potts, Julia Pan, Samantha Spooner and Amanda Forks. Hence the name Kitchen Crew. They toured the US for a year after high school and on some weekends or fall and winter breaks during college and after one gig where she couldn't go on she quit for good and focused solely on school. The transition from the band to only college was fuzzy. She couldn't really remember everything that happened. She couldn't remember why she didn't go on that night or even what she did the rest of that year. The next thing she knew she was in junior year.
"Well she was voted most likely to succeed and she had the band" Brad said sneaking up behind her and joining their conversation and scaring Pepper nearly to death.
"Now that the gang's all here we need to take a picture. Everyone grab your significant others" Heather said.
Pepper watched as everyone lined up with their husbands and wives and she just kind of stuck out on the end. She smiled but she was sure it didn't look genuine.
Her phone rang again and this time she had to answer it.
"Jesus Tony What is it? I just left there half an hour ago" she exploded not caring who heard her.
"I need your help Pep," he said his voice sounding strained.
"Oh my God. Are you hurt?" Pepper asked.
"Yes but I'm ok. No hospital. Just come here. Come through the garage. I'm having a problem and I need you" Tony said.
"Ok be there soon" Pepper said as she hung up.
She was frantic. She could only imagine what kind of jam Tony got himself into. And the guilt. Oh the guilt she felt for ignoring all of his calls. She bit her bottom lip in worry as she thought about how long he's been in pain while she's been ignoring his calls.
"I have to go. I'm sorry. It's Tony he needs me. Something is wrong" Pepper said to her friends.
"But we haven't even caught up," Vanessa said.
"Facebook me" Pepper called back to them as she ran out to her car.
Pepper sped down the highway and she got to Tony's house in about eight minutes. She pulled into the driveway and hurried into the garage and then into Tony's workshop.
"Tony?" she called worriedly.
"Over here" he called from the far right corner of his workshop.
"Oh my God Tony. What did you do?" she asked with a gasp.
Tony was kneeling down and he had one of his arms leaning on the couch next to him while Dum-E and You were trying to get the shards out.
"I was testing out a new rocket booster and there was a flaw in the boot and I fell through the glass table and I have these little pieces of glass sticking out of my back and DUM-E and YOU can't seem to get them out and they're HURTING me" he grumbled.
"Let me see," she demanded, lifting his tank up to assess the rest of the shards.
"Oh my God Tony you're bleeding and there's so many" she observed.
"I need you to get them out," he said.
"Tony I don't know the first thing about this"
"Pepper please I need you," he pleaded with that strain in his voice again.
"Ok" she gave in nervously.
"DUM-E, YOU give her some space or I will send you to live with Happy" Tony threatened as his bots moved away.
Pepper pulled Tony's shirt off gently and the soft delicate brush of her hand against his skin made his stomach do a major flip flop. This was something he was feeling towards Pepper ever since he came back from Afghanistan. He wanted her around him always and he didn't know how to keep her and when she wasn't around him he couldn't cope.
Pepper adjusted the lamp and grabbed for the tweezers and began to pull the glass shards out slowly. Her hands were shaking.
"You're doing great. Just relax" Tony said as he could see her in distress.
"I told you not to keep a glass table in your workshop," Pepper reminded him.
"I was making an area for you to come and keep me company while I do my work," he said.
"Like I could do any work with you blasting your music the way you do?" she said, pulling a few more shards out.
"I'm almost done Tony"
"Actually you're right, it was a bad idea because I wouldn't be able to get any work done with you having legs like that. Total distraction" he teased.
"I think you only want it because you know you can't have it and you're running out of women to sleep with. You've already been with every woman who lives above sunset"
Tony was stunned by Pepper's response and he didn't have a witty response.
"That's not true," Tony dejected as he winced a little while she picked out a piece of glass that was deeper in.
"Tony let's be honest. I'm hardly your type. I'm plain and boring and covered up too much for your liking. You only want me because I turn you down" Pepper deadpanned as she put down the tweezers.
She grabbed the hydrogen peroxide and gauze to clean the wounds.
"This is going to sting" Pepper said as she poured a bit on the gauze and pressed it to his skin.
Tony winced and wanted to go back to the conversation they were having.
"You know that couldn't be farther than the truth Pep. You're definitely not plain believe me if given the chance with you I would have you-
"That's enough," Pepper interrupted, applying ointment and bandages to his back.
"Look all I'm saying is you're very attractive and you are not boring. If I thought those things I wouldn't always be trying to hang around you. And I'll give you the third one. It wouldn't kill you to unbutton a few buttons once in a while and give a guy a thrill" he teased.
