More action, more drama...more sexy!
Pepper's phone rang for the eighth time in the last hour, and for the first time in that hour she had a second free to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Pep!" Tony's chipper voice came through the speaker. "I've called you like, a thousand times. Where've you been?"
Pepper actually paused for a moment to wonder if he was being serious. "Where have I been?" she repeated. "Oddly enough, I've been at the office all day doing my job, which now involves doing Mr Kimball's job seeing as Daniel's disappeared from the face of the planet, and your job seeing as you never show the hell up!"
Tony heard the sound of papers being shuffled angrily and flinched involuntarily. "Daniel didn't turn up again?" he asked. "Where the hell is he? That's three days in a row now, I knew I shouldn't have promoted him."
Pepper sighed and slumped back in her chair, massaging the bridge of her nose to try and stop the impending headache. "He's probably in a huff because we broke up." She mumbled.
"What?" Tony asked. "You broke up? When? Why? What happened? Was he cheating, because I swear to God-?"
"Tony, down boy." Pepper chuckled. "I broke it off with him. He was too constricting, that's all. But it was amicable, he didn't seem too pissed when I did it."
"Well you can't blame the poor guy." Tony said after a moment. "I mean, I know what it's like to be dumped by Pepper Potts."
Pepper rolled her eyes, smiling. "It was hardly dumping, we went on one date." She sighed and looked up as Alex knocked at her door. "Listen, I should go, work's piling up, even Folan is having to do some, it's amazing to see the boss actually working."
"Yes, yes, I get it, I'm a bad boss." Tony replied with a smirk. "How about I make it up to you with a night of home cooked Mexican awesomeness and some equally awesome movies?"
"You can cook? I mean other than toast?" Pepper asked, stunned.
"Hey!" Tony snapped back. "Why does everyone always sound surprised when I say I can cook? I'm an excellent cook!"
Pepper hummed, thinking it over. "What movies have you chosen?"
Tony let out a withering breath and she could practically hear him think his head against the wall. "Jesus, Potts, what's with the third degree?" he asked. "Just come over, I feel like I haven't seen you in a week."
"That's probably because you haven't seen me in a week." She retorted. "Something to do with the workload I'd imagine." She smiled as Tony sighed again. "Relax, I'll be there."
"Excellent!" Tony's tone brightened immediately. "Come over as soon as you finish work."
"Miss Potts?" Alex spoke up, still waiting at Pepper's door.
"See you in a few hours." She said quickly before hanging up. "Sorry, Alex, what's up?"
"Mr Folan wants a quick word about Daniel." The frizzy haired woman told her, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Hot date?" she asked, referring to her phone call.
Pepper stood up and made her way towards Alex. After their awkward start, Alex and Pepper had become friends, occasionally going out for drinks – when Daniel wasn't attached to Pepper's hip that was – and often talking about Tony's old assistants. Pepper had learnt that Tony had been quite the playboy back in his heyday before he'd been kidnapped, and that since his return he'd been seen with a grand total of one woman, and that had been Pepper. While the news had shocked Pepper at first, Alex had read into it as far as she could, to the stage she was drunkenly handing out wedding invites to anyone that would listen.
"Just a quiet night in with a friend." Pepper replied with a similar smirk, ushering Alex out of the office and walking with her down the hallway.
"A Tony Stark shaped friend?" she asked knowingly, to which Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Come on, don't tell me you wouldn't tap that-"
"Okay, I think it's time you went back to work." Pepper said, laughing awkwardly and turning Alex by the shoulders back towards her desk, but Alex dug her heels in.
"In all seriousness, Pepper, he likes you, everyone can see that, and in all the years I've worked here, I've never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you." She gushed, almost like she was living her own fairy tale just by telling the story.
Pepper rolled her eyes. "We're friends, Alex. Friends with a lot of history." She sighed. She'd never told anyone of how she and Tony really met all those years ago, and doubted very much Tony had either. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"But-"
"Alex." Pepper interrupted. "I get it, okay? I know he has feelings for me."
"So why not do something about it?"
"Because!" Pepper spluttered indignantly. "Because we're friends, and it would be awkward and we work together and…what if we broke up? Daniel clearly didn't take it very well."
Alex snorted at this. "Daniel was creepy." She stated. "And besides, none of that stuff matters. You like him, he likes you, stop worrying about every little thing, what if the 'what if's' don't happen?"
Pepper exhaled and searched for words, but when none came, Alex shrugged and walked away, and Pepper stepped into Folan's office.
