A/N: Rated M for light smut.
Almost a week had passed since the time she had caught Tony napping in the practice room, and he hadn't bothered her again after that. She didn't know how she got so lucky, but she hoped it stayed that way. Of course Virginia had seen him, occasionally, at work and on campus, and she had seen him notice her, but he had kept his distance from her and she was really glad that he had. She couldn't stand the idea of having to talk to him again.
Steve's party was tomorrow night, and she was certain that Tony would be there, too, but avoiding him should not be an issue, as the location was said to be huge and a large number of people were coming. Besides, she was going to be there with Kyle, so if Tony showed up she could easily ignore him by paying attention to her date. Thankfully, she hadn't thought much about Stark the past few days, and it had been nice to go on with her life as though they had never met in the first place.
Saying goodbye to her co-workers, Virginia closed the front door behind them and locked it. She would take the rear exit, as she always did when she was the last one in. Often times, she and Jarvis had one for the road; a final drink before each set off on their journey home. He always asked her if she'd had any trouble that night, if something had happened that made her uncomfortable, and she always gave him a big hug when she left, grateful that he cared so much about her.
Virginia grabbed her purse from the counter and rummaged around, looking for her cell phone. "Shit," she cursed, not being able to find it.
She tried remembering the last time she'd seen it, as she picked up her jacket and put it on, then walked to the back of the club where the staff lounge and Jarvis's office were, as well as the restrooms. She searched her locker, then the ladies' room—still no luck.
"Hey, Jarvis, have you seen my pho—" The word stayed stuck in Virginia's throat. Her jaw dropped and then she quickly shut it.
Inside the office, a blonde, slightly older woman was splayed across Jarvis's desk in her underwear, her ankles planted on the corner of the desk and her ass pulled toward the edge. Tony stood between her knees, his pants shoved down, not far, just enough so he could release his cock and impale her on it, exposing only a fraction of his butt. A cup of her bra yanked down, he was latching on to her breast while the woman grasped the edge of the desk, begging him to fuck her, harder, faster and deeper. By the sounds of it, he was a pretty amazing lover. She could barely keep herself from cumming.
Witnessing them fuck like two dogs in heat, Tony slamming inside her as she moaned with every jolt, was disgusting. It was the last thing Virginia wanted to see that man doing. And yet it reminded her of how long it had been since the last time anyone had made her cry out in pleasure like that. In fact, she couldn't even remember a time any man had ever made her enjoy it that much. She missed having great sex. A mindless fuck could be so satisfying. Not as fulfilling as making love, admittedly, but Jesus Christ, she really needed to get back in the game.
"You do know this is a bar, not a brothel, right?" Virginia said, rolling her eyes rather dramatically.
When he stopped pumping into the mature woman and reared back a bit to stare at the intruder, she let out a moan of protest, whimpering as she reached for him. Tony ignored it. He smirked and eyed Virginia up and down like the connoisseur of women he claimed to be. "Wanna join us?"
She noticed his shirt hanging open and offering a tantalizing glimpse of his muscular bare chest, glistened with sweat. She made sure not to let her gaze linger, so he didn't become aware of her prying eyes.
"I can take two women at a time, y'know? You're not gonna feel neglected, I promise," he said, still smirking.
"Only two?" Virginia mocked him, her brows arched sardonically. Then she stiffened beneath her icy glare. "Fuck off, Tony. I'm just here because I'm missing my—"
She spotted her phone lying on the rug next to his feet. She had probably forgotten to take it with her when she had helped Jarvis with the bookkeeping. It wasn't hard trying to figure out how her phone had ended up on the floor. Every other thing that used to be on the desk was down there, too. Papers, pens and folders, even Jarvis's reading glasses—all scattered on the floor to make room for Tony's latest female conquest. Only the desk lamp was still in its place, surprisingly so.
"Whatever... I'll get it later." Huffing out a breath, Virginia turned on her heel and stalked out of the office.
"I guess that means no," Tony said with a chuckle. "Pity."
The woman writhing under him in frenzied abandonment encouraged him to pick up where they left off. "Fuck me, Anthony," she moaned and grabbed his ass to hold him inside as she ground her clit against his pelvis.
Tony exhaled sharply when she arched her hips, gasping at the sensation. His gaze dropped to her mouth as another plea fell from the woman's lips, but then shifted from her face to his feet where Virginia's phone was.
The heavy metal door slammed behind her, sending an echo down the street. The alley was dark, a pillar of blackness between the buildings, and quiet except for the hiss of steam from the vent on the brick wall of the club.
Heading for the nearest bus station, Virginia tucked her hands into the pocket of her leather jacket, and closed her fingers around the small canister she always made sure to carry with her. She shook her head briskly from side to side, as she walked. But it took more than that to shake off the picture that was splashed across her vision like the pages of a magazine—a Tony Stark exclusive.
"Hey," a voice sounded loudly, and then someone grabbed her upper arm, pinching her skin.
Virginia flicked her thumb over the safety switch and yanked her hand out of her pocket. In one swift motion she twisted her body, flipped her hand around and turned her face sideways as she blasted her attacker with the pepper spray. There came a high-pitched scream followed by a gurgling sound, and then something hit the ground. She strained her eyes to see in the dim light. It all happened so fast.
"Are you out of your mind?" she screamed so loud and so hard Tony thought she had popped a blood vessel.
