I just wanted to tell you guys thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I'm glad you are into this one, and I love that you've followed along thus far! There is a lot more in store for our couple, so thank you for your support, and for going on this ride with me! :D Happy Reading!
Tony awoke to the smell of coffee and toast. He could hear the TV in the living room and realized Pepper was up and busting around the kitchen. He slowly sat up and climbed out of bed, heading to the bathroom. When he was finished in there, he padded into the kitchen, where he was greeted by a very put-together and polished Pepper, who was holding a shot of espresso to give to him and smiling knowingly.
"Ah, you read my mind," Tony purred, taking it from her graciously and giving her a peck on her cheek before downing it in one gulp.
Pepper smiled. "I figured you'd need it since you were completely oblivious to the alarm this morning," she teased.
"Yeah. Comatose would be the proper term for that," he remarked. Tony eyed Pepper and smirked. "Incidentally, how is it you're so bright and chipper this morning? No visit from the fairy godmother of morning sickness today?" he teased.
Pepper chuckled. "It wasn't so bad this morning. I'm just a little queasy, but nothing a little dry toast and ginger ale can't fix."
Tony smiled and pecked her lips. "Glad to hear Mini Me's cutting you a break, for once. Maybe he decided to listen to his old man after all."
Pepper crossed her arms and shook her head, smiling. "You're bound and determined to convince me we're having a boy, aren't you?" she said.
"Hey, I've got a 50/50 chance. Bu there's a 100% chance you're not leaving before I get my hands on you," Tony said, giving his wife elevator eyes. "Seriously. Is this new? You are a freakin' knock out today," he quipped.
Pepper surveyed her outfit, which was a black pencil skirt and matching tailored blazer with a dark blue blouse underneath. She smiled at him bashfully. "No, it's something I've had for a while. I just haven't worn it for a long time. I figure I should wear these things while I still can. It won't be long before I'll have to trade them for maternity wear."
"Which you'll look just as gorgeous in," Tony cooed, smiling at her suggestively.
Pepper gave him a wry smirk. "Mr. Stark, are you trying to butter me up just so you can get laid before I have to leave for work?" she asked.
Tony nodded and smirked back at her. "Yep. Is it working?" he purred. He stepped closer to her and began kissing her neck.
Pepper giggled. "Um, no. But keep doing that, and we'll talk."
Tony chuckled and moaned in approval. "Whatever you require, Mrs. Stark. I am your most humble servant," he murmured in her ear.
Pepper giggled again, and cooed as she tilted her head, the tickle of his goatee sending prickles up her spine as he softly kissed her neck. But suddenly he stopped, noticing a silver chain around her neck. Tony gently pulled it up to reveal that she'd tucked it under her blouse to hide her wedding and engagement rings that were suspended from it. He cocked an eyebrow at her and she smiled at him sheepishly.
"I couldn't bear to leave them here," she said softly.
Tony nodded. "I suppose this is the next best thing, right?" he asked.
Pepper smiled a little sorrowfully. She nodded back, and then looked down at her bare ring finger. "It's funny," she said. "I've already got so used to wearing them, that I feel naked without them, now. Is that weird?" she asked.
Tony smiled softly, and took her left hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it softly. He patted it lovingly. "No," he said. "I'm not looking forward to taking this guy off, either," he said, wiggling his left hand ring finger at her. They smiled at each other in understanding.
Tony pulled her into his arms, and held her tight. "Soon," he murmured in her ear. "I promise. Soon, we won't have to worry about it."
Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck, and sighed. "Okay," she whispered. She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands. She kissed him softly. "Okay," she said, smiling softly and nodding.
Tony smirked, his eyes sparkling. "So, uh, where were we, Mrs. Stark?" he teased. He tipped his head and began to softly kiss her neck again. Pepper giggled. "Here, right? We were here?" Tony asked, his words muffled.
Pepper bit her lip, and nodded. "Yes, and I think you were just about, um, expand your territory?" she teased.
Tony chuckled. "Really," he said. "Wow, I move fast," he teased back. He raised his hands to delicately unbutton her blazer, and then he moved to the top button of her blouse. Pepper shed her blazer and tossed it on the couch as Tony worked. Soon, he made it all the way down to the bottom button, exposing the lacy black bra she had on underneath.
"Oh, good Lord," he moaned, looking at what he'd uncovered. Pepper smiled at him bashfully. "Really? You were gonna walk out of here wearing this without telling me?" Tony asked.
"You were going to see it eventually," Pepper remarked.
"Yeah, tonight, maybe. But that would have been unacceptable," Tony said. "Down right cruel, Potts, to make me wait that long."