"Hola, and welcome to Mexicano El Stark!" Tony exclaimed as he opened the door to Pepper a few hours later. "I'm glad it's you, this is the second time I've opened the door like that, come in and prepare to be amazed." He stepped back and allowed Pepper to walk in, smirking when she squinted.
"Wow." Pepper stuttered, choking a little on the smell of food laden with spice. "Like it spicy, huh?"
"Such an opening." Tony sighed, taking hold of her shoulders from behind and walking her towards the lounge. "You sit there." He said, pushing her gently onto the couch. "And I'll bring your din din's. Get comfortable, put your feet up, make yourself at home yada yada yada." He said, walking back into the kitchen.
"Thank you, kind sir." Pepper said to Tony's retreating back, doing as he'd instructed and removing her shoes from her aching feet, sighing softly as she leant back into the couch.
"Good evening, Miss Potts." Jarvis piped up after a few seconds. Pepper had gotten used to the AI by now, but the disembodied voice would always make her jump slightly, no matter how often she heard it.
"Evening Jarvis." Pepper replied, reaching forward to pick up one of the DVD's Tony had clearly picked out. "How's it going?"
"Very well, thank you." Jarvis said. "And how does this evening find you?"
Pepper smirked, wondering briefly how or even why Tony had programmed Jarvis to be so…normal. "I'm great thanks." She replied. "Looking forward to relaxing this evening."
"Very good." The AI said. "And might I also say you look lovely this evening."
"Oh, I see how it is." Tony said, reappearing from the kitchen. "I disappear for two minutes and Jarvis makes the moves on you."
Pepper laughed softly as Tony handed her a plate of gorgeous smelling Mexican delights. "I was merely complimenting Miss Potts on her choice of attire, sir." Jarvis explained. "I apologise if I was out of line, but in my defence I learn from example." Pepper spluttered at this, glancing at Tony whose mouth was open in a 'did that really just happen' kind of way.
"Ignore him, Jarvis." She chuckled, shifting so Tony could sit down next to her. "He's just jealous."
"Should I be jealous of something that's essentially just a bunch of ones and zeros?" Tony asked, earning a dig in the calf from Pepper's bare foot.
"Shut up and put a movie on, Stark."
Three hours and several platefuls of home cooked Mexican food later, Tony and Pepper sat slouched on his sofa, a respectable amount of room between them, giggling childishly now and then at the movie they were watching. At one point, Tony chuckled through a yawn and stretched his arms up, his shirt slipping a little and revealing a generous portion of skin, and impulsively, Pepper reached over and poked him in the ribs.
Tony squeaked and dropped his arms protectively, his head snapping around to her. Pepper snorted and shrugged, turning back to the TV, but Tony raised an eyebrow and did exactly the same back to her, eliciting a similar squeak and an equally shocked look.
"You threw down the gauntlet, Potts." Tony said with a smirk.
"Oh yeah?" Pepper asked before she tackled him, flinging herself at him and digging her fingers into his ribs as he tipped backwards.
"Oh no you don't!" Tony grunted, grabbing her hands and forcing her back the other way so she was now lying down, Tony knelt in front of her using his other had to tickle her.
"No! Nonononononono! Pepper screeched, laughing manically and flailing as much as she could.
"Regretting that rib jab now, are we?" Tony laughed as well as Pepper continued squirming in his grasp. With one particularly hard kick, her foot caught the knee he was using to support his weigh and it jerked out from under him, causing him to land heavily on top of Pepper. She made a soft huffing noise and stopped laughing, as did Tony. "Oops." Tony said, trying to untangle himself and push up onto his palms. "You okay?"
Pepper smiled softly and nodded, but before he could speak or move another inch, she'd lifted her head from the couch and kissed him. Tony froze as Pepper's lips covered his own, but he couldn't help moving his mouth against hers. When they broke apart, Tony gazed down at her questioningly.
"Friends don't do that." He said hoarsely.
She smiled and bit her lip, raising a hand to his face and stroking his cheek softly. "No, they don't" she mumbled and kissed him again. This time, Tony responded immediately, lowering himself back down and letting his eyes fall closed.
Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, opening her mouth to him and allowing his tongue entry. He moaned softly and brought his left hand up to graze along her side, supporting himself with his right elbow. Pepper smiled and entwined her fingers in his hair while Tony broke away from her mouth and pressed open mouthed kisses along her jaw and down to her neck, sucking lightly on her soft skin. Pepper gasped and bucked up against him, her nails digging into his skull. Tony chuckled and nipped in the same spot, causing the same reaction.