"I was attacked!" he yelled back at her hysterically, still covering his face with his hands. Tony's eyes and nose stung painfully while his skin burned. He couldn't believe she had done that to him, attacking him, as if she feared he would assault her sexually; blinding him so he could barely see.
Virginia dropped the can of pepper spray, her heart thudding, as she tried to slow her breathing. She closed her eyes for a minute and counted to ten the way she had learned in yoga class. Looking back at Tony, she saw him rubbing his eyes, groaning with pain. She felt sorry for him. But if he hadn't sneaked up on her like that, she wouldn't have freaked out and he would be fine now, so whose fault was it, really?
"You can't keep rubbing your eyes, Tony. That'll only increase the intensity of pain," she said, watching him do exactly what he should avoid doing.
"I know that, okay? But it fucking stings," he let out, agitated. "I can't believe you freakin' shot me with pepper spray," Tony moaned, as tears dripped from his eyes. He tried to look at her, but his vision was still failing him. "I mean I know you don't like me, but I'm—"
"I'm sorry," Virginia apologized sincerely. She let the canister of pepper spray disappear into her pocket, then stepped closer and gently pulled Tony's hands away from his face. "Let me see it," she said, her voice going incredibly soft with him.
"Don't touch it!" Tony grimaced, almost shouting the words at her.
"Don't be such a baby," she replied while rolling her eyes. "Let me see."
His eyelids fluttered open, and even in the dim lighting Virginia could see that his big brown eyes were red and swollen from the harsh chemicals. He was blinking vigorously to encourage tears that would help flush the irritant from them. Pain was etched into his features, shadowing the depths of his eyes. Eyes that must have known love at one point in his life, she thought.
Tony was motionless, feeling a brief warm spark as her fingers touched the lines beside his eyes. She moved her fingertips lightly over his skin, very slow and very tentative.
"I can't see," he murmured to her, his breath tickling her skin, as she was only a few inches away from him.
"I know," she said softly.
Stroking the fine bones of his skull, she noticed how fragile they felt. Tony appeared so tough, so hard, but really, he was anything but that. His smooth features showed not a trace of roughness. The skin beneath her fingers was soft and delicate like that of a child.
As if possessed a will of its own, her hand brushed against his cheek as she pulled away, giving it a tender stroke with her fingers. He seemed unconscious of the caress—little did she know that it had set his skin on fire.
"What were you doing out here anyway?"
"Wanted to give you that back," he answered, pointing to her phone that had hit the floor when she'd pepper-sprayed him. "I'm not gonna buy you a new one if it's broken, by the way, 'cause this is totally your fault."
She picked it up from the ground and looked at him. "Well, the good news is, you don't look like you need a doctor."
"What's the bad news then?" Tony wondered, wishing he could make out the look on her face.
"The bad news is that I now have to spend actual time with you," she answered, sighing. "We need to get back inside and rinse the area with water. I hope you finished that MILF off before you came after me... Fucking her with no vision could be a problem," she said dryly.
"Not for me," he replied, as Virginia led him back into the club.
"Please shut up," she muttered, and Tony swore he could hear her eyes roll at him in disapproval.
After she'd helped him splash water on his eyes, they finally stopped tearing, and he stopped swearing, his eyes only marginally puffy.
"I look like a bee sting victim in a slapstick comedy movie," Tony said, inspecting his face in the mirror. He didn't notice her lips stretching thin into a weak smile.
She kept quiet, as she walked to the paper towel dispenser, pulled a piece of towel, and dried her hands.
"You know, this is actually the second time you attacked me," he mentioned, turning around.
Throwing the towel in the wastebasket, Virginia arched her eyebrows at him, her eyes widening.
"First, you throw your guitar case at me in the practice room, and now you attack me with pepper spray in a back alley... You're a menace, Potts!"
Confusion crinkled her forehead. "How do you know my last name?"
"Did some research," he answered with a faint smirk.
"Am I that intriguing to you?" Her eyebrows winged higher.
Tony laughed. "I just like to know who I'm dealing with."
"I told you, we don't have to deal with each other at all," she shot back, taking a few steps toward the door.
He stared at her. She stared back at him, giving him her frostiest look. He couldn't believe that woman had her soft fingers dancing over his face only about thirty minutes ago. She turned hot and cold like the weather—mostly cold, but he hadn't forgotten the way her hand had touched his cheek, so soft and tender. He had never been caressed like that from anyone else but his mother. What a feeling.
"Are you gonna tell Jarvis about—"
"Your intermezzo in his office?"
He cackled, nodding.
She shook her head. "I'll spare him the embarrassment. It's bad enough I had to witness that."
"Did you like it?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"Are we done here?" Virginia asked back, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of becoming exasperated.
Tony wanted to complain to her that it wasn't fun if she ignored his teasing, but he figured he had upset her enough for one night. Despite what she may think, he could be a decent human being. So, he just nodded his head and grinned.
"Good," she said, rushing out of the men's restroom.
Tony looked after her as she left. He heard her bump into Jarvis in the hallway, and then shortly after, his friend poked his head through the door.
"Did something happen?" Jarvis looked him up and down, frowning. "Why do you look like you've been crying all night?"
Grinning, Tony answered, "Forget what I said, Jar'... I'm starting to like this woman."