All the good stuff belongs to Marvel, not me. Oh and the line "I Screwed the Debate team"- That belongs to the wonderful people who made Pretty Woman. :)

3- Dressing Up

Pepper pulled up to the Stark mansion at exactly 535pm on a Saturday night. She was suppose to meet Mr. Stark here at 530 on the dot, but she had misjudged traffic, maybe she should have taken him up on the offer to send a driver, but she hated looking weak. Pepper knew Tony Stark's reputation the minute she accepted the job as his personal assistant three weeks ago. She knew he thrived on those weak minded girls who were looking for some one to rescue them. And that was not Pepper Potts, she did not need a knight in shining armor to rescue her, she would do her own rescuing thank you very much.

Of course that could all be a ridiculously moot point if she is fired for being late on the night of the first benefit she helped Mr. Stark organize. Ok so maybe help was an understatement. She basically did the whole thing herself. Tony Stark's only contribution to the night, besides the money to host the festivities was the booze selection at the bar. It was certainly was a challenge, and Pepper loved a challenge. She was finding she had a knack for this type of thing and truly enjoying herself. Her last task was to meet her boss and get to the gala on time. And here she was, late.

Pepper opened the door to the elaborate Malibu mansion. The lights were on and she was quickly greeted by Jarvis.

"Hello Ms. Potts, a pleasure to see you again."

"Hello Jarvis, is Mr Stark still here or has he left already?"

"Mr. Stark is currently upstairs in his room."

Pepper debated for a minute. Since becoming Tony's PA in the last few weeks, she had really limited her wandering at the mansion. Even though Tony had given her access to the whole house, she had stuck to the common areas mostly and once was brave enough to venture down to the workshop, only because no one had seen or heard from him in three days and she was worried he was dead down there after some sort of fatal, idiotic accident. But one area of the mansion she had no intention of seeing was Tony Stark's bedroom. That was for trashy one night stands, not employees. But as Pepper glanced at her watch which now read 540pm, she knew they would have to get a move on soon.

Pepper wandered up the stairs to the second floor. She ducked her head in the first room she came to. It was nice and neat and big, but definitely not Tony's. The next two rooms produced the same results. At the end of the hall she came to the biggest and by far, messiest room in the house. She knocked on the door. "Mr. Stark, are you ready to go?"

"Not yet" came a gruff response followed by some slight cussing. Pepper stood at the door for another moment. Looking at her watch which now read 550pm, she let out a sigh. She was probably going to regret this but, "Mr Stark, can I help you with something".

"Yes! Your my personal assistant, I need personal assistance." Pepper's mind ran through all the possible scenarios that could be there when she turned the corner. 99% of the ended with some sort of sexual harassment law suit but oh well. Pepper walked into the room and around the corner to what she assumed to be Tony's closet, although it looked more like the menswear display at Nordstrom's. And standing in the middle of it, in front a mirror looking both devilishly handsome and a complete wreck stood the man himself.

Tony wore one of his many black Armani suits with a crisp white shirt, a classic outfit which looked good on him to say the least. His collar was a mess and wrapped around it was what Pepper thought might have been a tie at some point in its life but now looked more like a piece of fabric someone was trying to hand Tony with.

Ever the professional, Pepper moved over to her boss. "What can I help with Mr. Stark?"

"This damn tie! It's ridiculous. It looks stupid and I can't believe these things are still in fashion."

Pepper had to hold back a small giggle. The great Tony Stark, the man who could create anything, fix any piece of electronic, didn't know how to tie a tie. Without saying a word, Pepper removed the poor victim of Tony's earlier attempts off his neck and walked over to his closet. She took a moment and then pulled a red and gold tie that would definitely make his eyes pop. She walked back over and stood in front of him. Draping the tie around his neck, she did a quick windsor knot, fixed his collar, helped him put on his coat and viola! Tony Stark looked like himself, debonair, dashing, and dangerous all rolled into one package.

"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked.

"I screwed the debate team." Pepper said with a smile. For a second Tony looked shocked. Then he started smiling right back at her. "I use to help my little brother get ready for church every Sunday." she answered truthfully.

"Hmph" was Tony's only response. He was too busy staring at the perfectly executed knot around his neck. "Not bad Potts, I guess I'll have to keep you another week."

Pepper laughed at that. "That's right next week you have a board meeting. You'll need me to tie your shoes." Tony just smiled back at her.

"Come on. We're already late" Pepper said as she ushered Tony out of his room and down to the waiting limo.

"Potts I think this is the start of a beautiful partnership," Tony stated as he held the limo door for her, "and you, by the way, look lovely".