"Tony…" she groaned, dragging her nails down his chest and under his shirt to his toned stomach. Tony let out a little puff of air against her neck and growled.
"God, Pepper." He rolled his hips against her, his arousal pressing into her thigh. Pepper's hands dropped to his belt and she slipped the tail from the buckle. Tony moved back up to her mouth and urgently captured her lips, simultaneously slipping his hand beneath her blouse and palming her breast. Pepper paused at his zipper as he squeezed softly, grazing his thumb across her nipple. He did it again and she moaned into his mouth.
"Tony, more." She regained the use of her hands and managed to unzip his jeans. Tony removed his hand from her breast and pushed her skirt up as Pepper pushed his jeans down his hips and legs, pooling them at his ankles. With only their underwear separating them, he bucked against her again, his erection pressing teasingly against her core. He slowed the kiss as he rocked against her, trailing his right hand across her stomach to her panties and pulling them down her slender legs, dropping them over the side of the couch. He then moved his hand back beneath her blouse, this time under her bra as she ran her hands down his back over his shirt and into his boxer-briefs, cupping his bottom and pulling his against her wet heat. He stilled froze against her as she pushed the fabric down his legs and softly stroked him.
"Tony?" she mumbled when she saw his eyes had glossed over slightly. "Tony, you with me?" she kissed his chin softly and gently squeezed him. Tony let out a guttural moan and closed his eyes, pressing closer to her.
"I haven't been with anyone for a very long time." He mumbled, swallowing and pressing his forehead against hers. "Not since I came back."
Pepper smiled at this and nuzzled against him, kissing him again. "It's okay." She tugged him closer and he slowly eased himself into her. Pepper's hands moved to his neck, nails gently scratching his skin while Tony's mouth moved back to her neck, nipping and sucking along her collarbone as he filled her. He buried his face into her neck and paused for a second, moving both hands to the globes of her ass, effectively pushing himself deeper and eliciting a small squeak from Pepper After giving her a second to adjust, he withdrew slowly to the tip and pressed back in again, grunting as he did so. Pepper curled her fingers against his broad shoulders, tugging at the fabric of his shirt as he used the same long, slow strokes. She felt his hot breath against her neck and his fingers digging into her bottom and he began to thrust with more force.
Within minutes, Pepper felt the first fluttering of release approaching as Tony continued his languid strokes. She moaned against his ear and mouthed at the lobe, wrapping her legs around his hips to bring him even closer. The extra pressure brought her over the edge and she snapped like a bow string, arching against him and moaning his name softly. Tony turned his head and captured her mouth as she cried out, revelling in the feel of her pulsating around him while she wound down. As soon as she'd calmed, he began thrusting harder and faster, opening his eyes and locking with hers, holding her flush against him so their hips ground together with each thrust. He gasped her name as his own release fluttered in the pit of his stomach but he drove on, determined to bring her into oblivion one last time. He kissed his way along her chest before settling on her right breast, mouthing hotly through the thin fabric of her blouse and bra.
"Oh God, Tony." Pepper moaned as Tony pressed the pad of his right thumb where they were joined, drawing her pleasure out as she came hard yet again. This brought him hurtling along with her and he held himself inside as he finally found release, calling her name. He flopped down on top of her, panting heavily, face buried in her neck as they both wound down, Pepper's fingers skating up and down his sweaty back.
"Stay." He mumbled against her skin, a hot puff of air making her squirm as it hit her ear with his words.
"Okay." She agreed, smiling widely, blinking as Tony heaved himself off her and held his hand out before leading her down the hallway to his bedroom. "I think it's safe to say our friendship is effectively ruined."
Pepper spent the night with him, but insisted in the morning that she had to go home, go to work, and that he should turn up at some point. "I'll call you later." He'd said before kissing her goodbye, standing naked at the front door. Later seemed to be dragging on and on, however, because it was nearing eight at night and he still hadn't called. She'd thought about calling him, but didn't want to seem like she was waiting for him. Sighing at how complicated it had become between them in such a short period of time, she flopped down onto her couch and flicked on the TV, turning to the news, watching as the first thing that came into view was a piece on Iron Man.
