A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews!

Chapter 3: Pepper Potts More Than Just A PA?

Pepper flushed as she read the article.

It wasn't exactly a shock. She knew perfectly well that there were rumours. She had heard the whispers, seen the looks and sensed the dislike from certain people (most of them women). But there was something about seeing it written in print like that, that made the whole thing suddenly seem horribly unbearable.

He's probably slept with her a few times, but she's too hung up to quit.

Of course, there was no truth to the speculation, but it was humiliating and somewhat insulting to everything she had worked for over the past two years that people thought this about her. As if she would ever allow herself to become sexually involved with her boss. Particularly when her boss was one Tony Stark.

I mean, come on, who's she kidding? He's a self-professed, proud playboy.

Well, she knew that, obviously. What did they think, that she hadn't a clue what he got up to? That she wasn't the one ushering his various one-night-stands out of the house on his countless mornings after? That she just fluttered around thinking that she could seduce and win over the infamous Tony Stark?

Well, most of us just assume that she's in love with him.

Oh yes, sure, because it was entirely impossible for her simply to be able to work for Tony if she wasn't in love with him. For her to view her boss as who he was and like him, possibly even consider him a sort of friend. No way could she have any affection for him if it wasn't romantically inclined.

Tony Stark's affection for Pepper Potts is clear, but is it for more than her brain and ability?

And heaven forbid he care for her for reasons other than sexual willingness. You know, because he must be entirely devoid of feeling or honour just because he was irresponsible and enjoyed sleeping around. He couldn't possibly see her as someone he liked and trusted, could he?

In the meantime, it seems that there is an on-going wager in the offices of Stark Industries as to how long Pepper will stick around before finally giving up on her lost love.

She found herself bristling as she finished the article a second time. Well, they would all lose, she thought fiercely. Because she had no "lost love" to give up on. She had her boss, Tony Stark, who she had no intention of leaving at any time. She should put in an anonymous wager on never and have fun raking it in on her death bed.

"What's the matter with you?"

She jumped slightly from her spot on his sofa in his office. She hadn't heard him come in, her attention too focussed on the trashy magazine that someone had so thoughtfully left on her desk that morning. Probably the anonymous informant. She already had a list of suspects and was trying to dream up imaginative ways of firing them. Which, of course, she would never be able to do.

"Um, nothing," she said quickly.

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Come on, Potts, what is it? You look as angry as the last time I threw up on your new shoes."

"Don't remind me," she muttered irritably, her eyes travelling vaguely back down to the magazine on her lap. "Not one of my favourite memories, I - hey!"

He had snatched the magazine from her lap and was already scanning the article by the time she managed to jump to her feet and try to snatch it back. He dodged her with ease (well, he wasn't in heels), a slight frown taking over his face as he read on.

She heaved a sigh, gave up and returned to her seat, turning to her notepad to review his schedule for the day.

She didn't know why exactly she hadn't wanted him to see it. Maybe she just didn't want him to know that it was affecting her. She knew that it shouldn't, that rumours were rumours, that just because it was in some magazine it shouldn't mean anything. And anyway, she had a faint idea that this wasn't the first of these public speculations, but as her scope of news intel did not usually spread to publications of such calibre, this was the first time she had read something to that effect.

But the tone of the article was just so unnecessarily nasty, she thought, and it made her feel small and embarrassed, even though she knew it wasn't true. And the very fact that it was making her feel that way made her feel even more embarrassed. After all, her boss endured plenty of unpleasant news reports without batting an eyelid.

He suddenly tossed the magazine into the wastepaper basket next to his desk and flopped down next to her.

"What a load of crap," he said dismissively.

She looked at him. He was looking slightly more annoyed than she would have expected.

"I know," she said quickly.

"I know you know," he said, looking at her. "I just wanted you to know that I know it, too."

For a moment, she was a touch puzzled. It's not as though he'd be under the illusion they were sleeping together. But then she realised that he was assuring her that he knew she wasn't harbouring some sort of secret unrequited love for him. She flushed again anyway.

"Thanks. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I think I was just a bit surprised."

"Why were you even reading it?" he asked her.

"It was on my desk this morning."

He promptly scowled.

"You think whoever gave this interview put it there?" he asked her.

"Probably," she said, suddenly wanting to drop it completely.

He gave a noise of irritation.

"It doesn't matter," she said again. "Can we just talk about the fact that you have a press conference in half an hour and you're sitting there in jeans?"

"It does matter, Pepper, because it's obviously bothering you. Why?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek and glanced automatically at his office door. It was firmly closed. She just didn't need someone walking in at that moment and seeing them having some kind of informal heart-to-heart. Not that anyone would.

"I don't really know," she admitted in a low voice, turning back to face him. "It ... just feels unpleasant."

"Okay, look, speaking as someone who has tons of experience with this sort of thing, as you know," - he flashed her a smile that replaced the slight irritation on his face - "people mainly do this out of jealousy, not disapproval."

She scoffed.

"Well, people would be jealous of you, wouldn't they?"

"And they're clearly jealous of you too, Ms Potts."

She stared at him incredulously.

"Why on earth would people be jealous of me?"

"Okay, you did ask. Because I'm me and obviously I like you enough that you've stuck around. And it's not just because I like to stare at your legs. My loyal fans all know perfectly well that you mean something to me. They want to mean something to me, you see."

She rolled her eyes.

"Your modesty is touching."

"Because," he pressed on, looking earnest now, "of the fact that everything in that article was wrong. That stuff is wishful thinking, because people know perfectly well that you're as fantastic as I profess you to be."

She laughed then and he grinned back at her.

"At the very least," she teased.

"Besides, you and I both know I'll never be able to trick you into sleeping with me," he added with a wink.

"Hm, I'm glad you're aware of that."

"You don't keep it much of a secret, now do you?"

His smirk was filled with true amusement and she found herself reluctantly feeling amused, too. He did know how to cheer her up. He was right, of course. Sometimes she wondered what she would do without his comparatively light hearted view of the world to help calm her down. It occurred to her then, for the first time, that she really did consider him a friend, in their own unique way.

"Thanks," she said.

He gave a shrug and said, "And to put you in an even better mood, I'll even show up on time to the press conference."

"Wow, I should find disparaging articles about myself more often."

He chuckled and they got to their feet.

"Tell Happy to bring the car? I'll meet you downstairs in a minute after I've changed into something more respectable."

He kept a stock of outfits in a closet in his office, thanks to Pepper losing her patience with his general disregard for appropriate attire and getting sick of sending out for emergency wardrobe changes at the last minute.

"All right. Will that be all, Mr Stark?"

"That will be all Ms Potts."

She gave him a last friendly smile, which he returned. Then she strode from the room, all anger and hurt forgotten.

x x x

She didn't see Tony's scowl return to his face when she left the room. She didn't see him fish the magazine back out of the wastepaper basket. She didn't see him pick up the phone with cold purpose.

She was entirely unaware of the fact that within twenty four hours, he had located the "mystery" source in his department and had had her removed from his employ with a quiet warning that she never open her mouth about Ms Pepper Potts again.

She didn't know the fury that had bubbled in his chest for days afterwards.

x x x

TBC

A/N: Thanks very much for reading!