Day 6
---
Sunday was usually a boring day. Until Afghanistan it wasn't such a boring day because that day meant that Pepper wasn't at the mansion. It was a good opportunity to take a car and go into the city - to a club, dance a little, drink a little and take a woman home for the night. Of course it wasn't a surprise for Pepper when she came back on Monday morning to find another woman wondering the empty rooms of my mansion.
But now what I can say is that I don't want to risk my own skin and go out for that. I've been through a lot and I think that when people are going to see me they are going to go ballistic. It happened once, three months ago when I decided to go shopping - it was a Sunday - like today, because there were no more cereals. The paparazzi and a crowd of excited women followed me through the supermarket with cameras in their hands and pictures for me to sign.
Anyway I ignored them.
Pepper mentioned a couple of months ago that she likes spending the Sunday morning out - jogging. That gave me an interesting idea.
She lives in a condo - the whole building was owned by me but it doesn't matter anyway. But how do I get there without an entire army of paparazzi following me? That had me thinking for about fifteen minutes before I rush into the master bathroom with a goofy grin playing on my lips.
This is crazy - my mind tells me and I decide to ignore the warning bells in my head. I take the razor from one of the shelves and plug it in. I look in the mirror and start shaving off my perfectly trimmed goatee and mustache. She's not going to recognize me, I think. She hasn't seen me without my goatee and mustache ever because I used to grow it since I was 21. She works for me for about five years. That means I was 30 when I hired her.
"Jarvis?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Do you have any idea where Pepper could be right now?"
"Of course. She is jogging on the beach."
"Which beach?"
"The Malibu beach, sir."
I grin and put the razor on the sink with an ingenious plan in my mind. I look in the mirror once again and smile. I look ten years younger like this - without my trademark goatee. No one would recognize me, except maybe Pepper. I wonder if she'll faint when she'll actually see me like this.
I wash my face and hands before I run to my bedroom and start searching through the closet. Finally, after a couple of minutes of searching through dozens of designer suits, shirts, pants and ties I find a pair of shorts and a white Hawaiian shirt. Along with them I take some flip-flops and some D&G sunglasses.
I get to the beach in a record time, almost stumbling on the last step. The weather is absolutely wonderful - the sun is up, glowing brightly and sending waves of warmth into my skin. The ocean's quiet and peaceful and there are some birds flying above the water in hope for catching some fish. The sand beneath my feet is hot and I can feel the hotness through the flip-flops. That's weird, I muse and search for Pepper.
No luck, though. I look around me but there are no people, just a few birds and a dog - a lost dog I suppose. I walk slowly on the beach while I search for my girl - my lady.
After ten minutes of no luck I decide to stop at a bar but I don't want scotch or vodka. This time I ask for a coke and the bartender looks strangely at me - I recognize that look anywhere so I don't take off my sunglasses just so he wouldn't know who I really am.
Half way through my coke a strawberry-blond looking woman takes the empty seat beside me. I smirk into the glass and after she tells the bartender that she wants a cold mineral water I take off my sunglasses and look at her with a huge smile on my face. She finally looks at me and the expression on her face is priceless.
"Ton--Tony?" She babbles incoherently and I smile a little bit more.
"Yes?"
She breaks into laughter and sets her mineral water on the bar. I can't help myself but laugh as well. When we're sure no one is looking at us like we're some lunatics we stop laughing and she turns serious but a faint trace of smile is still present on her lips.
"What have you done with your goatee?" She asks me and laughs.
"Have I caught you off guard?"
"You know you always do that. Now answer my question."
"I thought you might appreciate it. That and the people won't recognize me." I add with a small smirk.
"That's really... thoughtful from you." She admits with a smile. "You look..."
"You can tell me now---" I cut her off. "I'm hot, right?"
"You're warm, yes." She avoids the subject and puts her hand over my arm to see what temperature I have.
"You can always tell me that I'm hot."
"I like you more with your goatee. Besides you look hotter with a mustache."
"Ha! You admitted that I look hot." I exclaim with a swing of the glass.
"It's not like that." She murmurs with a blush covering her face.
"It doesn't have to be." I tell her seriously and I grab her hand in mine.
She brings her gaze to mine and I hold it for a couple of seconds.
"You booked the place, right?"
"I- yes. They said it would cost you around five thousand dollars per hour which I think it's incredibly over-priced."
"It's okay. I'll pay them exactly how much they want."
"Fine. You're the boss."
"They said that the place will look like a club and you know... all the arrangements."
"Right."
"Next Saturday."
"That early, huh?" I say and give her a full teeth smile.
"Yes." I look down at our hands and then back at her mouth. I'm still having a tough time concentrating around her.
"If you're okay I'm going home now. I just stopped for a drink."
"Well I don't think I'll agree with that."
Pepper turns her face away from me to hide her insistent blush. I sigh happily and pay to the bartender.
"Me and the lady here-" I tell him and I wait until he gives me the exchange.
"You didn't have to pay for me."
"Nah. It's my pleasure."
"Sure it is." She tells me softly and looks in my eyes. I feel like I'm swaying on the gentle breeze of the ocean when she gives me that look.
We walk for a couple of minutes - neither of us saying anything. We just enjoy the time together.
"I guess this is it. Our roads part away." I tell her dramatically and take her hand in mine once again.
She doesn't resist me as I press a heated kiss on her cheek. I look at her and she has her eyes closed and her mouth slightly opened. It's the perfect way to kiss her but it's the wrong place.
I sigh softly and let her hand go. She looks like she wants to say something else but she just closes her mouth and waves me goodbye.