"…the Iron Avenger was seen earlier today in a daring rescue that went wrong when an anti-tank missile hit him head on." Pepper gasped at this and focussed on the TV as footage of the fight appeared. "Iron Man was shot down and we can see from this clip that he landed hard somewhere in the desert. Patrols by both the army and SHIELD, the government agency, have been done, but so far no one has been found. More information on this story as it develops."
She didn't hesitate this time, Pepper grabbed her phone and dialled Tony. Iron Man was a friend of his, and she wanted to make sure Tony was okay, but he didn't pick up. She was half tempted to go round and check on him, but she guessed he was taking out any frustration he had down in his workshop and couldn't hear the phone. She just hoped he wasn't being self-destructive. If he still wasn't answering by tomorrow, she'd go round and check on him, he probably just needed some space. She stayed up a little longer, checking back to the news every now and then to see if there were any other updates, before heading to bed, hoping that whoever Iron Man was, that he was alright.
Morning came on day two, and Pepper found out when she got to work that Tony had left instructions for her for the rest of the week, and that he wasn't coming in having called in sick. Again, she tried calling him but got no reply, but when at lunchtime the discovery of Iron Man's helmet appeared on the news, with no suit or body in sight, she knew she had to go and speak to him. He was probably worried sick, and she couldn't just leave him alone. She got into her car during her lunch hour, and tried one last time to call him before just turning up, and this time he picked up.
"Pep!" he said a little breathlessly. "What's up? Sorry I've been MIA…"
"Don't worry about it." Pepper assured him, silently breathing a sigh of relief at the sound of his voice. "I heard about Iron Man, how are you holding up?"
"Well, you know." He huffed. "He's a big boy, he can take care of himself." Pepper heard a muffled sound and Pepper wondered if he'd suddenly put his hand over the mouthpiece. "Listen, Pep, I gotta go." He said when he came back to the phone.
Pepper blinked, getting steadily more pissed off. "Well, I'm halfway to your place, I was gonna bring lunch-"
"Oh, you don't need to do that." Tony stuttered, and she could hear something akin to pain in his voice, like he was struggling no to let her know about it. "I'm not feeling too hot, don't come over, you'll probably catch something. I'll call you when I'm feeling better, okay? Listen, I gotta go." Pepper didn't get a chance to reply as the line went dead, signalling Tony had hung up. She jerked her head away from the phone and let out a disbelieving huff before turning the ignition and setting off towards Tony's. Like hell she was going to ignore this. He was up to something, and she wanted to know what.
She arrived at Tony's house within minutes, marching up to the front door and punching in her code to open the door. The main hall was quiet and after taking a breath, she headed for the stairs, readying herself for her worst fear with each step. She slowly crept towards Tony's bedroom, hovering for a moment outside his door when she reached it.
"…Tony, Jesus, sit still." A definitely female voice came from behind the door.
"Pepper's on the way, I gotta- ngh fuck." He cursed and Pepper had heard enough, opening the door and stepping through it. Natalie, Tony's assistant, was holding Tony's face in her hands, kneeling on his side of the bed, and as soon as she'd walked in, Tony had yanked the duvet up to his chest. He was clearly undressed under the duvet. "Pep." He squeaked, pushing Natalie away. "Um…it's not what you think."
Pepper, whose mouth had dropped open, shook her head and backed away, running out of the room and back down to her car, trying to hold in a sob as she heard Tony yelling for her. She'd been an idiot to trust him with everything, she should have listened to what she'd heard about him before giving herself to him, making herself believe he'd changed from the playboy he used to be.
She drove home, hardly able to see the road through the wave of tears sliding down her cheeks, and when she finally got home, she ran to the front door, dropping her keys as she fumbled at the door.
"Pepper!" a male voice called out behind her and she turned, wiping her eyes as she did so. "Are you okay?" Daniel was walking towards her.
"Daniel?" she sniffed, gazing at him questioningly. "What are you doing here? Where have you been?"
Daniel shrugged and jogged up to her front porch. "Had some stuff to do. Are you crying?"
"I'm fine." Pepper shrugged him off and turned back to her door. "Listen, I'm glad to see you again, but I just can't deal with anyone right now. You should let the office know you're back."
"Well, I figured I could let you know first." He said with a grin. "Come on, let's go inside and talk."
Pepper shook her head and finally got her door open. "No, Daniel, I'm sorry, I can't-" her next words were muffled by a rag as Daniel covered her mouth with it, grabbing her around the waist and dragging her back to her car.
"Wasn't really asking." He huffed in her ear.
The last sound Pepper heard was the car door closing and Daniel laughing.