Tony bent down to gather the sides of her skirt in his hands, bringing it up to her waist. He slid his hands up the back of her thighs, capturing her lips with his mouth, as he cupped her behind. Suddenly, he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. Pepper squeaked in delight, and eagerly continued to kiss his lips. Tony walked them into the bedroom, and laid her flat on her back on the bed. He positioned himself between her legs, and ground his ever-growing erection against her center. Pepper bit her lip and nodded.
"Good thing you're CEO," Tony murmured, as he worked the waistband of his sweats down, freeing his now very rigid manhood from its confinement. "No time clock to punch."
Pepper nodded, their kiss quickly gaining momentum. "Mmmmhmmm, good thing," she mumbled in agreement, working her matching black lace panties over to the side to allow him quick access.
XxXxXxXxXx
An hour later, Pepper was shaking her head and cursing at Tony under her breath for making her this late as she drove to work, though she couldn't help but smile to herself at how easily he had derailed her schedule. She could have put up more of a fight, but these days, with her hormones as crazy as they were, quickies with her husband were a welcome release she couldn't resist taking advantage of. Plus, considering this was the first Monday coming back to work after the holiday, and their wedding, and knowing some of the stresses awaiting her at the office, Pepper was happy to have something to buffer the day with.
She pulled into SI parking, and took a deep breath. "Here we go," she said shifting gears mentally from pregnant blushing bride of Tony's Stark's to his company's CEO. She gathered her laptop case, briefcase, her purse and her phone, and climbed out of her car, beeping the alarm as she shut the door. She walked briskly to the entrance, and up the stairs to her office.
Bambi, her secretary, smiled once she saw Pepper open the door to the reception area. "Good morning, Ms. Potts," Bambi said, stepping away from her desk, and grabbing a pile of files and envelopes. She quickly fell in beside Pepper, and met her stride.
"Good morning, Bambi," Pepper replied, smiling politely as she opened her office door and walked inside. Bambi followed behind her.
"The welcome packet for the Green Energy Conference in February in San Francisco arrived. I've already made sure Mr. Riva's was delivered to him," Bambi reported, handing Pepper the yellow manila enveloped.
Pepper smiled at her, and accepted it. "Thank you, Bambi," Pepper replied. "Tell me, how does Bill feel about speaking in place of Tony this year?"
Bambi shrugged. "Well, you know him," she said. "He's always a bundle of nerves, but he feels confident he can handle it."
"Good," Pepper said. "I'm sorry it's only a plus one. I would have much preferred to take Tony, but Bill deserves the chance to share his ideas. And Tony was adamant about not going this year. He finds it completely boring, and if I didn't have to make an appearance, I'd be more than inclined to stay home myself."
Bambi chuckled. "Good thing it's only just a couple of days."
"Right," Pepper said.
Bambi set the rest of what was in her pile on Pepper's desk. Pepper grabbed it and began to thumb through it. "Bambi?" she asked.
"Yes, Ms. Potts?" the secretary asked.
Pepper looked up for a moment. "Any word on when the board wishes to call their emergency meeting?"
"Nothing yet," Bambi replied.
Pepper pursed her lips and nodded, secretly hoping that Dianna Wardly's sudden dust up would just subside and everyone would forget that she'd tried to call Pepper onto the carpet.
"On a personal note, Ms. Potts, I hope you're feeling better than you were before you left," Bambi said.
Pepper raised her eyes to her secretary again, and smiled knowingly. "Oh, I am, Bambi. Thank you for asking," Pepper said pleasantly, with a bit of a mischievous glint in her eye.
Bambi smiled at her curiously."Good," she said slowly, nodding. "I'm glad to hear it."
Pepper just smiled in reply, inconspicuously brushing a hand over her stomach.
Bambi exhaled. "Well, I'll leave you to it, then," she said. "Coffee?" she asked, before leaving the office.
"Thank you, no," Pepper said. "These days it doesn't agree with me, I'm afraid."
Bambi furrowed her brow. "Oh," she said softly. She considered asking Pepper what she meant by "these days", but thought the better of it, and nodded in understanding instead. She walked out of the door, softly closing it behind her.
Pepper chuckled to herself. "If she thinks that's weird, she'll be really shocked in a few months," she muttered. She restacked Bambi's pile of paperwork she'd given her, and set it aside. She picked up the welcome packet for the conference again, and took it out of the manila envelope. It was in a glossy file with pictures from last year's conference on the cover. She opened it up and scanned the itinerary. It had all of the usual suspects. Luncheons, guest speakers, exhibitions, networking events, and last, but not least, a black tie gala at an historic Victorian inn on the final night. Pepper sighed as she looked through the brochure for the inn. It was a beautiful mansion perched high on one of the cliffs over looking the San Francisco bay. From the description in the pamphlet, it was a source of pride among San Fransiscans, as it had some how managed to withstand one of the most devastating earthquakes that had ever hit the area. It was built in the late 19th century, and was still standing strong after the earthquake of 1906, being one of the only buildings to remain when the city had to rebuild after massive fires, ruin, and a death toll into the thousands left them staggering. And it once again, it proved its strength in 1989 when the area was hit by an earthquake registering at a 6.9 on the Richter scale, sustaining only minimal damage at that time. Engineers for generations had marveled at its structural integrity, and, to this day, still studied it to gain insight on how to strengthen a building's architecture against future quakes.
