Day 12 - The Party - Part Two

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Everyone's eyes are fixed on our entwined hands while Pepper drags me through the enormous dancing crowd.

"You close your eyes, okay?" She tells me as we reach the door. I nod numbly and close my eyes. "No peeking." She threatens and lets go of my sweaty hand.

I want to admit that I don't like the quietness of the room when I walk in. The lights were closed and I couldn't hear anything except my breath and the sound of Pepper's dress and stilettos.

"Do you remember when I told you it will cost you around five thousand an hour here?" Pepper asks me and takes my hand again. I'm really really nervous. What is she hiding from me?

She and Rhodey... two masterminds. I should have known that I've hired two people who were even more intelligent than me when it comes to this. Surprises and stuff like that. Since my parents sudden death I used to hate surprises. You just can't love surprises when the entire police department knocks at your parents mansion door and tell you they've had a car accident and that they are dead. It goes just like that, but now's not a bad surprise, I suppose.

"Yes, I remember."

"Well that was a lie." She admits with a small laugh. I let my hand fall down from my eyes and smirk.

"You lied..." I whisper to her and I use the other hand to pull her closer to me in the dark. She gasps softly when I do that and lays her petit hand on my chest, right beside the arc reactor.

"Yes, I lied. But I had a reason..." She gently taps the arc reactor with her nails and looks at me through the dark. I can't see her face but I can sense that she's smiling. "You know that band you've always wanted to perform at your birthday party and they couldn't come because they were on a tour or they had a concert?"

My heart starts beating faster when she says that and it takes me a little while to think about what band...

"Are you talking about the...?" I trail off, waiting for her response with my heart in my throat.

"Aha." She murmurs and presses a little closer to me.

"The dolls?"

"Yes." She murmurs again with another smile. She tries to leave my arms but I don't let her just yet. I want to ask her why she told Rhodey that she couldn't come.

"Why did you call Rhodey?" I ask softly and move my hand from her waist to the expanse of skin on her back. She gasps sharply as my skin makes contact with hers. Her skin is breathtakingly soft and warm and... I can't even describe it.

"You wouldn't believe it..." She says breathlessly as I lean in, my lips a few inches from hers. "I had to go to the airport to take them here. They had a problem with their... tools." Pepper admits nervously, her voice faltering.

She looks at me then, her eyes soft and hesitant. Her gaze trails from my eyes down to my lips and I think she is thinking the same. I wanna kiss her. Right now. It's the perfect moment. It's just the two of us, in the dark. She deserves it - for working so hard for this party and for staying at my side even after Natasha.

I bring my hand down to her waist again and close the gap between us. I'm trying to temper my shallow breath and so does Pepper. Our lips are milimeters away when the door opens suddenly. Pepper pulls away from me quickly, her hand shaking in mine. I grith my teeth wanting desperately to shout at the woman who just opened the door. It's not just a woman, though. It's Nicole.

"Tony!" She says sweetly as she runs to me and wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me on my cheek. "You billionaire playboy-" Hey! I don't know whether I should be ofended or not but when Pepper lets go of my hand I find out that I am ofended.

"Hi, Nicole..." I say, clearly annoyed and try to shrug out of her hold. She lets me go after she kisses me again this time at the corner of my mouth. I bit my lip in hope to prevent the growl of frustration that threatens to spill out.

"Darlin' when you gonna get on the stage?" I ask her and risk a look at Pepper who stands in a corner and fidgets with her hands.

"In a minute handsome." She purrs and takes my hand in her manicured one. She pulls me through the door and I gasp when I actually see what is hiding in there. The other dolls are there, getting ready for their 'show' and I look around, astounded. In a corner I find fifteen maybe twenty strippers. Good lord, Pepper what have you done? I ask myself and smile awkwardly at them. One of them takes her bra off and throws it at me.

With an 'oh' I step away from the bra and go back into the dark room to find Pepper.