"You're good as new Mr. Stark" she said avoiding his eyes and flirting.
Pepper started cleaning up as she tried washing down the guilt from hitting ignore so many times and he didn't even bring it up.
"Thank you Pepper. I know you were off the clock but I didn't know who else to call. I'm sorry I interrupted your date" he said hoping she would take the bait since she was feeling guilty.
He always does this. He tries to get me to cave and tell him what my plans were.
"Tony, it wasn't a date. I was at my twentieth high school reunion ok" she said.
Tony felt flooded with relief when she said it wasn't a date. He hated when she had dates. Usually it was because he liked all the attention for himself, but it was different now. The thought of some smarmy jerk touching Pepper or making her laugh or trying to charm his way into her pants pissed him off. He wanted to smash guys for looking at her. She was his in his mind anyway but that wasn't working out so well.
"Well is it still going on? We should go. I'll change" he said quietly. He was desperate for her not to leave.
"No, the ten minutes I was there was enough. I really just want to go home and take a nice hot bath and have a glass of wine and watch Netflix"
"Sounds good. What time should I be there?"
"If you're sure you're ok I'm going to head out of here" Pepper said ignoring his comment and heading up the stairs.
"Wow I'm losing my touch. I couldn't even get you to laugh or smile" Tony muttered as he followed her.
"I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood for jokes ok. And I'm sorry I didn't answer your call until the sixth time. I should have been here and you wouldn't have been in pain for as long" she said, willing herself not to cry.
All she could hear was Brad Stevens calling her a principal.
I'm basic. I'm boring and plain and predictable. All this time I thought I wasn't married because of my demanding career when it's really been me all along.
"Hey what's going on with you? Are you ok?" Tony asked as those chocolate eyes were full of concern.
"I'm fine. I'm just ready to go home"
"You have a right to have a life. It's not your fault. I'd hit ignore too if I had to deal with my hot mess self"
"Thanks," she turned and looked at him as she reached for the door.
"Can I give you a hug at least since you won't talk to me and I can't make you laugh?" Tony asked hopefully.
"Tony we don't hug" Pepper said sounding surprised by his request.
Her mind was in overdrive.
I can't hug Tony. That would be inappropriate and unprofessional. And lines would be crossed. No the answer is no.
Pepper looked up and she was about to answer him and he had come much closer to her.She could feel his chocolate eyes invading her.
"We could make it a thing. I mean we've grown so much together. We're friends now" he remarked.
Friends? I guess we are. Damn it. Why is he so cute? How did I never notice before now how stunningly handsome my boss is? Well I mean I did the night we danced but that was the liquor. Yeah the liquor.
Pepper continued to stare at him as he got even closer and she didn't say anything and then he was directly in front of her staring into her eyes.
No.
"Ok" spluttered out of her mouth instead.
Tony reached his arms around Pepper and pulled her in in the most professional way possible. He wanted her to know he cared but didn't want to offend her or make her feel objectified in any way. He was careful where he put his hands.
Pepper was so tense and she had her hands around him as well but she didn't dare move a muscle. No matter how good he smelled or how gorgeous his eyes were or how much she wanted to feel every muscle on his back beneath her hands she refused to move and refused to accept that she was attracted to her boss.
"I hope you enjoy the rest of your night. But know you are always welcome here. Anytime for any reason" he let slip out. He hadn't meant to say that and he was silently cursing himself. He didn't want to freak her out.
"Thank you Tony but I have to go back to my place. I'll see you Monday" she said as she grabbed the door handle.
"Can I call you over the weekend?" he asked as he followed her like a puppy.
"You can do whatever you want. You're Tony Stark" she said as she shut the door behind her.
Pepper started her car and Tony was totally bewildered. She looked like his former assistant but she certainly wasn't acting like her. And it was bugging him. Especially the fact that she called herself plain and boring.
If only Pepper could see in herself what I see in her.
Pepper went inside and popped open a bottle of wine immediately.
"How ironic. The most exciting man in the world with an assistant as boring as me. A man so handsome that women fall at his feet and the school principal for an assistant. And Brad Stevens with his perfect blogger wife with an Instagram bikini body. I'm a loser. I have no life because I spent the last ten years picking up after Tony and now he's iron man which leaves me almost no time for dating and even if it did my dates never go anywhere because I'm boring not that it matters because the real problem is that I've allowed myself after ten years to become attracted to my boss. I feel like my entire identity has been wiped out and now I'm standing in my kitchen talking to my cat" Pepper said.
Pepper's cat Copper just looked at her.
"Yeah it's time for bed" Pepper said as she desperately needed to sleep on it.