"The House on the Cliffs," Pepper murmured to herself. "And my date will be Bill Riva," she said reluctantly. From what Pepper could see in the photos, it looked like a very romantic place, and she could imagine dancing the night away with Tony, looking out over the water. Maybe I can talk him into coming up, just for that one night, she thought. She smiled to herself, and tucked the brochure into her purse to show to Tony later on.
XxXxXxXxXx
Tony strolled into SI at 11:45 that morning, in his usual dark jeans, sneakers, long-sleeved t-shirt, and leather jacket. He was carrying two bags and a drink carrier as he walked up the stairs to his old office. He balanced the bags on top of the drinks, and opened the door to reception. He was greeted by a warm smile from Bambi.
"Hello, hello, Ms. Arbogast," he cooed cheerfully, flashing a charm-filled at the secretary.
She blushed. "Hello, Mr. Stark. She's in her office," she said, pointing at Pepper's door.
"Thank you as always, Bambi," Tony replied, winking at the woman. Bambi giggled sheepishly.
Tony yanked the door open and walked through to find Pepper chattering on the phone. Her eyes brightened and she waved him in. Tony quietly walked to her desk and sat the food down. He quickly circled around behind Pepper's chair, and bent down to plant a soft kiss on her neck. He playfully nipped at her earlobe and Pepper's shoulders jerked upwards. She shot him a wide-eyed looked, and smiled at him, as she tried to maintain control of the conversation with the person on the other end of the line. He just pumped his eyebrows suggestively and smirked, doing it again as he waited for her to get off the phone.
"Yes, Rebecca, that'll be fine. Sure. I appreciate it, thank you. Uh-huh, good bye," she said, slamming the phone down. Tony giggled and Pepper smacked him playfully on the shoulder.
"Some of us have to actually work, you know," she teased.
"Oh, come on, Pep," Tony said. "Tell me you're not happy to see me," he said, sitting on the edge of her desk and folding his arms.
Pepper smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Well," she said, eyeing the bags he'd brought in. "I see you come bearing gifts,so I suppose you're forgiven for being so disruptive."
"You're damn right," Tony said. He spun around and grabbed one of the bags. "For me, a massive roast beef and swiss, and for you, my love, a turkey club," he said, doling out each wrapped sandwich. He put his on the other side of the desk across from Pepper, and then sat hers in front of her.
"Mmmmmm, yummy," Pepper replied. "Thank you. My favorite," she said, unwrapping her lunch, and taking a bite.
"I know," Tony said proudly. "Plus, a little iced tea to wash it down." He sat one of the cups in front of her, and she swiped it up eagerly.
"Perfect," Pepper said, taking a long pull off her straw.
Tony settled into the seat across from her and unwrapped his sandwich. "So? How goes the fight?" he asked, before taking a huge bite.
Pepper nodded. "Fine," she said. "I got the information for the conference in San Francisco next month. Bill says he can handle giving the presentation this year, so you've been let off the hook."
"Good," Tony said. "He needs to do it anyway. The next phase is his idea."
"Right," Pepper said.
"So does it look like it'll be as boring as it has always been?" Tony quipped.
Pepper teeter-tottered her head from side to side. "Yes," she admitted. "But I wanted to show you what they have planned for the final night." Pepper put down her sandwich and reached into her purse. She produced the brochure for the House on the Cliffs and handed it to Tony.
He opened it and scanned it. "Nice," he said. "Black tie, I'm assuming?"
Pepper nodded. "Yes, and I want you to come. I'm not asking you to spend the whole weekend at the conference. Just come up that Sunday night."
Tony looked at her sympathetically. "Don't wanna have a romantic evening with one Mr. William Riva, huh?" he teased.
Pepper giggled. "Not particularly," she said.
Tony sighed. "Well, let him down easy, Pep. I'm sure it'll break his heart," he said regretfully. But then he smiled widely, and winked at her. "And of course I'll be there, baby, if it means that much to you. With bells on."
Pepper grinned. "Thank you," she said. She stood up and bent over her desk to peck Tony's lips. He reached up to meet her lips with his, and peck them back.
"You're welcome," he said. "In fact, make a reservation for that night. We could stay there, and fly back in the morning. A quick little lover's fling before you go back to the grind, huh?"
Pepper smiled lovingly. "Ever the romantic, aren't you?" she joked.
Tony smirked at her. "Well, I do what I can," he joked back.